App comparisons
There is no Android version of Cochlear CoPilot. It runs on iPhone only, and signing in needs a Cochlear account, so the app is closed to Android users and to anyone wearing a MED-EL or Advanced Bionics implant. Plenty of listening apps have neither limit. Here are the ones worth your time, including our own, SoundSteps.
CoPilot is an iPhone app. There is no Android build, and no iPad version either — the App Store listing covers iPhone and iPod touch only. If you carry an Android phone, none of the app is available to you, and no setting or workaround changes that.
Android is the more common phone platform in most countries, so a large share of cochlear implant users have never been able to open CoPilot at all.
iPhone only — no Android, no iPad
Free, but a Cochlear account is required to sign in
Launched in the US and Canada
Last updated August 2023
Hear it
The same word from different speakers
The word is "sun" every time. See which speaker is easiest for you.
Same word, different speakers. Notice which ones take you a beat longer.
Even on an iPhone, CoPilot checks who you are. Signing in requires a Cochlear account, which means a Cochlear-brand implant. Wear a MED-EL or an Advanced Bionics implant, or a hearing aid, and the app is closed to you.
Manufacturer apps do not all work this way. ReDi from MED-EL and WordSuccess from Advanced Bionics carry brand names and are open to any hearing device. CoPilot is the one that checks. Our guide on manufacturer apps goes through each one.
There is no Android version of CoPilot, and no iPad version — it runs on iPhone only.
For a Cochlear recipient with an iPhone, CoPilot mixes short listening activities with practical tips for adults getting used to a cochlear implant — fatigue, music, phone calls, work. It leans toward coaching and reading more than repeated listening drills, and it is free.
Its last release was in August 2023, so treat it as finished software rather than something still being worked on.
SoundSteps is our app. It runs in a browser, which is what makes it an answer to both limits above: it opens on an Android phone, an iPhone, an iPad, or a computer, with nothing to install, and it never asks what brand you wear or whether you wear anything.
It is built around practice rather than coaching: a ladder of word pairs, sentences, conversations, and stories, all real recordings, with background noise you control on every activity. Start without signing up; the first 7 days include full access, no card. It also covers several languages beyond English.
WordSuccess comes from Advanced Bionics, but like ReDi it is open to any hearing device — hearing aid or cochlear implant, any brand. It is free, and it runs on Android as well as iPhone and iPad. You get a large library of recorded words on a long ladder of levels, a placement test that finds your starting point, and a two-person Listening Coach mode for practicing with a partner.
One caution: neither store listing has been updated since mid-2024, so treat it as finished software. It is English-only.
If you are newly activated and want a gentler start, Hearoes is worth a look. Its game-style activities begin with everyday sounds and vowels before moving to sentences, and it works with any hearing device brand. The download is free with limited content; full access is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, on Android, iPhone, and iPad.
ReDi from MED-EL is another open, fully free option, on Android and iPhone, with AI feedback on listening and speech and wide language coverage. Any of these works with a Cochlear implant, or any other brand. If you do have an iPhone and a Cochlear implant, you can also keep CoPilot for its tips and add an open app for daily listening practice.
FAQ
No. CoPilot runs on iPhone only — there is no Android version and no iPad version. For Android, SoundSteps (our app) runs in the browser, and WordSuccess, ReDi, and Hearoes all have Android apps. None of them ask what cochlear implant brand you wear.
No. Signing in to CoPilot requires a Cochlear account, so it only works for Cochlear-brand implant users. If you wear a MED-EL or Advanced Bionics implant, open apps like SoundSteps — our app — WordSuccess, or ReDi work with any brand.
Yes. SoundSteps — our app — WordSuccess from Advanced Bionics, ReDi from MED-EL, and Hearoes all work with any cochlear implant or hearing device. Only CoPilot is locked to one brand.
Plenty. ReDi comes from MED-EL and WordSuccess from Advanced Bionics, and both are free and open to any brand. Hearoes and SoundSteps — our app — also work with any cochlear implant. Only Cochlear CoPilot is limited to one brand.
Its last release was in August 2023. The app still works for Cochlear recipients on an iPhone, but treat it as finished software rather than something still being worked on.
In part. CoPilot mixes short listening activities with practical tips for Cochlear implant users, leaning more toward coaching than repeated drills. For a deeper practice ladder, an open app like SoundSteps — our app — or the free WordSuccess goes further, and both work with any brand.
Related reading
SoundSteps runs in any browser — Android, iPhone, iPad, or computer — and works with any cochlear implant or hearing device. Practice word pairs, sentences, and stories free; your first 7 days include everything, no card.
