Oticon and Android Bluetooth issues with certain brands

Hearing Aids
#1

Hi - I’m hoping for some insight/assistance with a problem which has surfaced in trying Oticon aids my Realme 7 5g android phone (running Android 12).

When pairing headphones or buds etc with the phone, it lists what the connection is being used for - ie Phone Calls (on), Media Audio (on), Contact Sharing (off). Typically, these items are paired as a unit (ie a single pairing).

When pairing the hearing aids, because they can be used individually, they are paired separately, and therefore the phone indicates ‘multiple items’ on connection, but the above list is then reduced to only showing 'Contact Sharing"

Oddly, I can stream music to the aids without problems, and receive audio messages from apps.

However, phone calls coming in show diversion to bluetooth on the screen, but the incoming call audio is not transferred to the aids (nothing comes thru), necessitating hurriedly manually switching the call on the phone from bluetooth to ‘phone’ or ‘speaker’.

Does anyone have experience with this issue? I know that Oticon has limited Android compatibility, but it’s odd that it functions for streaming and not for phone calls

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#2

First off is the phone on the Oticon list of phones?
I have traded in my iPhone 13 for the Samsung galaxy S23 and my connectivity has drastically improved. I no longer have disconnect issues with the phone itself and less issues with the companion app.
Yes with android phones and most hearing aid brands the connectivity is hit and miss.

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#3

realme 7 does not seem to fully support for for hearing aids, Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE,

I asked in the android forum. they answered it was a BUG (error) on android 12 and 13. , you might want to look for a cellphone like the Google Pixel, or you can see a list of cellphones that support your hearing aids on the web .

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#4

Android 12 has a buggy ASHA protocol, Android 13 fixes this issue…

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#5

Thanks very much for the feedback - much appreciated :+1:

#6

My S23 is running Android 14 and OneUI 6 and it doesnt pass audio for phone calls. I can hear the audible ringback tone when i place a call, but neither party can hear the other. Like the OP, i have to awitch to speakerphone.

Note that WhatsApp voice calls work just fine.

The S23 is listed by opticon for one way communication, meaning it still uses the phone’s mike for outgoing audio.

#7

I have the S23 and it works great for phone calls, but it doesn’t allow for true hands free. You have to have the phone mic close to speak into so the other person hears me. But the call streams to my aids great. Now if i need to hand themphone off to my wife for some reason i have to switch the call to phone speaker or to speaker phone options. It sounds like you don’t have some of the settings correct in the phone app. I have both the Samsung and google phone apps and use the google phone app most of the time but if i decide to make a call from my Samsung Tablet then i have to switch to the Samsung phone app.

#8

In my opinion, free hands is good and not so good. If you are in a quietly place then yes, free hands helps but if you are in shopping mall with all the noise around the other person wont hear you so well so I prefer to be able to hold my phone close to my mouth.

Question: what bluetooth version has Oricon Real?

Thanks

#9

Oticon is using BLE and has from the beginning of using Bluetooth. So Oticon is MFi/ASHA. There are rumors that the Real aids can be upgraded to LE audio but i actually expect Oticon will introduce a new hearing aid this spring with le audio. I would be surprised if they just do a firmware update to the Real aids.
While i have the capacity to use the Bluetooth technology fully, i seldom do. I have the connect clip and use it to stream audio books from my Fire Tablet, but i am using my Bose over the ear headphones mostly because to be honest I prefer doing so.

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#10

Thank you!
My priority is not the Auracast but the BLE thing so it will consume power as little as possible.
This is why I asked.

PS: LE Audio requires BT 5.2 or higher, but BT 5.2 doesn’t guarantee LE Audio.

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#11

The Samsung galaxy S23 phone has ble5.3

#13

I have Oticon Real 1 and and iPhone. The connectivity is hit or miss daily. I spend more time syncing my horrible HAs than I ever could have imagined. My old Oticons worked so much better.

#14

The problem of connectivity isn’t the aids it is the IOS since IOS16 came out. I switched to my Samsung phone back last summer and I have been so glad I did.

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#15

I hate my Oticon Real 1 HAs. The connectivity is awful with podcasts, phone, videos, and my car. I’m at a loss. I’ve only had them a few months and I wish I could give them back.

#16

I had no idea Oticon has a phone list. My audiologist doesn’t know this either. Together, we called the company twice and I sent my Oticon Real 1 HAs back. The “fixed” pair is worse. My connectivity is off the charts awful.

#17

The aids can connect directly with your car. They do connect to iOS devices and a select number of Android phones, the key is make sure your aids are at the latest firmware level which is 1.1.0. My experience shows that the issue with connectivity is more of an issue with IOS than the aids. I do get upset when the aids are blamed for something that Apple screwed up. But if your aids aren’t at the latest firmware level then they need to be updated asap.

Also I will agree the companion app has connectivity issues, but to be honest with the iPhone you don’t even need the app.

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#18

Thank you so much. How do I check for the update? I sent my HAs back once already and connectivity is worse. I do have blue tooth on my car, but the connection is also hit or miss. I’m frustrated with this investment of my money and my time.

#19

Which iPhone do you have? My Real 1’s on firmware 1.1.0 are fine with my iPhone 13 Pro on iOS 17.2.1. I don’t use the app much, just the built-in MFi features.

#20

How do you connect to the car? The Real aids will not connect directly to anything but IOS or ASHA, you would have to be using the connect clip to connect to anything else Bluetooth. The companion app will tell you the firmware level. Check under hearing aids at the bottom of the app, then hearing aid settings then hearing aid details.

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#21

Hi thank you so much for answering. I have Oticon Real 1, 1.0.1.
I have had problems with them since I got them. After a week, my audiologist sent them back because she could only fix some of the problems. While some issues were fixed, I still have two lingering issues: Connectivity and shutting off, rebooting in the middle of the day without me touching them. This is my second pair of Oticons. My first pair never gave me one issue in 6 years. I do have an older iPhone but people with newer phones post similar issues. I’ve also read posts that a newer version of Real 1 is slated for spring. I am open to your thoughts.
Thank you for your time.
Susan