Programs for Oticon Opn

^^^^ OK THIS IS GREAT!! Thank you SO much for the detailed info on TV streamer program and AutoPhone. If I understand you correctly, I only need to cycle through my existing programs to get to the TV streamer one. Turns out, I don’t need Program 3, so I’ll have my aud-guy remove that. :slight_smile:

AutoPhone sounds intriguing… and like you say, what have I got to lose trying it out? What I wonder is: how do you use a headset so easily? I have a headset phone at home (my hubs uses it for long calls), but when I put that up to my aids, I can’t hear a THING, the volume is so low. I try to position it over, above, on top of, somewhere close to the actual mic on my Opns, but to no avail!

Luckily, with the (L) power domes on my aids, I hear beautifully on cell phone or landline with NO dedicated phone program, no streamer, and no headset. But there are days (OMG, literally DAYS) when I am on the phone with Anthem for so long I nearly sprout a 3rd ear. I simply can’t hold that phone up to my ear for an hour or MORE. (I don’t want to go the “IoT” route for streaming to my Samsung Galaxy S6.) So I still use my Agil Pro ITE aids with the old StreamerPro necklace for any call longer than 5 min.

You say that you don’t need a streamer to listen to music - does that mean you’ve paired the Opns with some device that plays music? Or do you listen to it through the TV streamer?

^^^ Before I had the AutoPhone mode enabled, I could not hear anything from my headset either, like what you found out for yourself with your husband’s headset. After I have the AutoPhone mode enabled, I would hear the phone mode chimed in when I put the headset on over the HAs. So it is the AutoPhone mode that allows me to use my headset with the OPN. The AutoPhone mode, when enabled, detects the magnet on the speaker of the headset when you put it on your OPN, and the AutoPhone feature then turns on the phone mode in the OPN (not your audi’s phone program, but the built-in phone mode). Although some people don’t think there’s a tcoil inside the OPN, I’ve seen some literature showing evidence that the OPN has a tcoil in it. I believe the phone mode (enabled by AutoPhone and applying the headset over the OPN) allows the tcoil to pick up sound in the form of the induced magnetic field generated by the speaker of the headset. That is how you can now hear the sound from the headset clearly, when AutoPhone enables the phone mode for you.

If you have a landline phone, and you put the handset on your ear, you’ll probably hear the phone chime as well when the handset’s speaker’s magnet activates the OPN’s phone mode.

When using the cell phone by itself instead of using the headset, at least on my Samsung Note 4, and probably on your Samsung S6 as well, I don’t think the cell phone activates the OPN’s tcoil. I don’t know why, but I’m guessing because these cell phone don’t have a big enough magnet on their speaker to activate the OPN phone mode. But I can still hear the sound OK from my cell phone. I’m guessing that in this case, it’s the OPN’s mics that pick up the sound, not the OPN’s telecoil.

My headset is a wireless Bluetooth Plantronics Focus. It’s paired with my Samsung Note 4. I use it for phone calls, but I also use it to listen to music from my phone (or laptop which also has Bluetooth connection). It also comes with a USB dongle to connect to laptops that don’t have Bluetooth as well. It produces great sound and deep bass also very suitable for music listening. But, I can also just hookup the TV Streamer to any music source for music listening without any headset or headphones, but via direct streaming as you already know. However, the TV Streamer is pretty clunky with all the wirings so it’s not very portable. For portability, I just use my Bluetooth headset.

^^^ OK - got it! I look forward to trying out the AutoPhone then, and seeing which of my phones at home (Ooma landline, headset phone, Samsung cell phone) will let the program “kick in”. I am very fortunate that these Opns work super with the Samsung for now. I guess I just needed the larger power dome for a better seal in my ear. But the volume is considerably LOWER on the Ooma phone, and the headset is useless for me right now.

I’ll post an update after my next app’t on Wed.

