Bluetooth dongle with Auracast support - FlooGoo FMA120

A customer recently shared a detailed review on Amazon about using the FMA120 with the Oticon Intent. I hope the review provides a helpful reference or guide for other users with the Intent or similar hearing aids.

############

I can confirm that this works with Oticon Intent.

Prerequisites: Oticon Intent must have the latest firmware (1.2.1 as of now—the launch firmware will not work).

You can use their app, FlooCast, to fine-tune the settings. Be patient during the first pairing; it may take a few minutes. If pairing fails repeatedly, turn off AptX and ensure only LC3 is enabled. Don’t use broadcast mode. (Make sure “Prefer LE Audio” and “Public Broadcast” are checked, and leave all other options off except LED.)

All other Bluetooth devices paired to your hearing aids must be turned off during pairing. Turn off your phone’s Bluetooth. If you have paired your hearing aids to iPad/Mac, don’t forget them. If you have a ConnectClip or TV Adapter, turn them off as well (they likely won’t interfere, but it’s better to be safe).

Once paired, you don’t need to turn off the ConnectClip or TV Adapter to use this transmitter. It’s treated as a “phone” by the hearing aids, and Oticon Intent supports multiple Bluetooth connections. You can only have one device streaming audio at a time, but multiple devices can remain connected simultaneously.

However, if your iPhone is paired to the hearing aids, you must turn its Bluetooth off in order to connect the FMA120 to your hearing aids. This is because the Made for iPhone (MFi) protocol assumes exclusive use of the hearing aids (you can still use a TV Adapter concurrently, but not a second phone connection).

If you connect the FMA120 first, your iPhone won’t be able to stream audio to the hearing aids. If you connect the iPhone first, the FMA120 won’t stream. This is not like the TV Adapter and iPhone combination—those can both stay connected, and the second device can stream as long as the first isn’t actively streaming. With the FMA120 and iPhone, even if the first device is idle, the second cannot stream. So you do need to switch them manually.
To switch between them, simply disable Bluetooth on one of the devices. For the FMA120, unplug it. For the iPhone, use Control Center. No need to unpair, don’t try it.

The signal strength is just slightly better than an iPhone, perhaps because the exposed USB pins are more vulnerable to interference. Any USB 3.0 device—such as an external HDD or SSD—will interfere with it if connected to the same USB hub. This is a known limitation of Bluetooth audio streaming.

2 Likes