Phonak Audeo B-Direct auto-reboots ... WHY?

Hearing Aids
#1

Just wanted to float a question to others out there who may have experienced a similar probefe with their aids? I’ve worn my Phonak Audeo B-Direct aids for several months now, and while I basically LOVE them, there is an odd quirk that occurs maybe once every 4-6 weeks: the LEFT aid (the one that streams with my Android phone) will, without any warning, reason or logic, REBOOT in the middle of nowhere.

Sometimes, I’m having a conversation with a person; other times, sitting by myself at the computer, or maybe just doing nothing! Everything gets all quiet on the left side for about 10 seconds. I groan, KNOWING that I’m going to miss a good 30-seconds total with the reboot going on, and the aids beeping like I just shut the battery door and put them in for the first time.

I may just get in to see my aud-guy about it, just in case it’s not normal. But maybe the aid is doing something? I don’t think it’s happened when streaming on the phone - YET - but it would be really awful if it did some day.

Any tech thoughts or suggestions would be great.

#2

This is not uncommon for hearing aids. My OPN 1 occassionally auto reboots, too. In prior firmware versions, more often. In later firmware versions, less often.

It has to do with the robustness of the firmware, and sometimes, hardware as well. Once in a while, the hearing aid can’t keep up with the pace of the processing, or gets hung when the firmware runs into some bug that prevents it from continuing its normal operation, then it’d auto reboot to clear things out and start from scratch again.

This is a normal occurrence with computers and smart phones and tablets as well, except that if things get hung on these devices, they don’t reboot themselves but they rely on you to reboot for them. With hearing aids, users don’t get to know when things go wrong and get hung, so the hearing aid is programmed to reboot itself when things go wrong instead.

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#3

AH! Now I get it! But then, why isn’t a “reboot” done every single morning as I shut the battery doors? Does that mean that in the course of a 14-hr day, at some point, my LEFT aid only gets “overwhelmed” and needs to reboot?

Ideally, I’d like to prevent such a random occurrence from happening at a sub-optimal time. But if it’s up to my left aid to perform a reboot, then I’ll live with it.

Also odd: during all the decades I wore ITE aids, they never rebooted on their own even once. It seems that the Phonak Audeo B-Direct is not as robust (or maybe, ironically, it’s more advanced!), cuz it’s just the LEFT aid (which streams to my Android phone) that reboots now and then.

Greatly appreciate your putting this in perspective, tho! :slight_smile:

#4

I’ve personally never known a hearing aid to re boot. I’ve worn Phonaks all my life and never had a hearing aid re boot.

I would check with your audiologist to make sure it’s nothing else that can be fixed.

#5

My Costco KS7 would reboot occasionally. After a firmware update I didn’t have a problem. Since you left one is the one that streams it’s executing different code (software). There is probably a bug in the code that causes it to reboot. Talk to you audi to see if there is a firmware update, but since it’s every few weeks you may have to live with it. If it happens more often and the aid is in warranty they may be able to switch it out to rule out a hardware issue or confirm with Phonak that it’s a known problem or not.

#6

A reboot is a shutdown and restart cycle. When you open the battery door and close it again, it definitely and automatically does a reboot upon power up because you lose power when the battery door is open.

Unless you have a rechargeable battery set up, then a reboot may not happen because your hearing aid may always be in the “on” state, even while recharging since the battery door is never opened.

#7

It depends on the design. Simpler digital designs may have much fewer programming software inside that even if a reboot is required, it may happen so fast that you may not even notice it.

But the more complicated the digital circuitry becomes, toward the level of complexity of a computer, with updatable firmware and all that, then a reboot will become longer and more noticeable.

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#8

GREAT advice from one and all! I will definitely give my aud-guy a jingle to ask about any firmware upgrades. I sure hope if my left aid gets one it still streams to my Samsung.

Will report back when this is resolved. Meantime, I can live with it … but geez, what if Formula 1 cars spontaneously “rebooted” during LeMans? Yeah: disaster.

#9

Well. This just in from my app’t yesterday with my aud-guy. He’s as mystified as me regarding the spontaneous (albeit not too frequent) reboots of my aids. He has not heard this from any other patient yet. He checked my aids and they both have the most recent firmware release … so I guess that dates back to last Sept when I picked these up?

He has a good pal who’s a Tech Support rep for Phonak and will ask her about: 1.) Phonak Audeo B-Direct spontaneous reboot and 2.) any issues caused by Samsung cell phone (or Android) in particular. I’ve had the reboot with both my older Samsung Galaxy 6S and the new Samsung 9.

