Still studying up in anticipation of a HA choice in near future, I read a bit about disappointing HA apps.
It seems to my newbie brain that a good connection and control of HAs in special situations would be key.
Android user, how can I orient my choice to systems featuring better apps, no as primary but close second to performance/match?
There are many of us who donât go into the app very much at all. A set of HAs which have been fit well to your loss may go all day without needing any help from the app. Lately, most days, all I check on is the battery condition, and I donât even need to open the app to do that since the widget came out.
YMMV
WH
I think the Starkey app is poor. So I programmed the HAs directly to do the things I would try to do in the app.
Signiaâs app is fine (should be better) but itâs kind of slow. There are always going to be situations you wonât be able to account for and program for. Nowadays I mainly use it to narrow the cone of incoming sound in noise, and rarely to change the loudness.
That being said I found it hugely beneficial in the beginning when I was testing things with multiple programs.
To me an app is and only should be an added benefit and not something to base my hearing aid choice on. If aids are correct for my hearing loss and they are correctly fitted then an app shouldnât be needed.
Why would you think the manufacturer (in this instance Starkey) would give you the ability to bypass an audiologist plus after all the effort they put into the software, just so you could do all of this from their App?thatâs just being naived.
Almost two years ago my dispensing audiologist encouraged me to use the APP and report to him changes that enhanced my hearing. Credit Valley Audiology. He sold me WSIB Phonak Audeo Paradise P90Râs. At his request I would send him emails describing what worked. Then during an appointment he would change the programs installed on my hearing aids to suit.
Didnât work well.
Just want my hearing aids setup so they work.
As others have said, many of us donât think an app is important. However, my understanding is that Resound (or Costcoâs Jabra) app is the best app.
I struggle with the Signia app and learned with an iPhone I just need to triple push the power button and can control most of what I need with aids.
I used to work in software development for smartphones. An app developed for iOS (iPhones) is completely different âunder the coverâ as regards programming code from the equivalent app developed for Android.
That is why I see people reporting that the smartphone app for hearing aid X runs OK on iOS but poorly on Android.
A personal example is the app for Widex Moment hearing aids. Widex has created hearing aid apps for iOS since 2016 but their first hearing aid app for Android came out in 2021. So they have lots of experience with iOS apps but little experience with creating Android apps. The Widex moment app runs well on iOS but I have heard mixed reports about the Widex moment appâs performance on Android.
I have the Oticon aids, and early on with the Oticon ON app was good on IOS but just barely worked on Android, but Oticon must have changed tactics because the companion app seem to be working better on Android than iOS. This past summer i got tired of the issues i was having with my aids on IOS and traded for the Samsung S23 and I have been very happy with the connectivity, now the app still isnât that great connectivity wise but the aids never lose connectivity to the phone itself.
I donât have troubles using my iPhone SE with my hearing aids.
I do have troubles as soon as I get in one of my two cars. I have my HAâs paired with my car and with my phone. When I answer the wrong way I get in trouble instantly.
AndâŚI have a dongle replicating wireless caplay in each of those cars. Probably one time in four I have to take up my phone and go to settings and connect with my phone.
DaveL
Toronto
it makes sense, iâm a newbie in HA programming too, but tonight i was listening to music in car and sound was barely hearable (i guess my P90 automatic setting recognized it as a noise and toned it down but i swear it was a good music! 
so i decided to test music setting with myphonak app - whoa, so much better, i could enjoy music in car.
I gave up on having my phone paired to our Jeep Grand Cherokee, once my phone, it didnât matter if it was the iPhone 13 or my Samsung S23, connectected to the Jeep, I had to restart both my phone and aids to get the aids to work with the phone again. I havenât been able to figure out why the Jeep connection cuases the issue other than it seems once the connection is made it stays connected as long as the phone and jeep are within range even when the Jeep is not running. When I am driving I set my phone to do not disturb, but i will get important calls from my family members and very close friends.
HmmâŚhow difficult is it to contract out to qualified people, if you do not have skills in house?
Very true. The Jabra/ReSound/etc. app looks the same on my Samsung S20 5G and my iphone SE, but they donât act the same. The Android version is much slower and needs many more taps. The Samsung loses connection with 1 or both aids much more than the iphone does. The Android app was so unpredictable that I switched to Apple. (Unfortunately, the Samsung was better for everything I do on the phone except control the hearing aid, especially phone calls and text messaging.)
How difficult is it to contract out? Given how poorly the ReSound Android app performs, very difficult. Besides, itâs almost always been hard to find good techies. I think the last time lots of good techies were available was the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Of course, some good ones came on the market about a year ago, but ⌠if you arenât HOH and were given a choice between âchanging the world and becoming a billionaireâ and âhelping people hear better for a salaryâ, which would you choose? (Disclaimer: Iâm a long-retired non-Californian techie, so I donât know what the ex-twitter employees were offered or what they chose.)
My Oticon aids will sometimes lose connectivity to the app but not my Samsung S23 phone. I have had no issues with connectivity of the phone an aids. I donât really depend on the app or even need the app most of the time. I traded my iPhone 13 for the Samsung S23 this past June because of all of the issues i was having with connectivity between my aids and the iPhone and havenât regretted the trade to android.
Itâs good to have the app, but itâs better to not require the app. The ideal situation is that the hearing aids are programmed in and function in a way that supports you in all environments without you needing to think about it or worry about it. This gets harder with more complex environments or more complex hearing losses, but is the case for a lot of people these days.
As a new user, also take into account that hearing aids have a significant adjustment period and you donât necessarily want to immediately start toning them down in the app the day you get them. If they are wearable, wear them. Donât be tempted to take away audibility in favour of comfort until youâve given your brain some time to stretch.
I was concerned because my hearing aids had been setup poorly by the dispenser.
His replacement helped a lot
I have to Phomak reports now
*Target User Report
*Target Pro Report
I want my hearing aids to work as they should. I want to understand what speakers say without needing to change or modify programs myself
They are smart hearing aids. I want those smart features to be usable. In the past they were disabled
IDK ⌠I need to switch between All-Around, Music, Outdoor, Restaurant, TV streamer, and Multi-mic. I donât think that can be done automatically with todayâs tech. Thatâs with Jabra Pro 10/ReSound Omnia series of aids.
I can switch pgms via the rocker switch on the aids, but I need the app to mute/unmute the aids for commercials (or other reasons). The app takes stress off the aids, but with a 3 year warranty, I shouldnât worry about that. I do, but I shouldnât 