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Iphone "live listen" function

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I discovered this by accident on my phone, under the ‘hearing devices’ option. As far as I know the app from Signia doesn’t include this. Anyway, it turns the phone into a receiver that amps sounds and streams into my via bluetooth, I guess. Sounds like a PA system! Most here must know all about this, but not me. I guess it’s to allow me to place my phone at the other end of a dinner table , for example, to pick up conversations there? It’s very lively, to say the least! Too much for playing music. Any insights?

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Live listen is a great feature if you don’t have a specifically designed for your .

I have a nephew who uses it as a baby monitor - he leaves the phone in the room with his kid and then wears an AirPod to hear if he starts crying.

I find it doesn’t amplify enough.

My LiveListen definitely works but I feel it’s harder to hear peoples voices unless it’s very close to the mouth so holding the phone up to the mouth.

Does Signia have a triple click feature like Oticon?

You can find it there as well at the bottom.

image

In reply to @Zebras

@Zebras said:

But the OP is talking about having to go into the Hearing Devices to turn on LiveListen rather then triple click.

I do not remember where I set that in the OS but there is another way too Swipe down from the upper right and click on the ear.

EDIT. Under settings click Accessibility. Scroll down to Accessibility Shortcut. Select Hearing Devices.

I have used the Live Listen function in noisy cafes to help hear the conversation at my table.
I like the function but I would like to find out more information about its capabilities. Apple support just tells me how to turn it on or off.
What I would like to know is:

  • can I increase the sensitivity of the iPhone microphone in some way?
  • can I adjust the selectivity of the microphone in any way, for example so it mainly amplifies speech sounds?
  • does the microphone filter out some sounds, for example clangs, bangs, hums?
    If anyone can supply this information, or point me to where I can find it, I would be most grateful.

I would expect any selectivity or filtering would be aid specific. Perhaps the app lets you adjust those streaming parameters.

Edited

Latest Android phones (at least my Google Pixel 6a with Android 13 does) have a similar feature, and it’s called ‘Sound Amplifier’

Screenshot_20230305-175148_Sound Amplifier

I read the answers supplied so far and then did my own investigation.
iPhones have a hidden feature called “Mic Mode” where the user can select preset behaviours for the microphone.
One of these behaviours is “Voice Isolation” which will isolate out speech sounds and suppress other sounds quite effectively.
However “Mic Mode” is designed to be embedded in apps that run on the iPhone (e.g. Facetime, Zoom) and it is not available as a general iPhone feature or setting, so it is not available for “Live Listen”.
The only way for hearing aid users to get access to “Mic Mode” is if the creators of their hearing aid app add it as a feature to the streaming function of the app.
For example, I use Widex Moment and have the Moment app installed on my iPhone. When I use Live Listen, the Moment app shows the Streaming control panel with features like volume control and an equaliser. Widex could enhance the app to include Mic Mode on the Streaming control panel so I could select “Voice Isolation” when I am using Live Listen - this would make a big improvement when listening to people talking in restaurants

I have been using live listen now for 3.9 yrs. My Cochlear told me about it at my first mapping. It’s been a fabulous feature for me especially in noisy situations. The triple click short cut is an easy way to get live listen active. It’s meant I haven’t had to purchase a mini mic2

@Zebras said:

I find it doesn’t amplify enough.

@Zebras did you increase your microphone level from triple click page? I found in noisy situations I had to increase mine from 50% to around 85%

@Zebras said:

I find it doesn’t amplify enough.

@Deaf_piper said:

@Zebras did you increase your microphone level from triple click page? I found in noisy situations I had to increase mine from 50% to around 85%

Oh I’ll have to investigate.

All I could see was volume for my hearing aids.

I was using it in a friends house with her. There was no background noise but still didn’t work well.

Thanks.

In reply to @Zebras

You are absolutely right. It does not amplify enough in More 1 with 100dB speaker. There is some soft sound in the . Should give try using “listen Live” by muting the HA;s mic. The iPhone mic must be near the speaker in order to get a loud sound. I try to use Live listen as a transmitter for TV sound. Acceptable to me.
Not sure how Xceed performance using live listen or in oticon companion?

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