Back in May, when the problem of Bluetooth streaming interruption while using MFI capable OPN hearing aids was posted here, I wondered if the frequent frustration with broken connectivity was bad enough to override the many positive features of the OPN technology.
For months, my audiologist and I worked together to solve drop out problems during an extended trial period. We also drew on the experience shared by all of you as we worked through various setting changes, reset strategies and work-around ideas.
Nothing we tried could correct the problem, but it was very useful during this time to know that others were affected in similar ways and trying to figure it out for themselves – some of them in very clever and insightful ways!
After contacting Oticon by email in June, I reported to you, that they said that their engineers were aware of our mutual problems and working to solve them. So I decided to wait it out. For me, connectivity interruption was a secondary concern because I’m completely unable to function socially without the best amplification possible. So, as desirable as MFI Bluetooth advantages were, I had to learn to live with the frustration and sometimes the embarrassment of frequently lost connectivity.
Since then, it appears that the engineers have delivered a solution. A upgrade to firmware version 6 last week along with my iPhone 8 running on IOS 12 seems to have reset everything to work as it should. Reliable streaming has brought with it clear, unbroken TV reception, podcasts, audiobooks, remote microphone function and phone calls. Collectively, this reliability improvement has made staying in touch much less stressful for me. Throughout this experience, my audiologist was the cornerstone of the process. Thank you Dr. Lohman, for your patient listening and support and thanks also to each of you who contributed to these postings over these past 5 months.