Hearing fades slowly and usually at the high pitches first, so most people notice it years after it starts: the television a little louder, conversations in a noisy restaurant a little harder. A test at home does not replace an audiologist, but it shows you, ear by ear and pitch by pitch, where you stand today, and it gives you a number to compare against next year.
Each ear on its own
Beeps play in the right ear, then the left, at five pitches from low to high.
Quiet to loud
Each tone starts very quiet and grows until you tap. The level you tapped at is your result.
A result you can keep
Copy it, or save it in Anpheros Daily to compare tests over the years.
How the test works
- Put on headphones or earbuds. Without them the test cannot tell your ears apart.
- Set your device volume to about half and do not touch it during the test. Turn off noise cancelling and find a quiet room.
- Tap "I hear it" as soon as you hear the beeps. Each tone starts far too quiet to hear and gets louder in steps every few seconds.
- The test plays five pitches (500, 1000, 2000, 4000 and 8000 Hz) in the right ear, then the same five in the left.
The whole thing takes about four minutes. If you are interrupted, just start again.
What the result means
For each ear and pitch you get the quietest level at which you heard the tone, measured in decibels below your device's reference volume. A higher number means you heard a quieter sound. Two things are worth looking at:
- The difference between ears. Hearing that is clearly weaker in one ear, at one or more pitches, is worth mentioning to a doctor, especially if it is new.
- The high pitches. Hearing that drops off at 4000 and 8000 Hz but is fine lower down is the most common pattern with age and after years of noise, and the first sign that a proper hearing test is worth booking.
The result is indicative only. Headphones, the phone's output and the room all change the absolute numbers, which is why the test does not call itself an audiogram and does not give you a "hearing loss" percentage. What it does well is consistency: with the same headphones at the same volume, the number you get next year can be compared with this one.
When to see a professional
Book a hearing test with an audiologist or an ENT doctor if one ear is clearly weaker than the other, if the high pitches have dropped, if you have ringing in your ears (tinnitus) that does not go away, or if people around you say you have the television too loud. Sudden hearing loss in one ear is urgent: see a doctor the same day.
Keep the result
Copy the result at the end of the test, or save it in Anpheros Daily, the free health record app, on your own profile or a family member's. There it sits next to your other tests, with the date, so the trend over the years is visible at a glance and can be shared with your doctor with your consent.
Frequently asked questions
Is this online hearing test free?
Yes, completely, with no account and nothing to install. Saving the result in your health record is also free, in the Basic plan of Anpheros Daily.
Can I do the test without headphones?
Not usefully. Speakers reach both ears, so the test cannot measure each ear separately. Any headphones or earbuds work, including the ones that came with your phone.
Is it an audiogram?
No. An audiogram uses calibrated equipment in a soundproof booth and gives absolute thresholds in dB HL. This test gives the quietest level you heard relative to your own device, which is enough to compare ears, compare pitches and compare years, but not to diagnose hearing loss.
Which pitches does it test, and why not more?
500, 1000, 2000, 4000 and 8000 Hz: the range that matters for speech (the first three) and the pitches where age- and noise-related loss shows first (the last two). More pitches would make the test longer without changing what you should do next.
Does it test for tinnitus?
No test can measure tinnitus directly. If you have ringing or buzzing in your ears, the hearing test can show whether the pitches around it are weaker, which is common; the tinnitus itself is a reason to see an ENT doctor.
Does my data leave the browser?
The test runs entirely on your device. Nothing is sent anywhere unless you choose to save the result in your Anpheros record.
