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Phonak Android Support for ASHA

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Edited

Does anyone know if Phonak’s Audeo Marvel or their future hearing aids will be supporting the new Open-Source Standard () for Bluetooth connectivity to Android devices?

Personally I’m feeling doubtful that Phonak will support it since they have their own proprietary “SWORD” chip that does something similar albeit it’s still crap in terms of connectivity (cutting/stuttering). If they do support it then that would be great news.

Sources for more info:

Android 10 Launched with Focus on Hearing Loss Accessibility7

Google's long-awaited Android smartphone update is chock-full of major accessibility improvements for people with hearing loss and hearing aids.

GN Hearing and Google announce partnership to bring direct mobile streaming...15

GN Hearing and Google announce partnership to bring direct mobile streaming from Android devices to hearing aids

https://source.android.com/devices/bluetooth/asha18

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The Phonak are classic bluetooth and work when them all Android and iPhone. I see no need for Phonak to move to something that limits them to a few android phones at this time. They have the capacity to support all of the smartphone and even phones that are not so smart and have bluetooth.

Now that Bluetooth 5.2 is out(), I think Phonak and everyone else in the industry will be looking towards and developing towards that standard. LE Audio is backwards compatible with Classic Bluetooth, so I think that Phonak can probably have its cake and eat it too. Although it’s going to take a while to catch on, I think the broadcast audio standard in 5.2 is going to be a big selling feature that HA OEM’s will not want to overlook having in their HA’ s.

Well the project is supposed allow to be connected to any Android 10 devices (based on the manufacturers of the phone) with the minimum prereq of having Bluetooth 5.0 on your phone.

It’s up to the phone manufacturer. For example, OnePlus phones support 5 and have Android 10 do not support . Heck, even Google has the Pixel 2 which meets both criteria but does not support ASHA.

Yea that’s what i said, depending the manufacturer. Since it’s supposed to be a feature on Android 10 the newer devices will most likely be getting it at some point in the very near future.

In reply to @artexjay

@artexjay said:

Well the ASHA project is supposed allow HA to be connected to any Android 10 devices

Both the phone OEM and the OEM have to support . With Sig dragging its feet for years on a BT LE standard that HA’s could employ ASHA looked to be an up and coming alternative (better than nothing for Android). It would be great if all concerned could go with one standard (BT 5.2) rather than have a Tower of Babel of standards and after all the expense for accessories, etc., you get locked into one standard from the inertia and cost of switching. Life is like a poker game - the value of your hand may depend on the relative value of the hands of other players in the game. So we’ll see in a couple of years what the value of BT 5.2 is relative to everyone else’s hand and whether some players like Apple still want to keep you walled into their own little private side game…

Side game or not it does work, and it works great if you understand what it really is intended to do. You see I could care less my phone except I can get and make calls, and text my friends and family. All of the other stuff is just that useless stuff. I have even thought about that I might get the Phonak Marvels and see if it will work with one of my old flip phones that has bluetooth.

Edited

Of course everyone has their own wants and needs. For me I want and need a pocket computer that has the flexibility to do everything I want. It must be able to run my broker’s trading platform. It must seamlessly integrate with my Windows 10 Pro computers. So for me a powerful and flexible pocket computer is primary. That it has a phone in it is secondary. My Android Pixel 3 XL and my Phonak Marvel Audeo M90-R together fill all my wants and needs. Obviously YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary). :nerd_face:

that is great if that is what you need. I was a IT professional that now has turned my interest to retirement, volunteering, fishing, hiking, and even riding my Vespa. After spending so much time tied to a computer I no long care that much about them. But I am interested in the Phonak Marvels as it does possibly gives me the capacity to use my older flip phones.

That’s great CV! You are doing exactly what you want and I admire that!

I was a Microsoft Software Systems engineer and I retired early to trade the stock market full time. I too love what I do. Computers are in my blood and always will be. I love them and what they can do.

My wife is the stock person, but she doesn’t have to manage my stocks. I just normally let them ride. I have Microsoft, Apple, and Dell stock. That was given to me for my employment with the companies. I laugh at it when I realize I get most of them when the stocks were not worth much and I forgot about them until I retired.

Back when I was given the stock I thought the were not much more than a joke. I sold my Dell stock back when Dell went private. I used the money to help me move to my retirement home. So far I haven’t touch but a few of my other stocks. While working I was able to save money in iras, and other ways. And the advantage of where I live is that it is a very cheap environment to live in.

In reply to @jim_lewis

As stated before base requirement is bluetooth 5.0 and up. Starting from Android 10 (based on the OEM) phones should have complete support for ASHA. While manufacturers adopting it is a completely different matter which is why I am asking the question if Phonak has any thoughts on using it in future or current bluetooth HA. Resound and Beltone already have complete support for ASHA since their parent company took the initiative to partner with Google in order to make an Open-Source Standard for HA connectivity on Android.

ASHA is the equivalent of what HA manufacturers have with Apple, making HA hence the “made for Iphone” label on many of the current HA devices.

How long since was announced? Seems like quite a while. In that time we’ve seen some Samsung phones joining the Pixels as ASHA-capable. Afaik, it’s still only some GE Resound models that they can stream to. No word from other hearing aid manufacturers on upcoming support for past or future models. I think that no-one’s interested basically.

I need compatibility with my Android phone and I have it with my Android Google Pixel. I also need compatibility with my Microsoft computers but so far I’ve seen no indication that Microsoft is interested in doing anything.

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