Philips 9040- thoughts on converting to Apple from Android to get hands-free or going with audio clip

I went from hands free ks9 to the 9040 using android and was worried about no hands free phone but since I always check the phone to see who is calling I found it wasn’t a big deal to just speak into the phone mike.

@sstockfo said:

I’m interested if anybody has used the apple version, does the quality of call remain good with the hearing aids picking up all the sound in the background?

Is anybody using the audio clip for Android and is that a hassle to deal with.

There’s a recent thread on this forum from a Phonak user who complains about this background noise being picked up on the hearing aids’ mics and there’s no workaround aside from the hands-free mode, so you’re right to worry about the negative side-effect of the hand-free calling option for HAs.

You’ll need to wear the Audio Clip on a lanyard or clip it on your front pocket or shirt in order for its mic to pick up your voice clearly. Then there’s also the issue of the battery on it running out, especially if you’re using it for hands-free calling all day for work, for example.

@sstockfo said:

I wasn’t clearly made aware that for hands-free I needed to have an apple iPhone for such a thing

Actually, the Phillips 9040 works fine with most current Android phones. You can use this link from Philips to see what devices work: Compatibility guide72. I use an LG V60, which is a couple of years old and discontinued, but it works well.

I share your concern about moving to the Apple environment–been happy with Android phones.

@Moore8 said:

Apple’s voice isolation works really well at cleaning up the signal from the wearer’s voice. There’s a really good Hearing Tracker YouTube vid on this. It’s potentially a reason to switch to Apple and MFI devices if you make a lot of calls.

While I can believe this, doesn’t Apple’s voice isolation work well only for their own mic on their iPhone? The hands-free feature for phone calls on the Real is with Oticon picking up the user’s voice from their hearing aids’ mics, not using Apple’s mic on the iPhone at all. So in this case, I don’t think Apple’s voice isolation technology would apply because it’s Oticon that controls the quality of the voice as it’s picked up by the Oticon aids’ mics.

@Volusiano said:

The hands-free feature for phone calls on the Real is with Oticon picking up the user’s voice from their hearing aids’ mics

You can also choose to have the phone mic pick up your voice. Strictly speaking it’s then not hands-free. But better to have an additional choice that may work better in noise, hands-free or not, than to not have a choice.

Actually, I find that the iPhone mic option (which you’re presumably familiar with on your OPNs) often can work with the phone sitting on a table or desk, not in my hand. Maybe not in a noisy place though, in which case holding it near your mouth is the best option. At least you’re still hearing the caller’s voice through your aids.

(Voice Isolation for iPhone™ works with Phonak | Audiology Blog6)

seems to work beyond MFI devices and with Bluetooth paired aids also

The Philips aids require the use of the phones microphones on Android, so it is not a “hands free” setup.

I used Resound Phone Clips for years, including lots of online meetings, and that worked well. The best i had was the Phonak Compilot 2. You could plug a lapel mic into the Compilot 2.

If i had to get an Oticon i would definitely get the phone clip thing, if it saved me from having to get an Apple device (not a fan).

I currently have the Phonak Lumity, which has, by far, the best communication. Connects wirelessly with any phone, laptop, tablet, or any device with standard bluetooth. No devices needed.