AB Remote vs BeAware Deaf Assistant
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AB Remote
Control volume and program settings for specific hearing devices. Access helpful information directly through your smartphone.
- Volume control
- Program changes
- Access help information
- Direct connectivity
- Sound processor control
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The AB Remote is a smartphone app that is designed to provide user control over volume and program changes as well as provide access to help information. The AB Remote app provides direct connectivity and control of Advanced Bionics Naída CI M and Sky CI M sound processors and Phonak Naída Link M and Sky Link M hearing instruments.
BeAware Deaf Assistant
This app offers advanced communication tools for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. It features real-time voice-to-text transcription, customizable alerts for loud noises, and a unique text-to-speech function for phone calls. It also includes a notepad with preset phrases and an emoji board for easier communication.
- Real-time voice-to-text transcription
- Customizable noise and alert notifications
- Text-to-speech for phone calls
- Note-taking with preset phrases
- Flip text for easy viewing
- Emoji and image communication board
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BeAware is the most advanced communication tool for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community with the latest features that do not exist on other apps! It even hit top 5 on Ycombinator's HackerNews! Are you tired of using apps with bad user experience, while being forced to watch ads and paying $50 a year for functionality that you need to use everyday? Look no further, BeAware is the only free, privacy-safe, no-ads, open-source, completely offline, battery-efficient app designed for Deaf users. With a proven and award-winning development process, BeAware was built from the ground-up with the deaf community in mind. It would not have been possible without the help of 100's of volunteers, testers and dozens of design and development iterations. - BeAware comes with a customizable Alert tool, that can detect loud noises and communicate that to the deaf using vibrations, LED flashes, and sending notifications to your phone and connected Apple Watch. So now, a Deaf new mom can leave the app running and get alerted if her baby is crying, or a Deaf delivery driver can move to the side to make way for emergency vehicles. - BeAware comes with the fastest Speech-to-Text transcription tool that is optimized for accuracy and works in any language that is set in the device Settings - The Text functionality is the best note pad app for the Deaf. The "Preset phrases" feature can make note taking a breeze and the "Flip Text" provides ease while showing the note. Enjoy your custom order at the coffee shop, without having to retype it every time, or having to turn your phone around. - Play Text - The Text tool also comes with a unique ability to Play the Text that you type in through your voice and video phone calls! So if you are not able to speak over the phone in an interview, you can just type out your responses and have the phone play it to the other side of your call. The language of the speech depends on the one selected in your settings - Emoji Board allows you to communicate with people who don't use ASL using emoji or images uploaded from your photo gallery *Users with Usher Syndrome can switch the phone to dark mode to view the app designed to accommodate them.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: BeAware Deaf Assistant at 59% against AB Remote's 13%. BeAware Deaf Assistant also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 29 months). AB Remote's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BeAware Deaf Assistant holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 100 and 259 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 13% of AB Remote's written reviews are positive against 59% of BeAware Deaf Assistant's.
AB Remote ships an update every 29 months, BeAware Deaf Assistant every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AB Remote | BeAware Deaf Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (100 ratings) | 4.5 (259 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 12.8% of reviews | 59.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 100 | 259 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 29 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 44 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Advanced Bionics, LLC | Saamer Mansoor |
Customer experience
AB Remote
BeAware Deaf Assistant
User reviews
AB Remote
From 100 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Helpful for controlling sound
- 👍 Gets the job done
- 👍 Useful for watching videos/music
- 👍 Good start
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connections suck
- 🐛 UI/UX is awful
- 🐛 App is terrible
- 🐛 Incredibly stupid battery display
- 🐛 Worst app ever
BeAware Deaf Assistant
From 259 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Helpful for hearing impaired
- 👍 Saves conversations
- 👍 Allows copying text
- 👍 Good speech recognition (some users)
Room to improve
- 🐛 Speech recognition inaccurate
- 🐛 App crashes regularly
- 🐛 Microphone not working
- 🐛 Drains battery quickly
- 🐛 Overheats phone
Bugs and requests
AB Remote
Reported bugs
36 issues- Unpairs from device
- Doesn't remember settings
- Bluetooth disconnects intermittently
- Needs rebooting speech processor
- Disconnects when one battery dies
Show 31 moreShow fewer
- Loses connection frequently
- Needs app reinstallation to reconnect
- Loses connection weekly
- Resets volume on calls/streaming
- Times out and disconnects
- Aggressively connects to TV streamer
- No way to mute TV streamer
- Crackling noises with iPhone 15 Pro
- Doesn't connect to left cochlear implant
- Voice alerts stopped playing over Marvel M90 after iOS 17
- Loses volume setting every time phone is used
- Split volume changes to match loudest setting
- Setting changes when opening other apps
- Normal hearing aid shuts down and won't connect
- App times out and disconnects
- Connects to AirPlay every time phone sleeps
- Impossible to keep connected
- Doesn't connect to Bluetooth devices
- Can't get app to connect to processors
- No pairing
- App times out and disconnects
- Volume reverts to default
- Split volume function useless
- Volume resets on calls
- App disconnects from iPhone intermittently
- Battery percentage display is primitive
- Cannot adjust bass and treble
- Cannot do tone equalization
- Cannot control ambient sound override
- Cannot pair more than one device
- Bluetooth connection is hard
Requested features
17 requests- Apple Watch app
- Tone equalization/treble boost
- Active Noise Cancellation
- Sensitivity slider
- Push alerts for disconnects
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Lock devices to same program
- More intuitive UI for program assignment and volume
- Save volume preferences
- Fix phone call volume issues
- Bass and treble controls
- Ambient sound override control
- Compatibility with i-phone hearing aid devices
- Update app 3 times a year
- Show remaining battery percentage for bilateral implants
- Fix split volume not maintaining
- Fix crackling noises on iPhone 15 Pro
- Fix Voiceover accessibility for volume sliders
BeAware Deaf Assistant
Reported bugs
11 issues- Speech recognition is finicky and not exact
- App crashes regularly
- Microphone does not capture sound for transcription
- App consumes battery very quickly
- App makes iPhone extremely hot
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Does not work in noisy environments
- Icon options are cropped with larger text display zoom
- No audio when typing in texts and hitting iPhone's play button
- Transcription is full of errors and often makes no sense
- Turning app off with blue/red dot does not work; transcription continues
- Cannot have an entire conversation, only line by line recording
Requested features
5 requests- Improve speech recognition/transcription accuracy
- Implement true AI system for better accuracy
- Add automatic punctuation (commas, periods, question marks)
- Allow paragraph breaks for better text structure
- Distinguish between different voices
In-app purchases
AB Remote
No in-app purchases
BeAware Deaf Assistant
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is AB Remote free?
Is BeAware Deaf Assistant free?
Which has better reviews, AB Remote or BeAware Deaf Assistant?
Do AB Remote or BeAware Deaf Assistant have ads?
Which is updated more often, AB Remote or BeAware Deaf Assistant?
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