I recently replaced the Oticon epoq hearing aid I wear in my left ear and streamer, with a Phonac Naida S 1X and compilot. I am having a few issues with the iphone and was wondering if anyone else is having similar problems.
The bluetooth seems to switch off and not work at times. I get a tone in the HA telling me the phone is ringing but when I answer it there is nothing there. This seems to happen when I have turned the compilot off ( because of 2. below ) then back on again. The iphone tells me that the compilot is connected and paired. I have to delete the compilot from the iphone and re-pair it to get it to work properly again.
I have turned off the keypad tones in the iphone, but still get a tone when typing a message. The compilot switches me into and out of phone mode while I am typing. This also happens when I am playing a game on the iphone and again when I plug the phone in to charge.
The bluetooth signal seems to drop out while I am talking on the phone and I have to play with the neck loop to get it back again. The neck loop is plugged in properly on both sides when this happens. The signal returns normally when I twist the neck loop plugs in the compilot.
I suspect these are iphone issues. I would appreciate any feed back from anyone who is having the same problems, especially if you have been able to overcome them.
1 & 3 could be problems with the neck loop or the ComPilot connectors for the neck loop causing the neck loop antenna to not make proper connection consistently.
The ICom, the predecessor to the ComPilot, was wired into the device on one end. The neck loop was notorious for needing to be replaced because it cut out.
I have used both the iCom and the ComPilot with an iPhone 3GS. I’ve had greater success with the ComPilot. I recommend you have your audi switch the notifications setting to the Warnings Only setting. You will then get caller ID announcements and you’ll get notifications of low battery power, etc., but it should eliminate the other notifications.
Also, to address the BT connectivity, I have learned through experience that if I turn off the BT on the iPhone and then turn it back on, it resets itself with little or no further bother. Granted - we should not have to do that. However, it is much easier than re-pairing the iPhone and the ComPilot all the time.
In a recent chat with Phonak tech rep, I was told that the iPhone is the most difficult cell phone for the ComPilot to sync with and “play well in the sandbox”, so to speak. Apparently, there is some very proprietary stuff going on within the electronics…
Thanks for the replies. Item 3 is most probably a neck loop issue and I have bought a replacement to give me some options. The other 2 however are iphone issues I feel.
Thanks Jeb for your thoughts. I will check with my audi next time I am in to see if the compilot is set to the notifications setting. I think maybe it isn’t as I am not getting any caller id. The issue with the BT seems to have settled down a wee bit. I’ve found if my phone has been off, or the BT switched off and I go to make a call, I call my own number first to check if it is working ok. It does seem to be connecting ok when I turn the BT off and on again. From my experience with the streamer, I know that different phones interact in different ways with the BT setup.
Hi Neil
Something else to consider with Bluetooth devices is which version of Bluetooth they are running. Bluetooth version 2.0+, 3.0+ and now with the iPhone 4S there is version 4.0. Which iPhone are you using? Very early iPhones lacked A2DP support also (bluetooth headphone profile), so some of your problems could be as simple as driver mismatches. Firmware updates might be available for updating Bluetooth drivers. Be sure both your iPhone and ComPilot firmwares are fully updated.
The other thing to note is the iPhone lacks the ability to switch between bluetooth profiles. With iPhone and iCom/compilot - you will always have the sounds coming through the compilot when paired and connected. The iPhone is forced to use the HSP/HFP (Phone headset) connection and the A2DP (stereo sound) at the same time - so any sound your phone generates while you are waiting for a call to come in will be processed by ComPilot and played through your aids. With some other smart phones the ability to deactivate the phone headset or headphones bluetooth option can be found in the bluetooth options in the menu. Deactivating the sounds on the iPhone is your only option to reduce this.
I was just recently fitted with the Phonak BiCROS and I really like it. I have an iPhone 3 and had problems 2 and 3 that you listed (I only use it with my iPhone, so I couldn’t tell you about problem 1).
I didn’t really care about problem 2, but problem 3 was intollerable. Since I just got it I took it back and had it replaced. The replacement had the exact same problem. I loved it when it worked, but there was just no way I could count on it. I used it a lot for streaming audio books.
Anyway, after the second try, it was clear that the problem was NOT the neck loop, so I just gave it back to my audiologist and got my money back. She told me to call her back when I got a newer phone.
I would be very interested to know if anyone else has had this problem, and if upgrading the phone helped. I’m actually shopping around for a new hearing aid brand, because I would really like the bluetooth streaming capability. Unfortunately Phonak and Unitron and the only brands I can find that do BiCROS, and Unitron is just too damn big.
I have more background on #3 above. I have Phonak Ambra BTE, ComPilot and Phonak TV Link Bluetooth Unit.
My Phonak BTE aids are my second set of hearing aids. My previous hearing aids were Bernafon BTE from Costco with a bluetooth neckloop unit that I paired with my iPhone and a TV Bluetooth transmitter, so I am somewhat familiar with using the bluetooth features.
My Problem: The Phonak ComPilot intermittently looses the paired bluetooth connection randomly. This happens whether connected to my cell phone or Phonak TV Link unit. Sometimes I hear static just before losing the bluetooth connection and sometimes not. Usually I can lift the neckloop strap so it is close to my ears (next to Phonak BTE unit) and the connection will return. If I return the strap to hang around my neck, the ComPilot again loses the connection. I have seated and re-seated the neckloop to the ComPilot and sometimes the signal returns for a short time.
This is not appear to be an iPhone issue as the ComPilot works sometimes with the iPhone and the same problem exists with the TV unit. I suspect the Phonak Neckloop or ComPilot connectors have a short. I and am waiting on a callback from my audiologist to get replacement neckloop or ComPilot.
I generally face the problem number three that sometimes makes me irritated while adjusting the neck loop. it take a little bit of time to get work properly.
I have Phonak Ambre BTE, a ComPilot,a TV linkS, a bluetooth cell phone and house phone, and a TaoTronics bluetooth transmitter. The phones work flawlessly. The TVlink worked intermittently until I replaced my 2.4 GHz mouse with a 27 MHz mouse, now TVLink and mouse get along fine. The TaoTronics bluetooth transmitter is the third one that I tried. I have had limited success with it. The first two were useless. I do have bluetooth connectivity problems in some WI-FI locations. Some of the problems might be bluetooth incompatibility, interference, or not sharing the band properly.
Just left VA Audiologist office. Problem resolved.
Here’s a list of the attempted fixes we tried over the last couple of months.
Replaced neckloop twice. DID NOT FIX
Once with standard length neckloop incase the neckloop was faulty.
Second with a shorter neckloop to position the ComPilot closer the the hearing aids
2. Send ComPilot back to Phonak. They applied software patch to ComPilot. DID NOT FIX
3. Updated Hearing aid software. DID NOT FIX
4. Tested with alternate iPhone to confirm it was not iPhone problem. DID NOT FIX
5. THE FIX ........ Replaced ComPilot. PROBLEM FIXED!!!