Hello All. My first post - it’s good to have found this forum. A couple of weeks ago I was fitted with my first HAs - Widex Moment 440 mRIC R D. I am very impressed with them so far, and also with the customisation and streaming features available in my iPhone 12 using the iOS MOMENT app.
I would consider getting an Apple Watch Series 3, but I’m not sure what functionality I would be able to get using it. I am struggling to find any good description of how the Apple Watch MOMENT app works with the HAs, and what, if any, features would require the cellular version.
Does anyone have any pointers?
Best wishes, Steve
Apple won’t be bringing WatchOS 9.0 to the Series 3 Watch. Although Apple Watches are expensive, you might want to consider upgrading to a newer version of the Watch. I had trepidations about the price and how long my watch would last but in November 2020, I bought a Series 6. Don’t know how reliable the Battery Health indicator is, but it still says that I have 100% battery capacity. My secret is that I keep the charge between about 40% and 57% by inductively charging it three or four time a day for brief periods (10 min or so) and I always charge in a cool environment (between 55 and 80 deg F). I also don’t wear the watch outside for prolonged periods working in the yard, etc., if it’s over 85 deg F outside. So, at the rate I’m going, I should easily be able to make the watch last six years with >80% battery capacity still left by then.
Hope the Widex app is as good as the ReSound Smart 3D app. I can run ~all of the HA sound control features on my watch, although ReSound has an option within the app to dumb down its features on the watch for better responsiveness if need be. But the Series 6 watch is powerful enough with an iPhone XS Max to handle the ~full app on the watch with no problems (you’re just operating it remotely on the iPhone via the Watch - so relative to your cellular watch question, connectivity to the iPhone for the Widex app on the watch might be a consideration there, too. My Apple Watch is not paired directly with my HA’s and the Watch is not a MFi device, unlike the iPhone or an iPad).
The AutoSleep and HeartWatch apps by Tantissa are fantastic. I’d recommend getting a newer version Apple Watch to anyone just to use those. They piggyback very well off the built-in Apple health and fitness features.
Thanks so much for your insights. Perhaps the Series 3 is too near its “end of life” phase if, as you say, it will not get the next OS. Perhaps I should go for the SE, since I don’t think I could justify to myself (let alone my significant other) the price of a Series 6 or 7. Something to chew on.
I don’t think a cellular version would be worth the premium for me, as I’m rarely out of bluetooth range of my iPhone12 (how sad is that).
For me, the important HA features would be:
- take a phone call without getting phone out of pocket
- control streaming, especially being able to switch off quickly when someone tries to speak to me when I’m listening to cricket!
- volume control
Thanks again.
I have Evoke app in my watch and I think the function will be similar.
Via Apple Watch, I can take a phone call but I have to listen through built in speakers as there is no option to connect Watch audio to hearing aids.
Controlling streaming is possible.
Changing programs, volume and muting microphones is possible.
Bear in mind that Watch functions are available only when an iPhone is nearby.
I think you’d do much better getting HA’s that allow handsfree calling (possible with Phonak and more recent MFi HA’s and more recent iPhones, 11 and later). The output of the watch speaker is relatively weak and since it’s not a MFi device, the caller’s voice is not going to be routed to your HA’s while you have the ability to speak into the watch mic, AFAIK.
The Apple Watch did rescue me recently when I went outside and locked myself out without my keys. The wife was sitting at the kitchen table with the blinds drawn since it was nighttime. I’d left my iPhone in the house in the kitchen, too. Rather than knock on the kitchen window and try to yell through double-paned insulated glass, I called my wife via the Watch. She said the call quality was excellent via BT through the kitchen window to my iPhone on the table, but I could barely hear her voice through the watch speaker even holding it up to my HA’s (I didn’t try adjusting the speaker volume by twisting the crown).
If Apple offers emergency satellite calling through the watch someday, that will be a game-changer.
Relative to my previous comments on my Apple Watch 6 battery durability, I should have noted that I run my watch on very power-conserving settings. The screen is set to turn on only by touch or crown-click. The apps on the watch are not allowed to run in background. I normally only use a BT connection to my iPhone and don’t usually run Wi-Fi from the watch. And to avoid notifications on the watch, I set it in Do Not Disturb mode (but something about upgrading to the iOS 16 BETA has disturbed this - I’m now getting notifications like crazy on the watch).
I don’t need notifications on the watch as any notification on my iPhone creates some sort of ding in my HA’s. If my watch is within range of my iPhone, so are my HA’s and they probably have as good or better connectivity with my iPhone as the watch. The tones of the different notifications are pretty different so just by the tone, I can usually tell what’s up, i.e., the Meross garage door app has a different sound than my pill minder app than an e-mail notification, etc.
Last I checked, the Smart 3D app didn’t offer a watch complication (widget for a watch time face). To launch the 3D app from a complication on the watch face, one needs to create an Apple Shortcut and install the Shortcut app on the watch along with the 3D Shortcut as a complication.
I’m waiting to see if my problem persists when I get a new iPhone 14. But recently I started having the problem that I can’t always launch the Smart 3D app on my watch either through a Shortcut complication or by directly launching the Smart 3D app on the watch. It sometimes goes to “Connecting…” and hangs at that spot. Other times, the Smart 3D app on the watch loads like gangbusters and is very responsive. If anyone knows what my problem might be, I’d much appreciate some guidance! 