Phonak P90 + iPhone: any way to stream caller but use phone's mic?

Using bluetooth with phone’s audio set to “R-Phonak hearing aid” (the P90) I often have callers (or “callees” if I’m the the caller) tell me that they have trouble hearing me, sometimes asking if I’m on a speakerphone. When I change the phone’s audio to “Speaker” and ask if that’s better, they say “yes.” But then I’m listening to the phone’s speaker, not via bluetooth. Hence the topic question.

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Let me raise a question involving the same issue, is it possible the iPhone uses a AVC that is “shutting down” or clamping down on the spoken volume when we may be speaking louder. I have infrequently encountered similar issues.

This helped me loads on my M70 and now also P70.

I don’t have any issues with callers on other end complaining of background noise.

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@Zebras

That’s interesting. Calls + Mic is the only streaming option I haven’t touched, but since switching to Adaptive Bandwidth, I’ve had no complaints. I’ll look at this if I do though.

Cheers

That’s really interesting as we are told those features would only be affecting the signal incoming to you (not whoever is on the other end of the phone) and there’s no processing done on the (own voice pick up) speech signal to the hearing aid mic. I can’t wait to try this out!

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Where were we told there’s no processing on mic input during a phone call? I don’t see how that can be true given that the settings @Zebras mentions are specifically those in the phone-call program. There must be circumstances in which they are useful. Consider, for example, how WindBlock might help when outside on a gusty day. It’s counterintuitive that NoiseBlock wouldn’t help on a “very noisy bus,” but maybe that type of noise escapes NoiseBlock’s competence.

That said, most of my own phone calls are from my “Calm Situation” home office, so I disabled the mentioned options in the phone-call program in a fitting I did earlier today. But I haven’t yet had a chance to test whether that will help.

@brec

@Moore8

I find the Phone Call to also be a lot louder since switching all off.

I also find the same for any streaming including when using the Roger or Partner Mic.

I’m sure the only processing is on anything output by the hearing aids. When the hearing aid picks up the wearer’s voice on a call this input is just sent to the phone to be relayed to the caller on the other end.
I’d guess any benefits noticed are more likely related to signal strength, type of call WiFi/app etc or environment you are in making the call?
Why have those processing options on the call+mic program at all then - it’s for what the hearing aid wearer hears from the mics ( they are active for the wearer also so you still have awareness of your surroundings) just not for what is sent to the phone.
Unfortunately there is no way to have a one way connection eg. the call streamed to your aids but the phone picking up your voice

So the HA has what I’d guess to be some pretty impressive logic to separate own voice from ambient sounds before applying any processing, e.g., WindBlock, only after that separation? May I ask how you know this?

I’m really interested in hearing tech and try to find out as much as I can from the manufacturers.
The own voice pick up only happens on the master aid (the one that’s paired in the Bluetooth settings on the phone). So I would guess the signal processing is on what’s picked up from the mics on the hearing aid on the other ear

This doesn’t really answer my question/objection. The master aid’s mic input would have to connect to, as I phrased it, “some pretty impressive logic” that isolates own voice. There’s no other way that voice pick-up could happen (only) on the master aid. Likewise, the other aid’s mic would have to use that same logic to isolate ambient noise from own voice.

Lingo note: “logic” in electronics means software and/or hardware that implements an algorithmic process.

Ok sorry I think the confusion is with the term ‘own voice pick up’ because that’s the term Phonak uses. But all that means is the master aid being in directional mode when on a call. That’s the reason for people complaining that they don’t hear the hearing aid wearer well on the phone. The master aid mic is just working in directional mode (front facing) - it’s picking up everything and anything infront of the speaker. That signal is sent to the phone without any processing.
The other aid is working in a more omni mode and that’s the signal that’s processed (windblock etc) for the wearer to have awareness of their surroundings.

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