Widex Sound Assist OR IOS 16.4.1 Problems

#1

I was at my audiologist earlier this week having a demonstration of the Widex Sound Assist gadget.

I have Widex Moment 440 Hearing Aids and an Iphone 11.

The Sound Assist looked like a very clever unit but we ran into problems when it came to demonstrate its use to use it for answering phone calls

As an aside, it seems to me that this is legal in a car, as you are touching the sound assist to answer phone calls and not the phone - comments also welcomed on this.

Anyway, I couldn’t hear the call because I couldn’t hear the phone ringing, and then it seemed that the phone would no longer ring in my hearing aids, so we concentrated on trying to fix that. All connections checked, paired, unpaired, checked again, phone off etc, & no improvement.

I had installed the IOS 16.4.1 update a day earlier and in the process of trying to restore the ringing tone through the hearing aids we discovered there was an IOS 16.4.1(a) update. After installing that, we now had the ring tone audible through the hearing aids.

At this stage I wondered if I was buying trouble with the Widex Sound Assist so I left it.

My double barrelled question is
Has anybody had connection problems with the Sound Assist?
or Has anybody had connection issues with the IOS 16.4.1?

#2

No issues with my Widex Moment 330 HAs and the Moment app and my iPhone SE (2020) which has iOS 16.4.1 installed.
Now upgrading to the iOS 14.4.1(a) which is tagged as a “Security Response”. Will let you know once the upgrade is installed.

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#3

I have Widex Moment 440 HAs (FW v5.0.282), an iPhone 12 Pro (iOS 16.4.1 (a)), and the Widex Sound Assist (HW v7, FW v01.00.0190).

No issues with connectivity on phone calls with or without the Widex Sound Assist. I don’t use an audible ringtone (Apple Watch vibrate instead), but for anyone else tuning into this thread, you can route the iPhone ringtone to your HAs in Settings…Accessibility…Hearing Devices…Play Ringtones.

That said, my car has a built-in hands-free mic, so I haven’t used it there. Though the functions do work reliably, I also haven’t been using the Sound Assist lately for hands-free calling on my iPhone or meetings on my PC, as my on-ear MB Pro 1 headset works better for the latter (for me).

I think the main use cases for the Sound Assist are as a remote mic or a PC headset for users with severe-to-profound hearing loss, where an on/over-ear headset may be hard to use. Also, those who need a telecoil with the Moment HAs. I’ve found I’m ok with speech in noise without it.

Since I haven’t been using the Sound Assist enough to justify keeping it, I’m planning on selling mine (barely used) for around $250, though I haven’t listed it yet.

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#4

Thanks for your feedback, much appreciated.

On the Telecoil function, this is incorporated into my Moment 440’s (although I havent used it yet) so I presume you could get this added if you feel the need.

I thought my main advantage of the Sound Assist would be whilst travelling as a passenger in a car, so the driver would wear it.

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#5

I hadn’t considered remote mic usage in the car…that’s a good one. My 2015 Mazda 3 has about 70 dB ambient noise level when traveling on U.S. freeways at 105 kmh, so I can see how that would help.

My Moment sRIC R D doesn’t have a telecoil, so I assume you may have a different form factor (RIC 312 or BTE), is that correct?

#6

My Moments are the BTE version

Re car use. In the UK you can be fined for using the phone in a car - even if being used for non speech use, like using it for a Sat nav instead. My view was that this would avoid that problem - especially since it can just be a single “blind” touch

#7

Reporting back: I upgraded my iPhone SE(2020) to iOS 16.4.1(a) security response.
The Widex Moment app continued to run OK and my HAs are working OK with no discernible problems.

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#8

I have also have Widex Moment RIC 440s and an iPhone. I bought the Sound Assist from an online retailer but I’ve been having trouble getting it to connect with my hearing aids. When in connecting mode, it turns into a solid blue that means active phone call instead of green to confirms connection. Do any of you sound assist users come into this problem too? I was wondering if I need to see an Audi to activate it after reading some stories on locked HAs

#9

No activation should be necessary, and even if they were previously paired with other hearing aids, a new pairing will overwrite it. You should try to pair them again.

From the instructions:

Pairing to your hearing aids:

  1. Make sure that Sound Assist is turned off.
  2. Restart your hearing aids. The hearing aids will then be in pairing
    mode for 3 minutes.
  3. Press the volume up button (+) and the power/mode button (1.6)
    simultaneously for 3 seconds until the in-use light indicators (1.5) are
    glowing blue.
  4. Make sure that the Sound Assist and your hearing aids are within 1 m
    range of each other.
  5. The pairing sequence will start automatically.
  6. The in-use light indicators (1.5) will briefly flash green, when the
    pairing is successfully completed.