Open in the context of anybody can use it with any product. Not just a special closed world of a single provider.
I can’t do mfi on my Android. I can’t connect to a bluetooth transmitter with mfi aids. Closed. Not interested. I want interoperability…not married to one brand. Oh you want to connect to that? Then you’re going to have to have this. I prefer sure you can connect to that.
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Well I can connect to my phone, my iPad, and my laptop with the connect clip, and I can connect to my ebook reader to listen to my books. I can connect to my wife’s, Fire tablet, and even her Windows laptop, and Samsung Android phone. I don’t have problems even connecting to stream the TV. So I don’t see the problem.
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I should have said, though, what’s open is BT Classic, which will be slowly fading away. There is nothing “open” about Phonak and its BT Classic variant. As far as HA’s go, MFi is “open.” Anyone who wants to can make an MFi HA (or an ASHA HA, ReSound made both standards “open,” AFAIK). So perhaps the best answer is that whatever the openess is of the BT SIG group, since it’s got a scheme that’s going to affect a whole spectrum of devices, it’s going to foist changes on MFi, ASHA, and Classic BT to make purveyors of goods using these older standards adapt. It will be interesting to see how fast and how universally the BT world starts drinking BT LE Audio KoolAid! And will every HA OEM still try to foist their propietary remote mics, TV connectors, etc., on everyone. The HA OEMs are not “open” folks all around. So whether Android is more “open” than iOS is somewhat moot when it comes to HA connectivity - it takes a fully BT TV to stream openly to Phonaks, otherwise, it’s the Phonak TV connector as your “open” solution. Same with Roger mics, and on one goes. Android has been an “open” mess. Now that Samsung has agreed to team up with Google to make Android wearables more rational, there is some hope. But otherwise, IMHO, the Apple Watch vs. Samsung Galaxy Gear vs. Fitbit vs. Wear past disasters was that of a rational well-integrated system vs. a variety of open(?!!) wearable messes…
An mfi aid can only connect to an Apple product for phone/audio (no mic…yet).
That aid manufacturer may very well have their own proprietary connectivity like the Roger, Connect clip whatever all those proprietary doodads. I’m not talking about those closed products. I don’t like the idea of those either. Sure they work…for them.
I want interoperability. Not married to one brand.
I will say as a disclaimer…this is how I so far understand how all these things work.
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As someone that has come up with solutions my whole life, I am someone that looks for answers and work a rounds. Bluntly my hearing comes first. Connectivity is just a add on plus and I will always place my ability to hear the best possible first, then I will concentrate on what I need for connectivity. And I am this way I will buy are deal with my enemies to be able to hear my family. And that starts with the correct hearing aids.
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Source:
“And while we’re on the subject of MFi devices, Apple is adding support for new bidirectional hearing aids to assist with hands-free phone and FaceTime conversations.”
Note: “MFi” stands for “Made for iphone” and represents devices that have earned status for meeting integration requirements established by apple.
Aside from being smaller, I wish the latest generation of smart Bluetooth connected gearing aids were bidirectional so this is great news! I know there have been some that do this but being MFi it means it has the best integration for iOS ecosystem.
Anyone heard of which manufacturers have aids that will support this?
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Pretty sure Oticon More will support this with a future firmware update (enabling Bluetooth 5.2 LE Audio).
My understanding is that the new Signia AX products will support it. Not sure if existing models will have the dedicated mics for voice pickup.
We are all here to hear better. Of course that’s the prime directive. The general topic on deck is this new-fangled mfi functionality adding the HA mics (and other things). Phonak has been there, done that and able to connect to just about anything. Apple is behind the times on this and trying to catch up and still only able to connect to their own devices staying in their walled garden.
Not all of us have the opportunity to take all the time and trial every brand and the cost therein to do so. So some people will look for those other bells and whistles to help justify the enormous cost of these darn things.
I hear you, but I was raised on a farm, as a share croppers son, grandson and great grandson. I was raised to always find the best possible solution for a problem, then to do what I could do to make that solution work even better. I have never married myself to a brand, or technical anything to the point that I would just ship to something else that made my life and health better. As a retired IT professional, I worked for a company that allowed its employees to choose their poison as my manager called, so I saw every OS and device possible. So I at one time worked with them all. And even now I will jump ship in a heartbeat f I find something that works better for my needs.
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If they didn’t plan ahead, the current gen of hearing aids won’t have microphones.
All HA’s have microphones. 
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I have read that in the pamphlets. And I also read that the More aids are firmware updateable over the internet.
Right but the question is, will the existing mics be optimized for self voice pickup. I’m not entirely sure what that would entail.
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Well some of the manufacturers tout something like own voice processing. So they must be doing something with own voice.
But this topic is about using the mics for the new mfi mic input rather than holding the phone up to your mouth. Of course that HA needs the firmware to do that.
My quip was just a quip to that poster.
Ha! It needs dedicated mics for voice pickup i’d think.
No, once in phone mode the mics can be adjusted in just about any manner needed.
That s what the mics are for any sound pick up including voices, it is all depends on of the mics can be rerouted to send the user’s voice text over the connection back to the iPhone
I had starkey mfi hearing aids for a few year. Now I have phonak (ks9) non-mfi. I find they work identically pretty much, and in fact the phonak streaming is better overall, more consistent, less static.
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Thank have the Oticon aids with MFI and I haven’t ever had any issues with static while streaming. And no issues with streaming connectivity either.