Cochlear Implants & iPhone connectivity

Cochlear Implants
#1

I’ll try to make this brief.

I volunteered to hold weekly sessions at a retirement community to teach seniors the ins and outs of their iPhone. They seriously need help.

A senior joined the group today and was desperate for help in sorting out all the accessories that came with her Cochlear implant.

What she is asking for help with is, where possible, incorporating her iPhone with her Cochlear accessories. She knows that there are hearing aids that have bluetooth and can connect directly to iPhones so that incoming calls, podcasts, music, etc., will play directly into one’s hearing aids and hopes that this will be possible with her Cochlear implant and associated devices.

Fortunately, she brought her User Manuals with here and here’s what I am looking at:

User Guide for Kanso Sound Processor, CP950, dated Jun 2017

Pocket Guide for Cochlear True Wireless Mini Microphone 2&2 +, dated Oct 2016

Can some kind soul help me get started?

I am more than willing to do the research for her; I just don’t want to spend hours researching the subject only to discover that what she wants/hopes for is not possible with the devices she has.

Does anyone know the answer: will these devices connect via Bluetooth to her iPhone so that iPhone sounds play directly to her Cochlear-associated devices?

#2

One way to connect is to purchase an Artone 3 Max neckloop device. Can easily find on-line. The Artone will pair with her iPhone and connect with the Bluetooth. Then the neckloop, using the Tcoil in the CI will connect to the CI and a hearing aid if that is what is in her other ear. There is also a volume control on the Artone so that one can adjust the volume without having to fiddle with the iPhone.
I have a Medel CI and a Phonak HA and the the Artone works well with both devices. It is particularly good for phone calls in my estimation. Part of the reason is that when both ears are in Tcoil mode, the mics on the devices are not picking up ambient noise and so the signal from the phone is not contaminated.

#3

Neither the Kanso Sound Processor nor the Mini Microphone 2 will connect to an iPhone using Bluetooth. The microphone is used to transmit speech directly to the sound processor when they’re paired together. Connecting an iPhone to the sound processor requires the use of a different accessory: the Cochlear Phone Clip or ReSound Phone Clip+.

1 Like
#4

You just save me hours of googling around for what would have been the negative answer you provided. Thank you ever so much.
Oh, BTW, you stated “Mini Microphone 2” and she has the 2+.
Does the 2+ mode offer that option to connect with an iPhone?

#5

Wow. That’s a detailed response. I hope you have the time for a follow up question or two.
IF she has a hearing aid in her other ear (I’ll have to find out), it of course must be bluetooth-capable.
IF she does not have a bluetooth-capable HA in her other ear, will she be able to stream sound from the iPhone into just the CI?

#6

No it doesn’t have to be bluetooth capable. ((This feature is a very recent thing on new equipment.)
For instance the Phonak Marvel HA. So it is unlikely her HA will be.
But that’s the point of the Artone. The device around her neck on the lanyard IS bluetooth capable. And the hearing aid and CI are Tcoil capable so the Artone sends a signal to the HA/CI that the Tcoil in these devices can pick up.
There are competetive devices to the Artone and there might be one in her kit. I can only vouch for the Artone as I have one.

And the Artone can be used to stream an audio signal from the iPhone or from a laptop if you pair the Artone and connect with the laptop.

She would need to be technically adept to do this on her own and likely someone would need to show her.

1 Like
#7

Thank you very much for that clarification.

I’m the one who will probably have to figure out how this all works and teach her how to deal with this new technology.

#8

@carlhammel1 As she has the Cochlear Kanso, if she has a hearing aid in her other ear I hope it’s a Resound aid. Resound brand is made to pair with Cochlear so they will “talk” to one another. Or if she wants to play music it will be in both ears. So when the phone rings your resident will hear with both ears, if the aid, CI and iPhone are paired correctly. This is fully explained how to do it on the Resound Control app from the App Store.

1 Like
#9

Thanks you for weighing in. She tells me it is indeed a Resound HA. She has an appt next Thursday with her Audie & I told her whereas I was willing to try and help, her Audie was going to be much more helpful than I can be. She is paying “full freight” for the Audie and so that help ought to be forthcoming in providing assistance.

#10

@carlhammel1 I sincerely hope her Aud is more helpful than mine at pairing the 3 devices. All my HA aud could manage was to disconnect everything on me. As I’m totally useless I had to go back into the Cochlear Care Centre to get everything re-paired again. So let’s hope her Aud is well versed in pairing all 3 devises for her.

#11

Maybe you have better health care in Melbourne than in the U.S. and your audiologist is covered. Here in the U.S., I don’t think there are many audiologists covered by insurance companies. Forking out what is not an inconsiderable amount of cash for the services of an audiologist, you should at least expect competence and that they should know ALL the ins and outs of devices they service.

#12

@carlhammel1 our insurance companies don’t come into play in any of our after care after leaving the hospital from having surgery.

I hope it all works out for your elderly lady.