Odd aside: I find that when the battery starts to wind down on these Opns, the overall volume decreases AND TV streamer gets really flaky. I guess I don’t mind, cuz I keep an eye on the calendar (where I mark the day I changed my batts). It’s just curious that I never seem to let the Opn get to warning beep, cuz I can tell they are just not amplifying sound like they do with fresh batts. (or am I just crazy?) So far, I am going like SEVEN days between battery changes, but then the only streaming I do is for maybe 2-3 hours a night with the TV streamer.

Can anyone confirm what the autophone program does? Is the call heard in both hearing aids when the autophone is triggered?

The phone is only heard on both HAs if you use a headset that has speakers on both sides. If you use a headset with a single speaker, you can only hear sound on the side where the speaker is

It’s not streaming so it doesn’t send the sound to both sides. It’s just good old fashion picking up the sound from the speaker(s) of the headset or handset.

It’s very simple. You put a speaker that has a magnet near the HA and if Autophone is enabled, it’ll activate the phone program. You’ll then hear the sound from that speaker.

You should download the Oticon ON app for Android phones. This app will allow you to increase the volume on your HAs remotely via the phone to help compensate for the lower volume of the Ooma phone or of the headset. It’s much more convenient than trying to increase the volume by messing around with the button on your right HA, while holding a handset or wearing a headset that is in the way.

My headset volume sometimes is low, sometimes is OK. When low volume, I use the On app to increase the volume. Very easy and effective.

My TV Streamer gets flaky on low HA batteries, too. It actually stops pairing with the HA.

I usually don’t notice a slight volume reduction when my battery goes low. I usually get the low battery warning chime first. But I notice that you have pretty heavy hearing loss in the mid range, so maybe that’s why your HAs are more sensitive to low batteries, because the receiver probably uses more battery juice trying to pump out sounds in the mid-range.

7 days between battery changes is very good. I get about 4.5 days on mine. But I may use streaming a little bit longer than you do.

I get about 4-5 days depending on streaming, do you guys accept that? At the end of the day it is okay… however a size 13 battery would be more convenient for me. Still get no Info on when and if a size 13 will come out soon…

Based on users’ feedbacks from the other threads on this forum, that seems to be about the average, 4-5 days. I’m seeing the same thing. And yes, more streaming would suck up more juice faster, based on my observation, too.

How many hours in your day?

Yep, the faster you drive the more gasoline you use… So, the faster you drive the CPU with streaming the more battery you use.

yeah guys, I’m just ranting because of the lack of a size 13 version, how long does it have to take, it’s nearly 6 months now since the 312 came out, I want 13 :frowning:

I may sound paRaNoiD! but I will simply never use anything on the IFTTT. Trading off personal security & privacy for easy access to unrelated apps just sits like an icy chill of Big Bro on my shoulders. I’ll gladly wait for any kind of clip-on streamer or just use my old Agil Pros + Streamer Pro if I need super quality audio. Now I’m hoping to get in to my aud-guy today as SNOW is in the forecast, wouldntchaknow.

Having used size 13 on my Agil Pros for many years now, I SO want the longer battery life (vs 312). But wouldn’t this also make the aids BIGGER? I guess my concerns would be: 1.) bigger, heavier aids sitting on top of my ears (as it is, they are a bit sore from the miniRITEs!) and 2.) if aid needs to be bigger, would it require the straw/tube + plastic earmold? If so, I’d be out of the running, as I am hideously allergic to either clear plastic or rose-tinted plastic ear molds. <:-(0)

What really worked well for me (the last 4 years) as far as Battery life was my Siemens Pure 7’s.

They used 312’s - BUT they were RECHARGEABLE 312s.

I never had to remove the the batteries to charge them as the Siemens HA’s were designed to simply set the entire HA into the re-charger base, and two mental contacts on the HA would make contact with the charger (no fiddling with batteries).

I would place them in the charging base when I went to bed and they were charged by morning.

Every morning I knew that the batteries would last about 18 hours on a charge so I never worried about losing power in the middle of a meeting/lunch etc…
After about a year on the batteries they would start to decline an I would replace them when they hit about 12-14 hours of holding a charge.

Sooo nice not having to fiddle with little batteries AND knowing (almost to the hour) when your battery was going to start to peter out…

Hope that Oticon incorporates this feature!

