by Elisabeth Aman, AuD CCC-A
Why would anyone want to connect their hearing aids to their phone by Bluetooth? Connecting compatible hearing aids to a phone through Bluetooth gives the patient the ability to control the hearing aid from an app on the phone and possibly give the ability to stream audio from the phone directly to the hearing aids. The compatibility of the hearing aids working with a phone does depend on the model of the hearing aids and the type of phone being used. For example, the newest Starkey hearing aids are compatible with iPhones for application use and audio streaming. If older hearing aids are being used or if the phone being used is old there may be some limitations to streaming or application use.
Patients who have the Bluetooth connection established and the appropriate hearing aid application downloaded can adjust the volume of their hearing aids by making an adjustment in the application on the phone. Of course, each manufacturer has their own application that needs to be downloaded on the cell phone, which is something your hearing healthcare professional can help you with at a scheduled appointment. Some hearing aid applications are more advanced than others, but generally patients are able to adjust volume, make changes to the levels of bass, middle, and treble, and switch between any programs you may have.
If the patient’s hearing aids are compatible with their cellular device for streaming, the biggest advantage is that phone calls will be heard in both ears when wearing the hearing aids. Patients that have used this have reported that phone calls are easier to understand as they are able to hear the call in both ears as opposed to the one when the phone has to be held up to an ear. Some models of hearing aids and phones also support 2-way audio which means the microphones on the hearing aids also pick up the patient’s voice and sends it back to the cell phone for the person on the other end of the line to hear. If that is the case, that means the patient does not have to hold their cell phone up near their mouth for the other person to hear them. The patient could keep their cell phone in a pocket without reducing the sound quality of the call.
If you want to find out if your hearing aids and cell phone are compatible for streaming and/or application use, please call to make an appointment and a hearing care professional can help you. If you would like a more immediate solution, we also have manufacturer technology support numbers you can call for help with pairing your hearing aids with your cell phone and downloading the correct hearing aid application.