Which hearing aids work best with Android mobile phones?
- Koorosh Nejad
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 33 minutes ago
As an audiologist, I need to keep up with the progress in the connectivity side of the hearing aids, as more and more, this becomes a big part of the patient experience. This article discusses the top hearing aids that work best with your Android mobile phone.
According to StatCounter, more than 70 per cent of the mobile phones at a global level are Androids (see the above chart, source).
Samsung Galaxy 23 and 24 mobile phones are the only Android mobile phones that can connect to Auracast headphones and hearing aids (more in here) at the time of this article. We have a couple of years until we get more availability of Auracast in mobile phones, and particularly in iPhone mobile phones. Until then, your best bet for a smooth streaming to your hearing aids is classic Bluetooth.
Why does Bluetooth connectivity matter for hearing aid users?
There are several reasons why users demand better connectivity between their hearing aids and their mobile phones. I would like to mention a few here:
Hands-free calls - Some of my patients are still young and active and need to handle tens of work phone calls every day. Being able to communicate during a phone call through your hearing aids is bliss.
Streaming audio content - music, podcasts, radio, training documents. This makes your hearing aids work as a double agent, for your hearing loss to improve hearing speech better and also acts as a headset to hear music. Although streaming music through hearing aids is not as pleasant as headphones, please be aware of that.
Tinnitus sound management and Tinnitus masking - If you have tinnitus and you wish to do masking or noise management, then Bluetooth streaming allows you to choose from a wide range of applications and soothing background sounds that can be found on Spotify and other online resources to help alleviate your tinnitus.
Teleconferencing through Zoom and Teams - That is my favourite. If you do a lot of online Zoom and Team meetings on a laptop or computer, then connecting your hearing aids directly to your laptop and streaming through is great, as it removes the need for a headset.
Hearing aid apps - The hearing aid apps are getting more sophisticated, and some users are depending on the app to get the best out of the hearing aid technology.
Which one has a better range, ASHA Bluetooth or Classic Bluetooth?
The classic Bluetooth has the most stable and longer range compared to ASHA Bluetooth, which is used in most hearing aid devices.
What are the attributes of sound quality through streaming to a hearing aid?
Here is a list that I can think of. As you can see, there are several factors which affect the quality and the experience of streaming music through your hearing aids. Some of these factors are:
Hearing aid sound processing
Hearing aid speaker unit
Hearing aid fitting
Bluetooth protocol
Bluetooth connection stability
Bluetooth range
What hearing aids use classic Bluetooth?
At the time of this article, only 3 of the hearing aid manufacturers use classic Bluetooth in their technologies, they are:
Signia Charge and Go BCT IX - Signia hearing aids have been using ASHA protocol for connectivity until the very latest model of Signia Pure Charge and Go IX series, which uses classic Bluetooth with an impressive 36 hours of battery run time.
Phonak hearing aids - Phonak hearing aids have always had classic Bluetooth as their standard connectivity protocol. Phonak hearing aids offer 20-24 hours of battery run time. The latest models of the Phonak Infinio series have a more stable Bluetooth and a longer range.
Unitron hearing aids - Unitron hearing aids have always had classic Bluetooth as their standard connectivity protocol. Unitron hearing aids offer 20-24 hours of battery run time. The latest Unitron Smile hearing aids have improved stability and longer-range Bluetooth.
What hearing aid is the best in terms of connectivity to an Android mobile phone?
In my experience, Phonak, Unitron and Signia Pure Charge and Go BCT IX all offer a reasonable streaming experience. If you wish to have a lot of hands-free calls and streaming hours on your hearing aids, then Signia Pure C&G BCT IX stands out mainly due to the longest battery life on a single charge (36 hours, including 5 hours streaming). Please learn more about Signia Pure Charge and Go BCT IX in this article.
What is the cheapest RIC hearing aid with classic Bluetooth?
My picks for models of hearing aids that offer the lowest price for classic Bluetooth connectivity are. As you can see, Unitron Moxi Smile 3R beats the other two in price!
Have a question?
Do you have any questions about the Bluetooth connectivity of your hearing aids? Book a free consultation or contact us now.
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