MyPhonak app switching to "Bluetooth Streaming + Mic" when accessing phone

Hearing Aids
#1

I am trialling Phonak Lumity and am using the MyPhonak app version 6.4.1.809 (20/03/2023). My android phone is paired with the HAs for phone calls and streaming. Each time I activate or deactivate the phone, the MyPhonak app sends the HAs into “Bluetooth Streaming + Mic” mode for a second or two. If I am in a noisy environment (walking down street) this can be quite annoying as the HAs suddenly get load and then quiet again as it switches back to “Automatic”.

I have turned off all sound notifications for the app and also for all other apps, but the activate/deactivate phone issues still exists.

Anyone know a way to stop this without turning off Bluetooth?

5 Likes
#2

What a great question. I hope someone answers with the fix! I have been troubled by this effect for a long time.
Big John

3 Likes
#3

Update.
Well I have a workaround for the issue. Under Bluetooth settings for the HA pairing, I can enable/disable Phone Calls or Media audio as separate items. Disabling “Media Audio” seems to have stopped this while still allowing Phone Calls.

Downside is that if I want to stream audio I have to enable this option but that is not a biggy for me.

3 Likes
#4

Did you make sure the sound feedback for the keyboard is disabled in the phones settings as well?

3 Likes
#5

Yep. That is one of the first things I do on a new phone :slight_smile:

#6

I have Costco’s KS10s, which are HAs made by Phonak, connected to a Samsung S8 running Android Ver. 9. Every time the S8 makes a notification sound, my KS10s’ mode switches from “Automatic” to “Bluetooth Streaming + Mic” for a couple of seconds. During the period it’s in that mode, in addition to hearing the notification sound I hear a hiss, which could be the result of an increase in audio gain. However, when I am streaming an audio program or talking to someone via the S8, I don’t hear the hiss. The Costco HA folk say they haven’t gotten a similar complaint from other customers.

#7

Yep, same issue. I have turned off all sound notifications app by app and that issue doesn’t occur anymore for the notifications. Not ideal but TBH I don’t want to hear a beep every time a notification occurs. Life is too short to have to put up with all those interruptions.

#8

I became aware of the problem about a year ago, when I first started wearing HAs.

I wonder why I’ve not seen this issue reported on this forum (or other HA forums). There are many thousands of KS10s “in the wild.”

My Costco HA fitter, who seems to be quite intelligent and devoted to her work, says I’m the first of her customers to report the problem. With 8 or more appointments per day, she must have interacted with hundreds of people wearing KS10s. I also reported the problem to another fitter at that Costco location, and she also wasn’t aware of such a problem.

1 Like
#9

I have the Samsung Galaxy S23.
And found in settings a separate entry page for system sounds. There I can activate sounds for lock/unlock screen. Upon activation I get exactly the behavior you describe.

4 Likes
#10

On the apps page you can control each specific notification. I personally turn all app notifications off except the 1-3 apps that are important to me.

3 Likes
#11

Excellent. Thank you, Just what I needed.

2 Likes
#12

This is an Android issue across the board, not an issue particular to any HA manufacturer In my casr (Starkey, Google Pixel 6 Pro), it’s not only sounds/notifications triggered by the phone that affect stream/audio settings temporarily, but any interaction with the phone (lock screen, opening apps, swiping, etc).

It’s very frustrating as I bought the Mic+ for my Starkey and wanted to use it to stream zoom calls for work. Interacting with my phone, or getting notifications, drops the stream or switches modes, triggerong a very noticeable static noise!! I have to put my phone on do not disturb mode and not touch it in order for streaming and HA audio settings to stay consistent. Not good at all.

My audiologist said buy an iphone, they are just better for HAs.

#13

Mine have always done it…I consider a minor annoyance only sometimes. Maybe something to do with my settings, or may patience, or both…

Anyway, isn’t it a function of the external mic setting while streaming?

I could be completely wrong about this…I’m under the impression that the Audi can select how much of the microphone pics up ambient sounds while streaming phone or media… as in
it’s possible to turn the mics anywhere from all the way off (0%) so that you ONLY hear what is coming through Bluetooth, to all the way on (100%) so that you hear everything the mics pick up + all of what is coming in through Bluetooth.
so
if set to 0% it would shut off the ambient sounds any time the phone dings or connects (would be very annoying)
and if set to 100% on, the phone ding would just fade in as background noise (but phone calls or other streaming may be harder to hear)

1 Like
#14

I find this a major annoyance. There are a couple of issues - the automatic mode switching is the first one. If I want to listen to bluetooth streaming, but then pause it, it switches back to regular automatic mode. This happens in gaps between songs, when backgrounding youtube etc. The next issue is that I can’t set the bluetooth streaming settings and have them stick - when listening to bluetooth, I change the ambient setting so it only plays the bluetooth input and not the surrounding sounds. I have to do this each time, because it continually resets to a balance of the two which I never want. I asked my audiologist about this and he said it was something phonak have specifically said they won’t change, apparently for safety reasons, although that doesn’t seem to be an issue with regular noise cancelling bluetooth headphones.