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I was initiallly thinking LE Audio would make phone compatibility simpler

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I was initially thinking and would make things simpler for phone and device compatibility and I think eventually it will. However in the short term I think it will make things more confusing. Hearing aid manufacturers will likely maintain “Made for iPhone” and perhaps .
Therefore phones with LE (mFi and ASHA) compatibility will also be compatible with hearing aids that meet those standards, but they won’t be compatible with LE Audio. How will manufacturers maintain their compatible lists? Separate lists for LE Audio, Made for iPhone and perhaps ASHA? Not to forget, there’s always phone compatibility with app and getting the right app for one’s hearing aid.

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I feel if the aids have the right compatibility with the smart phone then the app is optional. I don’t use or even need the app for my Oticon More aids. I feel that the apps can be a crutch for some hearing aid fitters todo a sloppy job and leave it up to the app and the user. In some ways this could be good of the apps were really worth it. Unfortunately most apps are created and developed by individuals that don’t seem to understand hearing loss or even the aids.
Personal I want my aids to be put on in the morning and forgotten until time for bed. And my More1 aids a very close to that a this time.
and ASAH is already based from and is already using it. Oticon even states that the More aids and their other aids with the Polaris chip is BLE.
The designers will always be coming up with the next best thing before the two previous can ever make it to mass production.

Just to clarify: is not the same as . I’m just saying that I think this will get more confusing before it gets better.

Sorry Oticon does say LE in its marketing but I am not ready to believe that. If you really dig into to technology specs you can’t really determine a difference.

In reply to @MDB

I agree it has gotten more confusing. I have KS9’s and just got a pixel 6a with android 13. Under settings > accessibility > hearing aids they show up but it wont connect. From what I have read they should be compatible at least with android 12. They do connect to settings > connected devices. But are more flaky than with my original pixel.
The joys of the bleeding edge.

KS9 are based on the Phonak Marvel platform. Phonak uses Bluetooth Classic for streaming and Bluetooth LE to control the hearing aid via the app. Phonak does not support or MFI protocol which would allow the control via the acessability feature of IOS and Android smartphones.

There is always going to be differences, it is the way that different companies and corporations stand out and show the differences between each other. If it wasn’t for the justification of their differences then there would be no reason for different companies making and selling similar items. And to be honest with out the commutation the quality of the produces we can chose from wouldn’t be there. It would be a world where this is what there is take it or leave it

Medical devices (hearing aids too) should be held to a higher standard than typical consumer devices. Planned obsolescence should not be an acceptable business model.

Then you are saying they shouldn’t continually do research and update their products? They will continue to do what is necessary to stay in business. And to do so they have to try to stay up with the high tech industry, and now with the connectivity as it is they are even more concerned about staying in the game. Lets face it, by the time any thing makes it to market the creators of new tech is already light years a head of it.

Bluetooth LEA is still rolling out to devices, you can’t expect companies to be perfect. As an Engineer myself, you can’t expect compatibility to be perfect from day one. expect serious problems until the engineering team learn and fixes the bugs.

we learned a lot today on our performance issue with our app, it was a mess but we fixed it quickly

Not sure if this was aimed at me or others. I have obviously done a horrible job of communication. I wasn’t trying to blame anybody. I was just trying to express that I thought my initial thought that would simplify matters was mistaken. Manufacturers are now stuck with the task of explaining even more complicated compatibility. Basically, all these phones will work with our hearing aids, but these phones will have more features available. I don’t envy the hearing aid manufacturers and hearing aid fitters the job of explaining this to people.

In reply to @MDB

Most audiologist don’t have to time to deal with the connectivity issues, or have anything more than the publication as reference. They are lucky to understand the fitting software much less the connectivity to the different phones. That is why I was volunteering at the clinic help fellow veterans. I sure hope things open up so I can do it again at the clinic. I am reaching some at the local church and library at times but so many are being missed.

Quoting from an article I read earlier today concerning the release of the upcoming Google Pixel 7 series, which will support BL E Audio. I had to chuckle at this:

Bluetooth is the latest enhancement to the wireless audio standard you probably rely on every day. Its codec can produce high-quality audio at a lower bitrate, improving battery life and, potentially, sound quality. It also brings support for audio sharing, which — at least, in theory — could make sharing between devices a common reality. Needless to say, it’s a big deal for your future devices, and that’s not even taking the future of hearing aids into account.

Unfortunately, it’s not enough for your next smartphone to include Bluetooth LE Audio. Your favorite pair of earbuds will also need to support it, and right now, that list is non-existent. The Pixel Buds Pro, specifically, shipped without Bluetooth LE Audio or LC3, and it’s unclear if a software update could mend that in the future. So while it’s great that the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will launch ready for the future of wireless audio, your headphones might need a little more time to catch up.

@MDB said:

Therefore phones with LE Audio compatibility will also be compatible with phones that meet those standards, but they won’t be compatible with LE Audio.

I’m not sure what you mean by that (might by typo in there somewhere?) but I’ll plough on anyway!

I think there are two many variables at play for us to know how it will all pan out. I don’t see why phone manufacturers can’t support whatever they support now plus . It might introduce complexity from an interface point of view. You might have to stipulate one of them as your hearing aid protocol. Anyway, I think that will not be seen on new hearing aids within a year or two. Getting rid of it makes the messaging to hearing aid users a whole lot simpler. I think they should come up with a name for LE Audio for hearing aids. AurAssist! AurAssist-compatible sidesteps the Android/iPhone compatibility divide.

We don’t even know if mfi will still exist as a separate thing. The current rumour is that Apple will embrace LE Audio but I’ve learnt not to trust Apple-related rumours. So much easier if it’s just mfi (legacy), ASHA (legacy) and AurAssist (where do I copyright that thing?). I’m not sure Apple will be so accommodating.

Where was I? Don’t know. You’re right. It will be confusing for your average punter.

Thanks. Big time typo mess! I think I’ve got what I mean now. Basically what I’m trying to say is that if hearing aids have both compatibility and maintain mFi or , there will be some phones that will stream, but not share LE Audio ability. They’ll need separate compatibility lists for Fully compatible and sort of compatible so to speak.
Hard to say what Apple is going to do for sure. I’ve seen some stuff suggesting that they’ll use 5.3, but who knows. Sept 7 will hopefully bring some clarity.

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