Folks will be along soon to tell you the evils of rechargeable batteries. I have the Carat bx7 aids with 13’s… Never less the 20 hours per overnight charge and dry. I do use replaceable batteries on road trips to save on baggage.

I only use the Oticon ON app for Android as a remote control for my OPNs, to adjust volume and select programs. I don’t use it for IFTTT. The ON app basically makes a Bluetooth connection with your OPNs to allow you to control volume and programs from your smart phones, that’s all. Usually if you’re not wearing a headset or holding a handset over your ear for a phone call, it’s easy to just manually adjust the volume or change programs on the HAs’ buttons. But if those buttons are not easily accessible because you’re wearing a headset, then a remote volume and program control from your smart phone is a nice option.

Having and using the Oticon ON app on your Android phone doesn’t automatically enable IFTTT on your OPNs. To use IFTTT, you’ll need to create an online account with the IFTTT service and all that. It’s not plug and play.

LOL! I have to chime in here cuz I know of only ONE experience in which the rechargeable batt didn’t work out: it was a trip overseas. One of the gals in our group wore aids with rechargeable batts. Somehow (probably “operator error”) she didn’t get a chance to recharge them from the time we left the hotel at 11:30am in Tokyo onwards. We landed at Vancouver BC, and she yelled: “Don’t ANYONE talk to me. My batts have discharged!” That convinced me that for travel at least, I’d definitely take a pair of aids with batts I can change out if one goes dead. I’m never without a spare pair (ditto spare aids on trips only), cuz I truly have zero margin for error if the batts die and I don’t have a backup.

Yeah, I can see me trying to “talk” my way back into the U.S. at the Canadian border - U.S. has a station right there at Vancouver airport! The U.S. Customs guy I got was the surliest piece o’work I’ve seen outside of Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi”.

OK! Mea culpa! I thought one had to sign in at IFTTT in order to either access or download the Oticon app for Android! And … AUGH, but freakin’ snow kept me from making that app’t with my aud-guy today. So now, it’s resched’d for the 5th of Jan. Luckily I had only minor tweaks to these aids, but still, I just want this to be over and DONE with.

I’m new here and new to the Oticon OPN 1’s. I have a follow-up appointment with my audi coming up, and I’d like some help on what programs I may want to ask for. As far as I can tell, I only have the default program which seems to be working well in most situations. How can I tell if I have Autophone? I hear the phone in my aids, but I’ve been holding the phone in front of my mouth to speak into the mic. Would it work better in Autophone? Also, what might work better in noisy restaurants? I tried the iPhone feature “Live Listen” but I got an irritating echo effect–the bluetooth connection and speech direct from the person were out of sync. Is there a way to turn off the direct pathway?

You can tell if you have Autophone or not when you put on a set of headphones over the OPN, you should hear the AutoPhone chime turning on. If you don’t, you most likely don’t have it on. You can also have your audi verify it by confirming that the AutoPhone mode is checked on the Genie 2 software when you’re at his office.

Since you said you’ve been holding your phone in from of your mouth to speak into the mic, I assume that you’re using an iPhone. If that’s the case, there’s already direct streaming from your iPhone so AutoPhone is not needed. Direct streaming is obviously much better than AutoPhone. The only time I would have AutoPhone turned on in your case is if I use a headset (with mic included) for a business call on a software phone like Skype on your laptop. Then direct streaming does not apply in that case and AutoPhone would help for using with your headset.

As for special programs on the OPN next time you see your audi, you can have him add the Speech in Noise one and the Music one if you want. But it’s really not necessary as the default program should already work well in most situations like you’ve already noticed. But in the most challenging environment like the restaurant, you can try switching between the default program and the Speech in Noise to see if it makes any difference or not. If little difference, you can always remove Speech in Noise next time you see your audi.

There are a couple more programs like Lecture mode and maybe something else which I don’t remember. You can have your audi pull down the menu and tell you which they all are so you can decide which ones you want to add. I think you can only have 4 programs if I remember correctly.

Sorry I never tried Live Listen because I really never had the need to.