Hi everyone. I have been demoing Starkey Edge’s AI hearing aids. They are perfect for me in terms of fit, size and hearing in noise. The phone works great, but when I stream anything while walking - which I do daily - the sound cuts in and out or goes from one ear to another. I am using an iPhone 16 with IOS 18.5. I am leaning toward not buying them b/c Starkey can’t solve the issue (and frankly has a lame answer about Bluetooth not having anything to bounce off). Has anyone else had this issue or solved the problem? (I’ve tried Phonak, Jabra, and Widex - none have this issue but don’t work with me for other reasons) Thank you!
The Starkey workaround seems to be to purchase a StarLink Remote Microphone + that connects by bluetooth to your phone and then to the hearing aids also by bluetooth. This is supposed to relay the signal (and also provides a better mic), but you need to wear it close to the aids. This seems similar to the pre-Bluetooth hearing aids solution offered by Widex and others.
I haven’t tested yet with my Genesis, but plan to. The downside is the extra $300 cost and then having another device to wear and charge.
Also, it doesn’t seem that they have a version that works with Edge AI devices yet. You may want to ask them about it.
https://home.starkeypro.com/st-en-iv/product/remote-microphone-plus
I have the Starkey Edge AI.
I steam using a Pixel 6a
The phone is in my left front pants pocket. That is approximately the three feet from the aids.
I do not have this problem walking in the park.
Each phone reacts differently with each aid.
Try a different phone if possible.
Try a different aid to see what works for you.
Lame sounding or not, it is true. I had this issue with my Phonak p90s. Haven’t noticed it with the infinios yet, but they improved bt signal strength quite a bit. Same goes with Roger on mic. Step outside and useful distance collapses.
WH
Thank you everyone. Do any of you know of a hearing aid that is good in noisy environments and works well with iPhone without dropping the signal? The newest Phonak are way too big for me and drained my battery, jabra processor is too fast and Widex did not perform well in noise. My other option could be just to buy an arm band for my phone (pockets and waist bag still have the issue).
This problem just started for me today (June 9). I have walked and streamed music to my HAs for years. Currently my setup is an iPhone15 streaming to Phonak Audeo I90s. The HAs last updated early this year. My iPhone just updated to 18.5, so I am fairly sure this is an iOS problem.
Thank you Brian. This is super helpful to know because I really love the Starkey otherwise so hopefully Apple can fix this issue.