Locked HA - Amplifon PIN for SmartFit

My hearing aid specialist genuinely had no idea. They never use the PIN because it must work automatically with their software. After a call and her giving me several numbers, I finally got it! It’s a 5-digit number. I don’t know if I should post it here… What do you think? For now I can say its a date.

Thanks for letting us know, so just to confirm these are Amplifon ReSound models.

Just to clarify regarding Amplifon and Resound: Amplifon does not rebrand everything. They sell both original stock units (which are accessible with PIN code) and their own rebranded, locked versions (which are invisible to Smart Fit).

In the attached photo, you can see both types side by side (both purchased at Amplifon). On the left are the original Resound Linx Quattro (stock units that work with the PIN). On the right are the new Nexias, but these are the Amplifon-rebranded version, which is why they don’t even show up in the standard Smart Fit software.

Hope this helps!

Yeah correct not all are locked, I had Amplifon branded Phonak models and they were easily programmed with Target, actually @david.hendon has posted and been through this with ReSound models before as well.

Yeah, that’s true. I’ll leave the hint here, since you apparently figured it out as well.

In essence, the PIN is validated in your PC, and not in the hearing aid. This is done in such a way that, when you’re prompted with the screen where you have to enter your PIN, you can try as many times as you want. So, if the PIN has 5 numerical digits, you can easily bruteforce this with a script in any programming language that imitates keyboard strokes. When you type in the correct PIN, the software locks and no more new PINs are accepted, giving you a visual confirmation.

Assuming 1 trial per second, it’ll take you about 27 hours to try every possible PIN.

Yes, that’s how is it!

Holy cow, you guys have hit the jackpot, now is this possible with other brands or just ReSound?

With SmartFit currently, it doesn’t even recognise Amplifon branded versions of Resound aids, even though they are identical in technology and even form factor.

It is daft of Amplifon because the number of people who would actually DIY the settings in probably minuscule and so it’s just about locking customers in to their support. With the Omnias I bought them on line and paid Amplifon £500 for a four year support package. But Amplifon lost the sale of the equivalent Resound aids to me and I saved over £1000 in costs.

With the Vivias, Amplifon had realised that refusing to sell Resound branded aids as well as their own branded versions was daft and so they did agree to sell me Resound Vivias with Amplifon support for a negotiated price. It turned out that I was the first Amplifon customer in the UK to order actual Vivias despite them being available in the UK for 3 months or more.

So why do I stick with Amplifon? Well I like and trust the audiologist who runs our local branch and that’s worth a whole lot in my book. She is usually right but is always willing to debate anything and leaves the final decision on settings etc with me.