I just picked up my Philips 9040 hearing aids. I wasn’t clearly made aware that for hands-free I needed to have an apple iPhone for such a thing. I’m hesitant to switch from Android to Apple because it’s a huge rabbit hole that would more likely lead to dissatisfactions with the structure and infrastructure of Apple and require me to buy more Apple products to make everything work right. I’m interested if anybody has used the apple version, does the quality of call remain good with the hearing aids picking up all the sound in the background? Is anybody using the audio clip for Android and is that a hassle to deal with.
When I was using an intermediary device, I forgot to charge it all the time and then I forgot to take it out with me.
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I went from hands free ks9 to the 9040 using android and was worried about no hands free phone but since I always check the phone to see who is calling I found it wasn’t a big deal to just speak into the phone mike.
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There’s a recent thread on this forum from a Phonak user who complains about this background noise being picked up on the hearing aids’ mics and there’s no workaround aside from the hands-free mode, so you’re right to worry about the negative side-effect of the hand-free calling option for HAs.
You’ll need to wear the Audio Clip on a lanyard or clip it on your front pocket or shirt in order for its mic to pick up your voice clearly. Then there’s also the issue of the battery on it running out, especially if you’re using it for hands-free calling all day for work, for example.
I switched from Android to iPhone because of hearing aids, and it didn’t start me on a slippery slope of going all Apple. The iPhone interacts with the non-Apple world as well as Android does, in my experience. The Google apps I cared about were all available on iPhone too. And, having an iPhone happens to have improved communications with my kids who use iPhone.
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Apple’s voice isolation works really well at cleaning up the signal from the wearer’s voice. There’s a really good Hearing Tracker YouTube vid on this. It’s potentially a reason to switch to Apple and MFI devices if you make a lot of calls.
Actually, the Phillips 9040 works fine with most current Android phones. You can use this link from Philips to see what devices work: HearLink compatibility | Philips. I use an LG V60, which is a couple of years old and discontinued, but it works well.
I share your concern about moving to the Apple environment–been happy with Android phones.
While I can believe this, doesn’t Apple’s voice isolation work well only for their own mic on their iPhone? The hands-free feature for phone calls on the Real is with Oticon picking up the user’s voice from their hearing aids’ mics, not using Apple’s mic on the iPhone at all. So in this case, I don’t think Apple’s voice isolation technology would apply because it’s Oticon that controls the quality of the voice as it’s picked up by the Oticon aids’ mics.
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You can also choose to have the phone mic pick up your voice. Strictly speaking it’s then not hands-free. But better to have an additional choice that may work better in noise, hands-free or not, than to not have a choice.
Actually, I find that the iPhone mic option (which you’re presumably familiar with on your OPNs) often can work with the phone sitting on a table or desk, not in my hand. Maybe not in a noisy place though, in which case holding it near your mouth is the best option. At least you’re still hearing the caller’s voice through your aids.
I also reluctantly switched to iPhone in order to support HAs without an intermediate device. That was almost 10 years ago. I was super-reluctant because I wanted to keep a physical keyboard on phone. 10 years later, I can say that the HA/phone interface works well (and I still miss a physical keyboard).
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Thanks for this clarification. I agree that it’s better to have a choice between hands-free or not for sure!
(Voice Isolation for iPhone™ works with Phonak | Audiology Blog)
seems to work beyond MFI devices and with Bluetooth paired aids also
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The Philips aids require the use of the phones microphones on Android, so it is not a “hands free” setup.
I used Resound Phone Clips for years, including lots of online meetings, and that worked well. The best i had was the Phonak Compilot 2. You could plug a lapel mic into the Compilot 2.
If i had to get an Oticon i would definitely get the phone clip thing, if it saved me from having to get an Apple device (not a fan).
I currently have the Phonak Lumity, which has, by far, the best communication. Connects wirelessly with any phone, laptop, tablet, or any device with standard bluetooth. No devices needed.
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lewbobski,
re: The Philips aids require the use of the phones microphones on Android, so it is not a “hands free” setup.
…which is frustrating at times. I had K-9s (Phonak Marvels) before the 9040s, which were indeed hands free. As a result, I’ve developed some habits that haven’t transferred well. For example, when I am in my workroom and a call comes in, I find myself answering the phone call with my watch, and then discover quickly that the caller can’t hear me because my phone is in a different room. It’s taken me awhile to remember to carry my phone around at most times.
I am so used to the K10 handsfree features. I keep hoping that other manufacturers will be able to go hand free. The streaming also works great, even when I am the bathroom and the phone is on my bedstand. I was hoping that the latest Bluetooth standards would bring changes. As I would like to improve performance over the KS10’s, i may get the 9050 when it becomes available at Costco.