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Specsavers best aids by Sonova make phone streaming a nightmare

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I have used Signia aids supplied by the UK health service. They are and enable me to take phone calls to my aids and have a user friendly App. Generally excellent.
However, I was attracted to get Specsavers aids made by Sonoma because their Phonak Roger microphone accessories promised help when I am in crowded environments, listening to speakers, etc.
However, the bluetooth system in these seems a nightmare. You have to use one bluetooth connection to get phone calls, then switch to another to use the app. This is wholly impractical. I am told that both Apple and Android have altered their operating systems and this is a consequence.
Unless I can resolve the issue, the Specsavers aids are going back. Any suggestions please.

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Edited

Hearing aids made by Sonova such as Phonak (which makes the Roger devices) use a Bluetooth LE connections to connect to the app and classic Bluetooth to connect to phone calls. No switching is necessary when using the app and making phone calls. When connected correctly you will see two LE Bluetooth connections for the app on your phone, LE_R and LE_L and a third connection for the hearing aids.

I’ve had Phonak for just a little shy of 4 years. No complicated “switching around” at all. The pairings for the app are pretty inconsequential. I can have the app running, and listen to a podcast on the phone, and listen to video clips on an iPad back and forth with very little manhandling of the connections. Stop the podcast on the phone, play video on the iPad. Start podcast again. Or music. Or take a phone call while you were watching a YouTube on the iPad. The video stops automatically. When the call is done you can start it again right where it stopped in most cases. If it was a really long time, the app resets somehow, but you can look in YouTube for recent viewings and restart again. I love it. Up to 8 pairings for audio (beyond the LE connections for the app) and two at a time live connected.

WH

But this is not my current experience. When someone phones me, the phone rings but my hearing aids do not- the only way I can take the call is on ‘speaker’ which is not suitable. I spent time with my audiologist yesterday who failed to solve the problem. They phoned the supplier help line and was told the problem was due to an operating system update on both Android and iOS.
Later, my audiologist took out new Phonaks from her stock, and connected them to her iPhone with the latest operating system. And they would not receive phone calls to the aids.

I am seeing messages from others who are having problems, and it seems to come back to the latest IOS.

As currently set up, I either get phone calls to my aids, or I get the app, but to switch I have to reset the Bluetooth connection.

When you are connected to the phone and the app you should have THREE entries in Bluetooth. Left and right LE entries and then one non LE entry. Do you have all three? If you only have the two LE entries then it won’t take calls.

In reply to @miicoe

Don’t need the app or the LE bt pairings to take calls or watch videos. The LE pairings are strictly to support the app. You can change programs and find battery levels etc from app. But not necessary for calls or streaming. Some people don’t use the app at all.

WH

Edited

Phonak use classic Bluetooth for audio streaming rather than bluetooth LE. The app uses Bluetooth LE. Regarding you specific complaint, app and streaming bluetooth switching, that is user error.

Properly setup you should see 3 bluetooth connections on the phone:

a Left and right connection beginning with LE_ which is the app connection. That should not need changing and will reconnect automatically when the Phonak app is fired up.

A single connection in the vein of XXXX R (depending on which side aid is the streaming master). This is the streaming bluetooth connection including for phone calls.

See the example on my phone, my aids are “Norman”

There are issues with streaming and calls that are peculiar to Phonak aids, that are avoided/better handled in MFI aids (Phonak aids are NOT MFI). Pros and cons either way.

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In reply to @miicoe

There is nothing unusual/specific about IPhone updates. Behaviour in IOS has not changed for some time, and no different in the most recent update.

It’s a configuration issue. Provided that your aids are connected to regular Bluetooth on your phone, how you answer the call can be different if accepted on the phone or by the “tap” or button press on the aids.

For instance on my IPhone, answering a call on the phone does not stream to the aids, intentionally. Answering the call by a button press or tap on the aid does. There is a reason for doing this that is specific to Phonak, that is not relevant to MFI aids. If you want an explanation why just ask.

All this is standard fare and your audiologist SHOULD be familiar with both the issues and the configurations. The answers given by both is just BS. It is an example of why a Phonak specific audiologist is preferable to a multi option one.

I agree. I am in a turmoil whether to switch to iphone (used android for years and like it) or upgrade to a phone they say will connect. Meanwhile I am using an old iphone to control aids.
Hearing well but this bluetooth problem is as you say a nightmare. Not a cheap one either if I have to get an uptodate iphone too.

In reply to @nsjmgm

Yes, but I use the App - essential for TV which I access through the loop setting. Then a phone call comes in, and the app gets automatically disconnected. When the call ends, I need to go onto the app to talk to my wife, but I have to reconnect to the LE Bluetooth. All of this should happen automatically, but it does not. I am advised that Phonak and Apple both understand the problem but a solution is not in sight. So I have returned the Phonak aids and am moving to Signia, with whom the whole process is seamless.

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