On October 27, 2016 Apple threw the switch on its new “accessibility” website. In fact, it was the first item on the agenda for CEO Tim Cook’s presentation. Of particular interest to those of us with hearing loss is the section on bluetooth connectivity between iphones and hearing aids.
This technology has proven indispensable to me.
(For more on how it’s changed my life see my recent review of the Oticon OPN)
Iphones have built-in software that uses bluetooth to send sound directly to your hearing aids. The sounds around you are then automatically lowered, and the sound from your phone is adjusted by your hearing aids to deliver the audio it has been programmed for to compensate for your hearing loss.
The result is much clearer sounding phone calls, music and alerts.
At last count, about 44 models of hearing aids from various manufacturers have bluetooth capability and are compatible with iphone.
Hearing aid makers also offer their own free iphone apps which let you control your hearing aid settings, such as the volume, using your phone. You can also check your battery levels.
One very cool feature is called “listen live”, which pipes the sound from the phone’s mic into your hearing aids. That can be a handy option as this new video from Apple demonstrates.
For more on how it all works check out:
For those of you with Android phones, the story is a little more complicated since there is such a great variety of manufacturers. The best advice is to check out the website of your hearing aid maker and see if their app is compatible with your phone.
