A new kind of hearing aid uses iPhone features and technology to significantly improve the hearing experience—and can even benefit those without a hearing impairment.
By Cheryl Tanita, Au.D., CCC-A – Chief of Audiology
For many people who wear hearing aids, the biggest challenge has always been having an intelligible conversation on the telephone. Previous technology for phone conversations required an additional device to be worn around the neck that receives the bluetooth signal from the phone and sends it to the hearing aids. A new kind of hearing aid uses iPhone features and technology to significantly improve the hearing experience—and can even benefit those without a hearing impairment. Shohet Ear Associates is one of the first hearing centers in Southern California to offer this technology.
The GN ReSound Linx and Starkey Halo were conceived after Apple announced the Made for iPhone Hearing Aid program in 2012. It allowed the company’s mobile operating system to connect directly to hearing aids using a low-power version of Bluetooth wireless technology. This results in powerful new capabilities. For instance, these instruments can stream phone calls and music directly to your ears from your phone.
Both companies provide a simple downloadable application that allows you to use your phone as a remote, make adjustments to your hearing aids bass and treble, customize programs for different listening environments, locate lost hearing aids and save favorite hearing aid settings for particular places. The hearing aids can be streamed to accessories such as ipads and other apple products. People without a hearing loss have enjoyed these hearing aids as an extra set of ears, since they can pick up voices in difficult listening environments and listen to their favorite music wirelessly.
There are other advantages to these devices. The iphone can also be used as a microphone. For instance, if patients with these hearing aids are in a noisy restaurant, they can hand the phone to their dining companion to talk directly into the microphone. This will significantly reduce the noise compared to the level of speech, improving the signal to noise ratio. Another example would be in a large conference room where the phone can be placed at the opposite end of the table, and the wearer will be able to hear directly through their hearing aids as if the person was sitting next to them.
The Linx and Halo not only eliminate the burden of wearing a device around their neck, they are tiny instruments that are smaller than Bluetooth headphones. That is good news for anyone who prefers their hearing instruments to remain as undetectible as possible.
To read more about these devices, click here. Both Linx and Halo are available in our Seal Beach and Newport Beach locations. To make an appointment for a demo, click here.
