Oh wauw, that sounds horrible to me. Than probably it would be better to take an additional insurance if possible. Another option would be buying a second hand one on the internet and ask the HCP to be so kind and transfer the settings you need. That will be about a couple of minutes to do.
that doesnt change using the ha mic, or the phones mic…
Some people say the HA mic picks up too much noise.
Pretty sure I saw this somewhere, but that isnt it. Must be in Target
Hello. Confession: I’m new here and not yet sure how to get around. Question: I had the Phonak M70 hearing aids which were great! Fast forward 3 years last July I got the Phonak L0. I have had nothing but problems since! Unwanted program changes when using speech to text Jack’s the volume up to full. Constant static in phone calls. And lately shutting off the volume completely so I can’t hear the person on the other end of the phone. It’s gotten so I have to switch to the phones speakerphone to continue a call. Seven trips to the audiologist with her trying to fiddle with settings and make calls to Phonak and last time she confessed she was stumped. When I got the L70s in July problems so severe they gave me a new set of L70s. Just as bad. Now I have a brand new pair of hearing aids that are almost useless if I need to use the phone. If I know I have to be on the phone for any length of time I’m actually using the old M70s ! I have an Android 25 and at first they were suggesting it was the phone. And then confessed it’s not. Any suggestions?
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Is an Android 25 phone mean one purchased in 2025? What phone? More importantly: Are the aids still returnable? This is likely not what you want to hear but this is what a trial period is for. If there are problems that are deal breakers one must address them within the trial period or negotiate an extended trial or return them. I guess it’s possible you got two fault sets of aids, but the phone seems more likely. I assume they tried switching the setting that has two choices for phone? Forget what it’s called but it’s in the app. Good luck!
I think you’ll find when you have a unique problem, you’ll get more help from forum members if you start a new topic. This thread will be visited mostly by folks interested in the Sphere, and many of them will skim through your post and go on to the next. Your own thread with a title indicating you need help might get more attention. I think most people get good results with Phonak. How familiar is your audiologist with Phonak? In some big cities, an HCP can get the local Phonak field rep to help out when there’s a sticky problem.
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I’m pretty sure @MDB is right, and when I’ll have time, I’ll look for the older thread about being trapped in phone calls with using HA mics in noisy environments with iPhones. There may be an option for Android, but an Internet search gives results claiming none for iOS. In iOS, the HAs are classic Bluetooth devices and are recognized as the headset profile (that’s the label that appears under the EAR icon in Control Center when I’m on a phone call or streaming). Headsets are supposed to have mics as well as earphones, so both input and output default to the HAs, and there is no way to change that in iOS. The only specific Hearing Devices settings are for MFi hearing aids under Settings, Accessibility, Hearing Devices. I’ve looked in Target, too, under Streaming Programs, and the only option is to control left and right HA mic volumes: (click to enlarge image)
The menu item for BT in the above screenshot only leads to a choice for using standard BT bandwidth or expanded bandwidth for better audio quality but possibly reduced stability in a phone call.
If one goes to iOS Bluetooth settings and clicks on the classic BT pairing (R-Phonak), one sees options similar to what @Emile030 showed for Android, but they don’t work.
If you click on Device Type, you can see a list of classic BT devices:
I’ve tried either “Speaker” or “Headphone” instead of Hearing Aid, but the HA mic still remains as the input device. iOS must be reading the physical type or usage protocol that my right Sphere is broadcasting and refuses to be hoodwinked by me changing the dropdown setting.
If I go back to the first screen (the initial R-Phonak BT settings screen) and choose DISCONNECT, that WORKS! (but it also disconnects the HAs from receiving the phone call, so I’m back to using the iPhone for both mic and speakers). 
Edit_Update: I also tested “Other” and “Car Stereo,” and they don’t disable the HA mic either.
I tested the R-Phonak Hearing Aid BT settings changes by using the iPhone Apple Voice Memo app. I started a recording, walked away talking to my HAs, and entered another room to see if the sound of my recorded voice on my iPhone diminished as I got farther away from the phone. My voice only dimmed when I disconnected my HA BT entirely.
The most interesting thing is that using the Car Stereo device option seemed to noticeably increase the HA mic audio quality. My recorded voice was much louder and clearer than for any of the other options. The Device Type settings screen does have a footnote that says “Specifying the type of device can ensure your Headphone Audio Level measurements are accurate.” So, I’ll test that setting in an actual phone call later tonight. Perhaps the Device Type settings choice influences the amount of signal amplification and noise filtering employed?
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Jordan, a very strong thank you for your posts.
You give me hope.
I’m getting-by with my Phonak Audeo Paradise P90R’s now. I’m 3 years in…but in two years workman’s compensation Ontario will not supply top quality hearing aids. I’ve asked…I can’t pay to improve to top grade hearing aids.
I’m feeling very grateful that I have the hearing aids that I have. P90R’s. And I’m very grateful that I have workman’s compensation. I’m 78. Still working full time.
DaveL
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I think I will be getting those new aids when my paradise UPs expire.
I guess there is no UP aids line yet
just an FYI, I use my 90’s for calls every day, maybe I misunderstood you, but they are working fine on android
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Perhaps it’s better because it uses two HAs (=4 mics) concurrently, so the person who talks with you receives sound that was picked up binaurally?
