Phonak Remote Control and the Phonak App

I have Phonak Lumity 90s and use the Phonak App to control most features. For additional control I bought a Phonak Remote Control device. My question is this: Although the control paired easily with the hearing aids, it does not seem to work if it is in proximity to my phone and the associated app. If I am away from the phone in another room for example, it seems to work fine. Are the 2 incompatible? Is it one or the other? Do I have to disconnect my aids from the app in order to use the remote?

That has been my experience as well. I haven’t seen this written anywhere, but while the Lmnity 90’s can connect to two classic Bluetooth channels at the same time, that does not appear to be the case with the LE Bluetooth channels used to manage the aids. In my case, like you, I can use the app or the remote but not both at the same time. Maybe someone has a more educated answer to this.

Now it seems that when I first remove the aids from the charger and re-pair to the control, it will work for a few minutes then just no longer responds. I don’t really need the remote control, just wanted to try it to see if it would be useful, but doesn’t seem so.

@barbshop Just played with this and learned a little :thinking:. If you want to use the remote with your phone Bluetooth turned on: In the app go to devices-connection management and select disconnect. This will disconnect the app (LE’s) but not the classic Bluetooth connection, so the Phone and Streaming functions will still work but the app will be disconnected and the remote will now work. There are many times that I would like to change programs or change the volume setting without fiddling with my phone (in front of other people) and this seems to be the way to do it. Thanks for the question :+1:t4:

You shouldn’t have to pair the remote control again. If you have to pair it every day there is something wrong with it or the aids.

It’s a poor design, problem.
With the Audeo’s that I tried, the Remote Control worked until I turned on the App.
I set it up outside and walked away from the cell-phone. When I got out of cell-phone range, the Remote worked. When I returned and the HA’s got into cell-phone range the Remote stopped.

A well designed unit would respond to the newest command from either unit.
Just like my TV, with 3 different types of remote controls.

Thanks my friend. This does seem to allow the remote to work at least to raise and lower volume, but I’m not sure it was allowing me to change programs since I couldn’t check that in the app and didn’t notice a tone or anything else when pressing the third button.

I agree. I don’t mind using the app, but as an actor who when on stage might want to adjust volume or program settings, I obviously can’t whip our my phone to do it. And if I have to disconnect or disable the app, that is not very convenient. Really bad design, as you said.

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As we’ve discovered, the problem isn’t in the pairing, it is that you can’t use the remote control while the HAs are connected to the Phonak App.

Hi Ray I wonder if this could be my issue. When listening to TV through my Phonak TV connector I will just all of a sudden lose the ability to control the volume with my Phonak Remote. Even hitting the bottom button to change the program to HA mode to talk to my wife won’t work. My only solution thus far has been to shut everything down and restart.

Do you think what you described above is an appropriate change for me to make on my Phonak app? Sorry I’m not super techie…just enough to get myself into trouble.

An even bigger question and possibly the easy button answer: do I even need the MyPhonak app? I don’t use it for my audiologist to make changes and I don’t use any of the features on the app I only have it on there b/c the audiologist put it on my phone the first time. If I can just delete the app and it resolves this issue with TV for me, but I can still use my bluetooth on the phone for calls…shoot maybe I just can the app?

Thank you

@HDFL I just responded in another thread. If you don’t use the app you can remove it. Also as I said in the other thread, you can open the app, select devices (at the bottom of the page), select connection management and then just select disconnect.

Thank you so much! Deleted the app and tested everything from car bluetooth to TV connector and all is well. I think this may also resolve a very annoying unpredictable problem where I would have my ear buds drop out on the iphone. Call comes in and I can’t pick up the call with HA and owuld have to go to speaker or iphone. There would be no phonank listed on options just speaker or iphone. So far have had multiple calls all went great. Thank goodness and thank you.