Skip to content
HearingTracker
Log in

Why do so many hearing aid apps have pitiful reviews?

This topic is closed.

88 replies4.4k viewsLast reply

Jump
Link to this topic

In reply to @Markismus

Don’t know about android.
Yes I can for the iPhone. However, when I check after selecting a program something has happened. And it’s back to auto.

I’ve asked my audiologist if he has upgraded the operating system for the hearing aids. I need to find a way to check. The upgrade is supposed to help.

Dave

In reply to @AdamsHouseCat

I use Smart 3D on iPhone and I agree it’s outstanding. In the App Store it has an overall rating of 4.5, with 4 ratings. Smart 3D in the Android Play Store has an overall rating of 2.5, with 3862 ratings. Quite a difference.

In reply to @schreibdave15

@schreibdave15 said:

Are the apps necessary for someone who just wants the HA to work as a HA? No streaming, no Alexa, no telecoil. etc.

In my case, w/KS10 aids the EasyLine app is most useful for reporting the state of charge of the rechargeable batteries and secondarily to determine which program is in use when I accidently hit a program change button on the aids. I rarely use if for setting the program.

In reply to @x475aws

Thanks. That is what I suspected.
And I agree that hearing aids don’t “need” an app, but then why pay for all of that extra technology? I am hoping to take full advantage of all of the available technologies since my hearing needs as much help as possible. Streaming calls to my aids or headphones will be mandatory at my work soon so I need this option to be reliable. Also, without the app I can’t input my own adjustments or save settings once adjusted which seems like a valuable tool to assist my audi. My current aids offer 3 programs set by a long volume push. That and volume are my only options. Not sure I would want my new aids to be no more advanced than my 7 year old ones as far as adjustability, custom programs available and compatibility goes, if I forego the app.

Hearing aids have many more advancements beside an app. The app is not necessary at all for streaming. I see the goal of hearing aids is for them to be as inobtrusive as possible. An app encourages fiddling. Some people do make good use of it, but I think it runs the greater chance of interfering with a good hearing aid experience. If you want an app, go for it, but I’d learn as much as possible about it before hand to temper one’s expectations. Learn how it’s supposed to work–not how people think it ought to work.

I’d rather my patients not use the apps at all. None of them are great, and I’d rather their hearing aids be set well enough that 95% of the time they don’t have to fiddle with anything.

In reply to @cvkemp

I, too have the Oticon More1 aids and they have been marvelous for me. My audi tuned them for my loss and I’ve never had to go back in about a year. I use them for TV and just general stuff. I’ve no complaints about the app either. Usually when there’s a problem connecting to one of my two TV boxes rebooting the iPhone solves it. Occasionally I have to reinitialize the aids which is no big deal. Count me a satisfied customer.

I have been using the Smart 3d app since 2017, and it’s decent. It does have connection issues and acts funky here and there. But overall it gets the job done. Sometimes it doesn’t detect one hearing aid, or both and I’ll wind up having to restart everything and turn off bluetooth and back on. Force kill the app and restart it, sometimes even restart the phone.

Some things I don’t like is that if I need a quick adjustment it takes forever to check the status of the hearing aids and give me access to change it. I have an iPhone and find it 90000% faster to make a shortcut to the accessibility menu in the hearing devices menu, I can make quick adjustments there.

It constantly spams me about location services.

I do like that I can change the volume and programs and noise reduction and make my own programs.

I like being able to get live assistance.

It’s pretty basic.

In reply to @Neville

Good recommendation.
I believe setup is key. I’ve suffered when it wasn’t.
I want my hearing aids to work.

Looking at my Phonak Paradise rechargeable hearing aids I shake my head. Some things are so good. However, who chose the wingding ? They’re so hard to get in right. For me. Maybe I’m showing my age…

Meantime I have a remote control on order because when I use the App the program I select isn’t being used after all. I’m 90+ days into use, and thinking I have the wrong hearing aids.

In reply to @Neville

And I probably fall into that, however having the other 5% can be useful. Yes I can change programs from the aids, however, what often helps for me in noisy situations is hitting speech focus, which changes the eq settings, and that I can’t really do from the aids.

You known you have a proper fit when you can go all the time or almost all the time without the app. It is like have your hearing restored. And it is a feeling of freedom.

In reply to @mr.smithster

So on an interesting note - the resound and jabra ios apps reset their ratings (didn’t know you could do that) so they only have a handful. And the negative reviews focus a lot on connectivity a which is not the app but the os, so that’s a different issue :wink:

Not saying good or bad a I like the app and try not to use it.

That was my experience with my first pair of ’s. The audiologist was remarkable.
My second pair of HA’s never worked. In fact that audiologist had messed up my first pair too.

I’m stubborn and my 3rd pair of HA’s will work fine when I’m finally done. The audiologist is good…

In reply to @janofh

That is interesting. I will have to disagree on the OS being the issue over the app being the issue. The same complaints are for Android systems if you look in the Google app store. So pretty sure it’s an app issue if both iPhone and Android are both affected

OK so not entirely but I have seen multiple times where the only reason the app doesn’t connect is that the phone isn’t connecting…

I instantly disabled bluetooth when I was trialing the Signia ax 5’s. I had terrible connectivity issues. The reviews all mentioned this as well. Instead I went with the second option, which is to connect on my iphone via a non-bluetooth connection. Bingo! no issues.

However, I ended up buying a Ax 7. Bluetooth connectivity is solid. I can stream automatically through my Iphone no problem, and the issues with dropped or changing programs is gone. I assume the telecoil is the difference, but honestly I don’t know. In any case, the telecoil gives me much longer battery life.

there does exist a small, lightweight non bluetooth remote device that works just fine for volume and program changing. simpler and easier than a phone app. Less likely to crash.

In reply to @Neville

Ok. How about features like remote programming or the “find my aids” options, those would seem to come in handy.
Then since the aids don’t need an app for bt, and many issues are related to one aid dropping off while using bt, could one aviod that problem by avoiding the app although?

Related discussions