Next time it happens, I’ll try to note where my cell phone is as it’s happening. I think that in previous occasions, it’s been right in my purse hanging on my shoulder. It could be that the Samsung is unstable, throwing the aids through a loop? It takes a good 30 seconds for the full reboot to finish, during which time BOTH aids are dead as doornails. Very strange. Even so, like a game leg, I’ll just limp along with it for now.

If the Phonak Tech Support rep has any insights, he’ll call me back in … but I kind of doubt anything’s going to happen except more odd reboots. Never had that prob with my Oticon Alta Pro aids, and they also streamed to Android phones.

#10

My right audeo b direct b90 less than a week old restated on its own just about now. Odd. It happend on my phone ear.

There was a few secs of silence and then I heard the startup chime.

It has only happend once so far.

#11

I had the KS5 (Resound) reboot from time to time. Haven’t had the KS8 (Rexton) reboot yet.

#12

I wonder if this could be a problem with one’s cell phone plan? I’m on a Samsung Galaxy 9 on T-Mobile (not the world’s best service!) and have had my Audeo B-Direct aids reboot on their own 3 times on the Big Island last winter/spring, once in Japan in June. It has also happened here in the U.S., so it seems there is no safe haven. It’s not like I’m in the utter boondocks when this happens, but maybe the T-Mobile service flakes out?

I have a NEW and irritating problem as of the past 6 mos: one person has complained of hearing a LOT of crackling on the phone with me streaming from my Audeo B-Direct. On my end, there is NO distortion at all - I hear the other party loud and clear. The crackling is so bad to them that I have to hang up, put in my old Oticon Alta Pro aids and the Streamer Pro necklace with that set. On top of which, on rare occasions, the other party (different one) can not hear me at all, even tho I am yelling, “I HEAR YOU! I AM HERE! CAN YOU HEAR ME?” till they hang up. Very unsatisfying.

I will likely make an app’t with my aud guy to see if these aids need to go in for servicing. If anything comes to light, I’ll share it here … but I have a feeling my aud guy and even Phonak would be clueless as a pipe-smoking nun on the entire issue.

Augh.

#13

No, it’s just a coincidence.

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#14

^^^^ FUDGE. There goes another slim possibility out the window. It seems these streaming aids are a bit of rocket science, and even if the techs at Phonak could get to the bottom of it, my aud-guy would simply have NO idea.

So I will make an app’t to see if I need to turn my aids in regarding the auto reboots, the odd crackling and drop-off issues. Luckily all these inconveniences happen less than 10% of the time … thus explaining my foot-dragging in getting it attended to.

#15

Well I’m bugged to say that even after my firmware update over a month ago my Phonak Audeo B-Direct LEFT aid continues to reboot out of the blue - about once a week or more. Very puzzling, but since it’s the LEFT aid only, maybe that will be the source of the problem.

It doesn’t seem to be related to cell phone proximity, T-Mobile reception, streaming on the phone, the TV or any other event. The LEFT aid reboots in any and all circumstances - even during conversations!

I will be handing these in to my aud-guy for a check-up with Phonak now. But that means I have to go back to my old Oticon Alta Pro ITEs. Such is life, and I’m very lucky to have a backup pair WITH working streamer. :slight_smile:

#16

I also have the Audeo B90 directs and experienced reboot issues as well, but only with my Android phone (S8+). I moved back to Apple about 6 months ago (iphone X), and wow, reboots issues are gone and the phone app connects much quicker. Probably not what you wanted to hear but i think Phonak has many more challenges getting BT to consistently work across all Android platforms than they do with Apple.

#17

^^^ That IS interesting! I doubt even my aud-guy would know about the issues of streaming with an Android vs Apple device. I have the Samsung S9. And come to think of it, I was using the Galaxy 6S with these aids till last December, and do not recall them rebooting with that older model.

#18

Battery contact issue maybe? Does it happen after a “violent” head movement- IE: sneeze or cough? Thinking outside the box here…if you tap the HA can you reproduce the issue?

#19

Nope! Completely out-of-the-blue is when my LEFT aid decides to reboot. It’s not about the Samsung, the T-Mobile reception, or any other causal factor I can identify. All of that which makes me think: it’s likely the LEFT aid! It could need a new chip, or yet another software update? I’m hoping to find out after I turn it in this coming Friday. But thanks for your suggestions! It definitely helps to think outside of the box. :slight_smile:

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