Audiogram

Screening test, not a diagnosis

This is a quick pure-tone screening test. It cannot diagnose hearing loss, tell you the cause, or replace a hearing test with an audiologist. Consumer headphones and phones are not calibrated, so the dB HL values are approximate and can be many decibels out, differently at different pitches. If you have sudden hearing loss, ringing, dizziness or ear pain, or any worry about your hearing, see a doctor or audiologist.

1. Get ready

2. Room noise check

Checks how noisy the room is using the microphone for about 3 seconds, before you put the headphones on. Stay quiet and keep still. Audio is analysed on this device only and is not recorded or uploaded; the microphone is switched off as soon as the check ends.

Uncalibrated: the phone microphone is not calibrated, so the meter shows relative level, not dB SPL, and the "too noisy" limit is a rough guide. With Bluetooth headphones iOS may switch to the phone's own mic or a phone-call mode while the check runs, so the app turns the mic off afterwards and you set the volume in step 3, after the check.

3. Set the volume to MAXIMUM

Set your iPhone volume to maximum: press volume up until the on-screen bar is full. The app plays every tone quieter than that, so this is safe: the loudest tone it can ever play is capped well below the phone's maximum, and most tones are very quiet. Every test then starts from the same known baseline.

  • iPhone: Settings › Sounds & Haptics › Headphone Safety › Reduce Loud Sounds: Off (otherwise maximum volume is capped lower than the app assumes and quiet tones may be too quiet to hear).
  • Turn the volume back down before you play music or video afterwards.

Reference tone check: you should hear a clear, steady pulsing beep at roughly quiet-conversation loudness. If it is very loud, stop and check headphones and volume. If you can barely hear it, check the volume really is at maximum, "Reduce Loud Sounds" is off and the headphones are connected.

Note: the dB HL values assume a typical phone and headphones at maximum volume, so they are approximate. Different headphones can differ by several dB.

4. Left / right check

If they're swapped or in both ears, check the headphones (mono audio and balance settings in iOS Accessibility → Audio/Visual) and try again.

5. Options

Used only if you share your results, and to show calibration-adjusted estimates when enough audiologist data exists for your model. Stored on this device.

Advanced: per-frequency calibration offsets (dB)

Default 0. A positive offset plays that pitch louder (use it only if you know your headphones are weak there). Applies to both ears. Saved on this device.

FrequencyOffset (dB)

Level mapping (phone at maximum volume): assumes a full-scale tone gives about 100 dB SPL, so 0 dB HL at 1 kHz = −93 dBFS (reference tone −38 dBFS = 55 dB HL); other pitches shifted by the TDH-39 RETSPL difference (ANSI/ASA S3.6-2018, used as a proxy); output capped at −12 dBFS (about 88 dB SPL if the assumption holds) and 80 dB HL.

Tick every box above to begin.

The test takes about 10–15 minutes. You press "I hear it" (or the space bar) whenever you hear a beep, however faint. The beeps come at unpredictable moments, and the screen never shows when one is playing or how far along you are. Some checks are silent: don't press then. Your results stay on this device and are never uploaded. The app sends an anonymous "one more test completed" count when you finish a test. Only if you choose to, and tick the consent box at the end, it also saves your email address.