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Best hearing aids for hands free phone calls with Androids?

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Edited

To clarify my terminology: “hands free call” [HFC] = able to receive and chat with someone on a phone call through my , while the Android is away from me. Truly using the HA mics and speakers for the phone call.
My wife’s Phonaks do that. My current Costco Phonak KS10 also do that but suffer from the ‘cracked speaker’ noise problem and I am returning them.
NOTE: not going to switch to an iPhone.
Three questions to the forum:

  • Which existing HAs have true HFC through Android and you would personally recommend based on their qualities ?
  • Since Phonak can do this, obviously the technology is in place already; why don’t the other HAs available at Costco do the same?
  • Are any of these planning (rumored ?) to add Android HFC in the near future?
22 people in this conversation12 min readJump to latest

You do realise that the microphone’s pick up ALL ambient noise this way, a real pain, a lot of people complaining they hear a lot of background noise, unless your in a quiet place its a bit of a oxymoron (HFC) having used it myself, i couldn’t recommend it, use your phone which is what it was designed for.

@aysoref said:

Since Phonak can do this, obviously the technology is in place already; why don’t the other HAs available at Costco do the same?

Because its a bit of novelty toy i guess, but just wait for all the new platform of coming with in the next 12 months or so, i would say they’ll all be doing this by then.

@aysoref said:

Since Phonak can do this, obviously the technology is in place already; why don’t the other HAs available at Costco do the same?

Phonaks use Bluetooth Classic Audio, so they look just like a Bluetooth headset to your phone. - the other protocol that works with (some) Android phones- has not been updated to handle hands-free calls. It probably never will be.

Phonak user here. Quite happy. Connects seamlessly, no issues. As mentioned, the mic is in the ear area, so if there is loud noise from that direction, the person you’re conversing with will hear it. That’s not an issue often for me, and if it is, I just move to a quieter area. Sometimes it’s as simple as facing a different direction.

Phonak Link ( in other ear).

@astrohip said:

Phonak Link (CI in other ear).

I came from Phonak aids and flat loved the hands free technology. Now I have Cochlear America bilateral implants which do not have the hands free technology. Phonaks wind noise reduction was substantially better than Cochlear too. I miss that too.

I am trying to remember another hearing aid company that also has hands free phone calls. Seems it is Unitron.

Edited

Appreciate the feedback. Truly, my first question was the most important. The other two are a little venting. At this point I am willing to go instead of Costco to find true HFC AND high quality overall.

I think your only option for handsfree calls with Android are Phonak (and related companies such as Unitron and likely others) I’m not impressed with but if you find something great, let us know.

In reply to @aysoref

@aysoref said:

At this point I am willing to go OTC instead of Costco to find true HFC AND high quality overall.

Have you considered self programming?
The door opens very wide once you do. It’s challenging but very rewarding. eBay has many hearing aids available like you are asking about.
Good luck with this.

I’ll post an enthusiastic SHOUT OUT to Phonak Lumity Life aids on my Samsung Flip-4 Android! I have OS 13 on the Android - which is essential for the hearing aids’ battery life per day (as I learned the hard way and was educated the RIGHT way here on this forum).

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the hands-free calls I make using my Samsung Flip-4 phone paired + connected to the aids. I can prep food, iron clothes, work on crafty projects, all hands-free having a very easy and understandable phone call.

In reply to @Raudrive

@aysoref said:

At this point I am willing to go OTC instead of Costco to find true HFC AND high quality overall.

@Raudrive said:

Have you considered self programming?
The door opens very wide once you do. It’s challenging but very rewarding. eBay has many hearing aids available like you are asking about.
Good luck with this.

Having been a computer & software professional for my entire career, I am more than willing to consider self programming. Where can I learn all the details, advice, pre-requisites, words of wisdom from personal experience, etc. about this magic art ?

Edited

In the categories area at the top of the page.
Find and Self Fitting.
There you will find everything you are asking for and more.

Need to add it is under the Muted Area.

In reply to @aysoref

@aysoref said:

At this point I am willing to go OTC instead of Costco to find true HFC AND high quality overall.

Sorry to be the bearer of sad tidings, but only Phonak w / Classic does it, and not very well.
mics are not placed in a way to effectively transmit user voice without picking up all the ambient noise around you.
Most iPhone users still use the phone mic.

The only real work around for us Droid users is the intermediary streaming device.
My experience is with Oticon, and the ConnectClip, which streams to your HAs, and has a built in mic w/ noise reduction.

All the major brands offer a similar option.

yikes
I didn’t realize that only phonak had this. I know at the time I bought several years ago now that Oticon needed a separate device to link android… but I figured surely there must be other brands that do it. That makes me even more sad about moving away from phonak because of the rechargeable batteries!

I think only once or twice in several years of almost 100% of my cell phone usage have I ever had anyone have issues or say anything while I’ve been talking with them on the phone…and that was when i was outside in the wind

In reply to @MDB

Don’t know specifically about the Unitron but they are also manufactured by Sonova. As far as I know only Sonova HAs (ie Phonak and may Unitron) have true hands free calling with android. It is simply that Sonova uses the standard Bluetooth Classic which basically means your HAs look like any other bluetooth device out in the wild. As far as I know all other HA manufacturer’s use Bluetooth Low Energy which means that you still get to hold you android phone to talk into. Your choice

This is one of the reasons why two years ago I went with Phonak Paradise P90Rs rather than Oticon Mores, after trialling both for a week each. The Phonak’s Bluetooth Classic paired perfectly with my Samsung Galaxy A5 running Android 8.0. My phone didn’t support Oticon’s Bluetooth RE.
I’ve not regretted my choice. The HFC is one of the best things about my . Being truly hands-free means I can use those hands to check files, take notes and so on, while holding a conversation.

I just love the hands free calling with my Phonak Bolero Marvel PR paired to a Pixle 4a5g phone. With my phone in my pocket, I just say “hey Google call xxxxx,” and I’m off and running! Easy to hold a note pad with one hand while writing with the other. Almost any tasks are easy while talking on my Pixel phone.

I have never had any complaints from folks on the other end, and I have asked them to be critical, and the system has never failed.

It’s difficult to imagine going back to the old way.

At this point I am down to Android (Google) Live Transcribe to closed caption conversations. That doesnt work all the time. I am prone to ear infections in my remaining hearing 70% loss left ear. My right is down to 90% loss.

I have been recommended for BiCros on my last audiology exam.

And I have voice mail transcription from T-Mobile but my home is in a 5G hole so it doesn’t work unless I walk about 500 feet away from my house. VM are more garbled than a live call.

+1 for Phonak Marvel or later for its implementation on Android, albeit at the expense of some battery life on re-chargeables…

Edited

A little background I learned after giving up my Phonaks at the end of a trial. Android phones support for the /LE is stopping at the manufacturers. It has been in the open source Android OS since 10 but most phone manufacturers aren’t using it, or if they are, it’s almost random which models, like Motorola… English Community-Lenovo Community5 Samsung and Pixel are making and effort to support the community.

I have read that custom modders have been working on custom OS versions to flash into phones to enable ASHA.

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