Well, that’s what I meant. I know Phonak’s newer models can do it. I was just wondering if and when Resound will allow bidirectional streaming on Android, if ever.
Possibly when phones that support LE Audio come out.
The Hearing Tracker site seems to be seriously oriented towards Phonak “groupiness.” The following, from October 25, 2021, says that the Starkey Evolv AI HA’s are officially certified for Apple Bi-Directional Streaming and will be able to do so “before the end of the year.” - doesn’t say anything because of BT LE Audio, etc. I think that one shouldn’t forget in considering that “Phonak works with any Bluetooth device…” that for YEARS Phonak did not allow direct streaming between ANY smartphone and one’s HA’s (not until 2018) but MFi HA’s could do that with an iPhone since 2014. So there are ups and downs in the HA saga and hopefully there will always be a lot of competition and progress on all fronts. Both Phonak and Apple have their own versions of walled gardens. Choose the rut you jump into carefully as you could be stuck in it (for money invested in accessories, apps, etc.) for the next (or so it seems) 100 years …
Sorry if I come off as Phonak groupie. To the best of my knowledge, Phonak (and related aids) are the only ones that use standard bluetooth and can do hands free calls with both iPhones and Android phones, including not particularly current ones. My guess is that when LE Audio is available
that it will allow handsfree calls with Android phones that support the feature. It’s possible that ASHA standard could be enhanced to support the feature, but I’d guess that is highly unlikely. If I had an iPhone and liked made for iPhone features, I’d stick with a Made for iPhone hearing aid if streaming were a big deal for me.
If bidirectional calling is going to work before the end of the year, at least with Starkey, presumably it doesn’t require BT 5.2 or BT 5.3, as somewhere in some earlier discussion, it’s been pointed out that the iPhone 13 is only listed as having BT 5.0 - and I think bidirectional calling is supposed to work with earlier iPhones back to the iPhone XS Max (or thereabouts) - they don’t have BT 5.2 or 5.3 either.
I think the thing about promoting Phonak and “universal” BT connectivity that makes it one-sided is to point that out but not point out by going for that, you’re going to pay seriously in battery life. If you look at the reduction in battery charge time for streaming (which you’re presumably paying whether using rechargeable or disposable batteries), it’s a pretty heavy reduction for Phonak’s version of classic BT and a very modest reduction for MFi HA’s. So the thing that seems one-sided to me is to advertise that one really ought to consider Phonak for the universality of its BT connectivity but somehow to avoid mentioning in adding helpful advice that one is going to pay relatively more in battery runtime for doing so when taking advantage of the BT connectivity - instead of getting 7 days runtime out of disposables maybe you’d only get 4 or 5 if you’re a heavy streamer, etc. It was the omission of any potential drawback to classic BT vs. MFI advantages on ease of battery use that made me ask if the recommendation was a “balanced” one.
Although Apple only claims BT 5, Bluetooth SIG shows iPhone 11, 12 and 13 certified for 5.1
ASHA standard could likely be expanded to do the same thing, but I don’t see it happening. I don’t see ASHA phones supporting bilateral streaming until the LE Audio standard happens, but I could obviously be wrong. I have mentioned Phonak’s reduced battery life in previous posts, but admit I don’t do it everytime. For me, the reduced battery life is not a big deal. I get 4-5 days out of my 312s.
It’s also quite possible that bi-directional MFi calling is just another proprietary Apple “secret sauce” that just requires non-disclosed MFi electronics on both ends (Apple and the involved HA OEM) and doesn’t require any official standard that’s been revealed - perhaps I missed something that indicates a specific version of BT 5.x or BT LE Audio is required for MFi bidirectional calling in earlier posts somewhere on the forum but just as with the original unidirectional MFi (as far as streaming goes), maybe it’s just a proprietary BT-like LE functionality, at least until BT LE Audio comes along and is widely in use, that Apple isn’t going to reveal to the world? And the standard BT 5.x versions are just for everything else that’s not MFi-related?
ASHA doesn’t support an ecosystem and LE Audio will do it better, so I agree. No more development on ASHA.
