iPhone lag shifting from Hearing Aid to Streamer

6 replies203 viewsLast reply Jun 3, 2026

Tulsa, OK

May 29, 2026Edited

I’ve been trying to use my hearing aids to stream instructions from my GPS Receiver to my hearing aid so the instructions don’t disturb the passengers or disrupt the automobile’s entertainment system.

The problem I’ve encountered is that the iPhone takes about half a second to switch into streaming mode so that the first half second of the instructions from the GPS App are clipped off. Thus the instruction, “Turn Right at the next light.” Becomes, “At the next light.”

My solution to the problem has been to disable the hearing aid so the phone plays the instructions through the phone’s speaker instead of the hearing aid.

Does anyone have any idea how to get the complete instruction to play through the hearing aid?

3 people in this conversation2 min readJump to latest

OcramSagev

San Francisco

May 29, 2026Edited

Phonaks prioritizes the hearing aid function above all else, as they are hearing aids. Consequently, Phonak only switches to streaming mode when absolutely necessary, such as when it receives a streaming sound. Once the streaming stops, it reverts to full hearing aid mode (Automatic Program for example).

The switching process is not instantaneous, which is why you miss the initial part of the message. Whenever the Phonak switches programs, there is a delay. You car stereo is always in streaming mode, it doesn’t have to switch between different programs and this is why you don’t experience the delay.

The other reason is that Phonaks are designed to maximize battery life. Streaming drains the battery, so Phonaks disconnects the streaming function when there’s nothing being streamed to conserve battery life.

gwwwicked

May 29, 2026

Just a thought. I have ActiveVents on my Phonak’s, and when I’m on my computer doing audio intermittently (Youtube, etc) the vents opening and closing drives me nuts. A solution I’ve found is to have some audio going pretty low in the background, which keeps the audio stream going, but it’s low enough that the desired audio comes over loud and clear.

In the IPhone specifically, maybe try “Background Sounds” and turn it way down, just enough to keep the audio going, but the nav should be significantly louder.

OcramSagev

San Francisco

May 29, 2026

This is a good idea, as long as there is sound streaming , the aids will stay in streaming mode.

If the original poster (OP) is referring to his phone’s driving directions, this can work. However, if the OP has his aids paired to a non-phone GPS device, this may or may not work. (I know the aids can be actively connected to two devices, but I have no idea how the aids manage the switching between the two and if this can cause a delay.)

TexOkieAuthor

Tulsa, OK

May 31, 2026Edited

In reply to @gwwwicked

I figured that would work as well, but for some reason it didn’t. One thing I haven’t tried is streaming music from my Apple Music and see if the GPS instructions will talk over the music.

@OcramSagev said:

If the original poster (OP) is referring to his phone’s driving directions, this can work. However, if the OP has his aids paired to a non-phone GPS device, this may or may not work.

I am talking about the phone GPS. I’ve also tried both the Apple Mapping Program as well as the Goggle Mapping Program. They both clip the first half to 1 second of the instruction.