Disclosed herein, among other things, are methods and apparatus for providing a hearing assistance device with a detachable telecoil. One aspect of the present subject matter includes an apparatus for communication with a hearing assistance device. In various embodiments, the apparatus includes a telecoil and a direct audio input (DAI) connector electrically connected to the telecoil. The DAI connector is configured to detachably attach to a DAI port of the hearing assistance device and to pass a signal from the telecoil to the hearing assistance device, in various embodiments.