The Target settings screen in my post would imply that both mics are used for all device types since there’s a volume control for left and right mics in the phone streaming program. I wasn’t connected to Target via my HAs when I took that screenshot. I loaded my last session for which the device type was still Hearing Aids.
Yeah, one thing I can’t understand is why we call a “speaker” a “receiver” when a “mic” is actually a receiver.
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Back in the days of telephone landlines, the mic in a handset was the “transmitter,” and the speaker you put to your ear was the “receiver.” IIRC, that’s the origin of the “receiver” terminology.
" “Mr. Watson come here, I want you .”
Bell transmitted the message and Mr. Watson received it.
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@jim_lewis do you know how to change ambient balance of TV connector in Target? My Audi says it’s the microphone setting in your target screen shot above, but after she changed my mic to -6db(max allowed by Target, I don’t feel any difference to the ambient.
Yes, I do. But I think that just changes relative sound input volumes to your HAs, AFAIK. I’m looking for a way to retain streaming input sound volume to my HAs but change microphone input to my iPhone mics. If that slider for ambient sound were truly a switch, it would also move streaming sound volume to the phone speaker, too, which it doesn’t do while streaming. For me, it just seems to affect the relative streaming volume and surroundings volume that I hear in my ears.
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It depends if you’re talking about the flow of the electrical signal or the acoustic one.
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@jim_lewis
Isn’t that because the Car Stereo device option uses the AutoSense OS (streaming) media speech + mic.
So then you’re not in the Streaming Programs of Phone call+mic anymore?
The BT device type would apply to any streaming, whether AutoSense Streaming of media or streaming a phone call. If you check your settings, you will not find the physical phone setting changed by what you stream. It’s a setting for how your smartphone and your BT-dominant HA (the right, by default) communicate.
ChatGPT:
Does the iOS classic BT device type change depending on whether you stream media (AutoSense streaming) or use the Streaming Program for phone calls?
ChatGPT said:
In iOS, the Bluetooth device type typically remains the same, regardless of whether you’re streaming media (AutoSense streaming) or using the Streaming Program for phone calls. The device type classification (e.g., “hearing aid,” “headphone”) is typically assigned when pairing the device, and it stays consistent across different modes and uses.
However, what can change depending on the context (media vs. phone calls) is the audio profile iOS uses with the hearing aid:
- AutoSense Streaming for Media: When you stream media, like music or videos, iOS routes audio to the hearing aid using the optimized Bluetooth profile for media, aiming to deliver higher-quality audio. This may slightly alter the way your hearing aids process the sound, but it doesn’t change the device type.
- Streaming Program for Phone Calls: For phone calls, iOS may switch to a Bluetooth Hands-Free Profile (HFP), which is optimized for calls rather than high-quality media playback. HFP prioritizes low latency and clear voice transmission, sometimes at the expense of sound quality, especially for music.
So, while the “classic” Bluetooth device type set by iOS doesn’t shift between these two uses, iOS may switch between audio profiles for optimized sound processing, depending on the content being streamed.
I get improved audio for both streaming phone calls and streaming media using the Car Stereo device type for my R-Phonak Hearing Aid classic BT connection. The device type is not changing, so the same processing changes seem to be applied to both streaming programs (media & phone). One explanation of why Car Stereo is better than the Hearing Aid device type is here: Can phone microphone be used instead of handsfree calling (HA mic) with Phonak hearing aids - #18 by jim_lewis
I see that you already saw the linked post. I’m including the link as a cross-reference for anyone perusing this thread. I first raised the question of phone call mic control in this thread, and other people, such as yourself, commented on my initial reactions to my Sphere phone call experience in this thread. MDB then wisely moved the topic to a new thread, so I’ve put my new comments in that thread, e.g., the linked post. Perhaps anyone reading the mic phone call business in this thread should post their further comments, questions, or reactions, in that thread: Can phone microphone be used instead of handsfree calling (HA mic) with Phonak hearing aids
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@BarryH, that’s not what their website says these days:
" What is the cost of replacing a lost hearing aid?
Where you’ve purchased a pair of non-NHS hearing aids and lost one, the replacement cost will be 50% of the price you originally paid. You must register a loss within four years of the purchase date.
Where you’ve purchased a single non-NHS hearing aid and lost it, the replacement cost is 50% of the original price of a pair of hearing aids. You must register a loss within four years of the purchase date."
@Nenen_UK
I am 30 days into the trial of the Sphere’s at Specsavers. I was the first customer to trial these at the branch that I went to, so the audiologists were not that experienced with the model (I had to tell them that they needed to download the latest version of the Target software to connect and configure the aids).
I have been programming my Phonak hearing aids for about 10 years and had done plenty of research (including lots of fantastic information from this website), so I actually knew more about them than they did. While they were professional in their approach, they did have limited experience. But I guess this will vary enormously across Specsaver stores (I found the same at Boots).
I have had 3 appointments and each time I have seen a different audiologist and each have different levels of experience.
The fitting process itself was fine. They were happy to contact Phonak directly to get copies of my cshells from a previous set of aids (KS10s bought from Costco not Specsavers). They were also willing to load the KS10 (Phonak Paradise) settings unto their system and use that information to tailor the settings for the Spheres.
The initial fit was reasonably good and they have made some tweaks and called Phonak directly to discuss some of the issues I had and get possible solutions.
So overall, I am reasonably happy with them. I would have preferred a more experienced audiologist to have a more detailed discussion with.
The price is also good compared to Boots!
I hope that helps.