I have an iPhone MFI connected hearing aid (Widex Beyond), how can I stream audio from a Bluetooth transmitter to my iPhone/Hearing aid? I would like to use a Bluetooth transmitter/device on an airplane plugged into the headphone jack and stream it to my hearing aids rather than pull them out and use headphones. Can such a thing be done? Like can the transmitter connect and play audio to the iPhone, and the iPhone audio output go to my hearing aids?
MFi is a proprietary BT signal. It is unlikely to find a BT
transmitter outside of Apple devices. You can try to connect a COM-DEX with a BT transmitter. I know
Plantronics offers two different transmitters that are compatible with COM-DEX.
What you are looking for is ‘A2DP sink’ functionality. Pretty sure this is not implemented (or actively blocked) on ios and Android.
Ok, well thanks. I thought maybe it would be an obvious need, but guess not. Made sense to me since the hearing aids were already in my ear, having someway to route the sound from a TV or other headphone jack (i.e., on an airplane) would be awesome even if I had to stream to the iPhone first and then have the iPhone output the audio to the hearing aids. Guess I’m stuck with headphones
It seemed like an obvious need to me as well. That’s why I researched it months ago. I don’t know if there’s an intermediate device that Widex do that would do the job. Oticon apparently used to do a streamer with an aux input. That would have been perfect. The nice thing about headphones on a plane is that you get at least some isolation.
You wouldn’t stream to the phone. You would stream to the Bluetooth device for your brand of hearing aids. I have my hearing aids connected to my office phone, laptops, tablets, TV, and generic Bluetooth transmitter.
Widex has their Dex series of streamer devices.
My hearing aids (Widex) don’t use Bluetooth
Well…they do…just the proprietary Apple one. That’s MFI.
That’s what I meant (MFI). Still can’t connect a Bluetooth device to them.
I’m wondering if we’re sounding completely obvious to each other. 
What you might wish to have is standard bluetooth. So do we all. Except for the Phonak B-Direct for phone calls, and soon the Resound Quattro… everything else requires their own proprietary external device to receive audio from elsewhere. Widex has their Dex series of external devices.
The Widex Beyond uses the Com-Dex to communicate with phones or any other Bluetooth device. That’s what you need. https://www.widex.com/en-us/hearing-aids/hearing-aid-accessories/dex-hearing-aid-remote-controls/com-dex
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Yeah, I did see that. Problem is it is like $440. A bit more than the $25-$30 BT transmitters I was looking at.
Yup. That’s why non-Apple folks are waiting for the standards to roll out on both sides so that any bluetooth device can connect to the soon-to-roll-out standards-using HA.
I forgot to mention the UNI-DEX it will connect directly to earphone output. From there it goes wirelessly to your HAs. I have it and it works quite well. The only drawback: you wear it around your neck as it is connected; very small and discreet.
The generic Bluetooth transmitters would transmit to the Com-Dex and it would transmit to the hearing aids.
Well yeah, I know this but like I said, the Widex COM-DEX costs $440 so I think I’ll stick with headphones for now