Apple’s motivation for extending their mfi streaming protocol still puzzles me. Nice for Resound 1 owners though. Maybe they genuinely want to support the people who’ve come with them this far ?
Well, then I guess my next phone will be an iPhone…
Originally I was going offer alternative explanations where the motive wasn’t so pure. I hit the enter key and couldn’t be bothered editing. Anyway, if you’ve got a Resound One, the iphone seems like a good choice. I’ll go for the first phone that offers LE Audio (I doubt that it will be Apple).
I wear resound 1’s and have a I phone se2020 I do stream to my HA’s when using Iphone but must have Iphone in my hand… how do I activate the hands free option to try it out… thx
Not here just yet. The following publication says the update for ReSound/Beltone devices is supposed to occur sometime in December, 2021.
To enable hands-free calling on iPhone or iPad, ReSound ONE and Beltone Imagine users will get a device software update in December 2021.
Source: GM Hearing Says its ReSound ONE Hearing Aids Will Work With FaceTime - The Mac Observer. Article dated Oct. 29, 2021.
All these updates requiring a visit – the HCPs must be loving it. Did they bargain for that? 
Perhaps the update will be done through the ReSound Smart 3D app on one’s phone. In the past, previous firmware updates have been done through that without a visit to my audi.
Also, at least on major items at least some HA OEM’s reimburse the audi for his/her time. I got my Quattros through TruHearing. Only three follow-up visits came with the purchase. I’ve had a number of replacements. When I’ve asked my audi whether I owe her anything for the warranty service, she says not to worry, that’s she’s reimbursed by ReSound for her services under warranty to me. So perhaps if any firmware update required an actual visit to the audi, maybe ReSound’s policy on audi/HCP support would be the same. And if one bought “unlimited” support through a full-service HA concierge package, support of any and all firmware updates should be something the audi/HCP anticipated to start with. I wouldn’t be very happy if I’d paid the audi the $6 or $7K full service price and got a “Sorry! That’s not covered in our deal. I’ma gonna hafta charge you eXtra!” I would be saying, “Goodbye!, former audi!” 
Hearing aids have been getting updates for sometime. Most of the time they are just minor and are just done with the next routine visit.
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Thankfully, Resound allows for software updates without even a virtual visit required. If you have Phonak, at least for now, you have to have a visit to download the firmware update.
But I read that when it’s released this month (hopefully this month), a device software update will be available. So, it’s vague but I’m assuming it’s a firmware update that will be available through the app. We shall see!
I like Resound’s ability to send things this way. With my Resound Linx2, I didn’t have any virtual capability.
I hope the quality is good. Somewhere, Resound said it would be high quality, so I hope it meets that. I used Hands-Free Calling with a Phonak Marvel when my back-up hearing aid: Linx2, was in the shop. The quality wasn’t good. But that was an older generation and used Bluetooth Classic.
I seem to remember there were other people who stated the Marvels weren’t the greatest for hands-free calling (I had static problems, etc.).
It does use Bluetooth 5.1, so I’d have to update my iPhone XS Max to an 11 or higher. Hopefully I’ll do that soon.
Oh! With the brief period of time I had the Marvels, I had to hear a beep in my ear every time there was an incoming call. Since Resound and Apple utilize Apple’s proprietary technology (which seems to give more control to the user and the hearing experience overall on iPhones), hopefully I can choose to turn off the chirp without turning off all notifications. I liked the fact that with the MFi technology, I didn’t hear every notification in my hearing aids (either a setting I could choose or just the default, I forget).
Hmmm. It’s January and there was no hearing aid update in December. My app states the firmware is 9.10.10 (in my ONE hearing aid). I wonder when it’ll happen.
I called ReSound a couple weeks ago and talked to one of their techs… he took my info saying he would e mail me when update was going to be sent out… just for info. my app shows latest update being 4.19.1.1 and states software is up to date??
My Resound Ones show themselves in the app as being up to date on 4.27.1.1
SmartFit does show a totally different version as an update, but I haven’t done it. I wonder whether it’s just got more international language firmware in it for instance. I don’t need my hearing aids to know about Chinese or even French come to that.