I think the hearing aids for phone use will only pair with a I phone
Thanks to all for your input. First, for starters I want to pair my ha’s with my phone so I can use my phone without a phone clip or putting my calls on speaker phone to use it. Second, I am also anti-anything-apple or AAA!!! My wife has an iPhone and was caught up in the lowering power deal to make the spec look better ie, battery life. I was shocked when apple came out with an apology and offered a new battery for only $80!!! NO WAY, I told her that is a double screwing of their customers. And of course, Apple got caught again and lowered the battery replacement price…still too high but, more reasonable.
AAA forever!
Android streaming to HA’s is supposed to be included in the next version of Android (9).
I am an Android Beta tester and the latest beta build has the codex but it is not implemented. The full consumer version should be available in August or September. Looking forward.
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OK, if I understand correctly, you want to stream calls directly to your non Apple Smart Phone without using an intermediary device. If I’m understanding correctly, the ONLY hearing aids that will do that are the Phonak Audeo B Direct and it’s Unitron and Costco Brio 3 relatives. The Signia NX you mentioned will still need the phone clip to stream calls to an Android phone. With the right Android phone you can pair the Signia NX with an app that lets you control the hearing aids, but it won’t let you stream calls. This whole phone/hearing aid compatability thing is very confusing. Oh, and to be thorough, there is a PSAP by Sound World Solutions that allows Bluetooth Streaming to any bluetooth phone that one forum member is very pleased with.
Wait what! Oh there’s a disclaimer. If I’m understanding correctly I don’t think the Brio 3 can do the same thing as the B-Direct/Unitron.
There might be some fine differences, but there is now a Direct version of the Brio 3, called the Brio 3 R C (c is for connect) See this discussion. Costco Phonak Brio 3 (Product Information)
Oh well howdy’bout that! Thanks for enlightening me. Interesting. Apparently I don’t read all threads.
Having gone through the same decision, I think switching to iPhone is a no-brainer for a hearing aid user with MFi aids, unless it’s unaffordable. So what if you’ll have to eat your past words about “anti anything Apple”? I have two adult kids who’ve had iPhones for years. When I told them I was getting hearing aids, and consequently switching to an iPhone, they didn’t care much about the hearing aids, but boy were they excited and a little triumphant about the iPhone.
As for the Apple battery thing, batteries go bad on all phones. At least Apple provides a reliable service for replacing them, at a price that I don’t think is exorbitant.
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I’m not a big Apple fan either, but the bottom line is that they did the work to come up with a viable solution for hearing aid users, and Android hasn’t.
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I have also avoided Apple phones, tablets etc until now, except their MacBookAir where I use with Windows 7 (Boot Camp) rather than the iOs.
I have been using two hearing aids, Resound Enzo 3D and Costco’s KS8. To simplify using my hearing aids I bought an iPod touch (V 6.0) which works very well with both the hearing aids using BT. I have a Voip phone (Magic Jack) installed on the iPod and telephone conversations are very easy.
I have several Android devices including Galaxy S8 which has a cellphone installed on it. To use the cellphone on S8 I bought a Phone clip + ($180) to work with the Resound Enzo, again telephone conversations pose no problem. However, I would need another device (Smart Mic) similar to the Phone Clip to use the S8 cellphone with my KS 8 hearing aids, costing $200 or more.
After taking into account cost and ease of use I finally decided to accept the superiority of iPhone for use the MFI hearing aids, which is a win for the efficient BT technology Apple developed for such applications.
Rather than buy an unlocked second hand iPhone (refurbished or not) which are generally found unsatisfactory by many buyers at Amazon I decided to buy a new iPhone 6S from ebay. For 16/32 Gb storage the cost is around $300 (about $200 less than what Apple charges at their website) which is not much more than that for a Smart Mic. I will need only this iPhone 6S with either of my hearing aids if I cannot use the WiFi based Voip, at home or out.
Cheers.
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I have always given kudos to Apple for developing a solution but
is still proprietary to them only.
I will continue to hope that the Android solution comes and that the HA manufacturers adopt it too.
Standardized btle to connect to any compatible bluetooth device…not just the proprietary intermediate devices.
If you deicide you would like to switch to an iPhone but you feel it is cost prohibitive, there are iPhones that are relatively inexpensive. I have an iPhone SE which was less than $200. However it is a small screen which maybe a turnoff for you.
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Which hearing aid do you use. I heard rumors that latest Resounds aren’t compatible with SE anymore. Their webpage shows compatibility with 5 and higher.
ReSound sent out a notification earlier this week that iOS 11.4.1 resolves the iPhone SE compatibility issues where users were unable to connect to their MFi hearing instruments to stream audio or utilize the ReSound app.
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Now that’s what I’m waiting for. If Android makes it happen I wonder how long it will take the HA folks to update their apps (like Resound).
The primary issue is that the hearing aids need space for the antenna. As Apple makes their phones with the same bluetooth chips, and always very modern it’s easier to make a energy efficient solution that fits inside a hearing aids.
Phonak did make their Audeo B Direct aid - Made for All, but at a cost: You can’t get them with a telecoil, the audio streaming between ears are gone, gone is support for most of the accessories and they only stream to one ear. However they are still very high end, with fine battery life according the the specs sheet. As far as i know most other MFi hearing aids does only stream audio, there is no voice pickup on the aids themself? Phonak does do that. That makes them truly hands free. Here is a demo of the sound coming from the mic of the Phonak aid in a phone call: https://youtu.be/XP1S_ykkFHk?t=55s
Android is hard, because there are so many different devices, and many with old/cheap hardware.
They are doing everything they can, and I’m very impressed with the technology as it is today. It’ll only be better going forward.
I’m fine with the an HA manufacturer saying that their product will work with such and such version of Android or higher and disregard the older versions (because of course the older versions wouldn’t have the tech).
The wish would be that Android standardizes the HA capability so that the HA manufacturers can use it. I wouldn’t want to see an Android repeat of the Apple thing where say only one or two Android devices from one manufacturer adopts the standards. No. Make it so that it’s a required function to provide in your Android device if you want to license the latest Android version.
I don’t want a proprietary intermediate device either. The HA should be able to connect to ANY bluetooth transmitter capable of talking to the HA for stereo audio and then any phone device and use the mics on the HA’s. The Phonak is almost there. Not quite.
Yeah. However as of right now Phonak does not think people want to buy a new phone for their hearing aids, as they show in their video: https://youtu.be/TqzH08SaVL0?t=10s they wanted to support most devices, right now.
I’m sure they’ll figure out stereo streaming in the future. I look forward to that. 
For me, I would be fine with hearing a phone call in one ear. Others wish to hear all that they can in both. Indeed, all Phonak needs is stereo audio from ANY bluetooth…modern btle perhaps. I would be fine with a modern phone with the modern HA…not necessarily downward compatible.
I say they’re wrong on that front. Maybe they did research. Of course no one would want to have to buy a new phone to go along with their new HA’s. I would though. When an HA comes out that can receive stereo audio from a newer compatible device…I would get the aids and the phone.
I’m looking forward to it too. Curious that Phonak doesn’t offer any MFI aids.
I tried them for six weeks, and am sorry to say they didn’t live up to their promise. Voice pickup through the hearing aid mics worked only in not-too-noisy places. When I talked in a noisy place (a city street, for example), my voice couldn’t be heard at the other end over the noise. They weren’t great for me as hearing aids either…didn’t help enough with understanding people talking right in front of me.