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Hearing aid loses connection when phone placed on my side

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While out for a walk and streaming music if I place my phone in my left front pocket my right loses connection. If I put it in my right front pocket my left HA loses connection.

Mine are Starkey Genesis but this happens on 3 other models and 2 other phones. Yes I can make it work by using a neck lanyard or wearing a pocket shirt which I despise. The question is why ?

Why will the stream work thru a wall 10 feet away but won’t work by my side ?

Anyone else have this issue ?

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The signal bounces off the walls when indoors, but outside there aren’t the walls are furniture or anything else to bounce off of and return to your aids.

Well it seems folks using iPhone are having more issues then Android users.

Phillips 9040 and bluetooth and having the phone in my pocket
I have the Phillips 9040 from Costco. When the iPhone 13 Pro is in my pocket and I am walking around, I get mini dropouts and distortion which doesn’t happen if I have the phone in a shirt pocket. This is with phone calls and streaming music. It seems like the bluetooth signal is not strong enough or something. I had hearing aid compatibility turned on and am now trying with it off. Anyone else seen this and is there a solution?

I have to admit that it is true. I walked away from iPhone after almost 10 years last year and now have the Samsung S23.

Edited

Don’t make this iphone vs android. In that other thread an android user said he has to talk into the phone on a phone call which I as an iphone user don’t have to do. It is a LE issue. And it got better when I truned off hearing aid compatibility

As of this time with my INTENT1 aids snd my Samsung S23, I have le audio disabled as well as hearing aid compatibility. Hearing aid compatibility is for using the phone and aids without streaming. I do very few phone calls mostly text. My streaming is mostly audiobooks.

Edited

I have learned to carry my phone it a shirt pocket and not my jeans pocket.

My phone is a iPhone and the 2 prior phones iPhone.

The outside idea may be a factor but I go back to the fact that none of the 3 Bluetooth speakers I use outside fail nor do any of the iPods or ear buds used outside have an issue.

I will turn off hearing aid compatibility and see if that matters.

I certainly do not want to wear my phone as a necklace nor carry it in my front pocket and pick it up off the floor every-time I bend over

On my previous ’s streaming phone calls and music also were never perfect. When streaming phone calls I got sick of the complaining by those I called and basically gave up on any Bluetooth features. My Blue Parrot headset was always out performed hearing aids in ANY extremely noisy environments. People never complained so why is Bluetooth so temperamental on hearing aids that cost 10 times that of a cheap Bluetooth hearing device ?

Are all three speakers in a line of sight to your phone or iPhone. Bluetooth is a line of sight protocol, but the nature of the bandwidth does well with a bounce off walls and other structures. Yes I know what I am talking about I am a retired IT professional that started out as a communications specialist. I have designed a number of communications systems for the military and government.

Edited

Part of the problem is that the 9040 signal is very weak. I can walk into the next room, still line of sight, and the streaming music goes south. With the airpod pro 2s I can go upstairs and still have good music streaming.

I understand my Real1 aids are that way but my INTENT1 aids are much stronger.

I finally had a moment to read user990’s link and that pretty much explains it. I am guilty of posting before searching ! Other hearing aids also have the problem some worse than others.

Obviously the outdoor streaming issue is due to lower power hearing aids. I will leave the hearing aids at home and wear my earbuds on my walk.

Seems it is not a Bluetooth protocol issue and more of a “hearing aid” protocol/low power issue.

In reply to @Nate_G

I think also depends on the phone you are using.

If I place the phone on the kitchen table and walk into the living room both hearing aids stay connected. If I continue down the hallway, one of the hearing aids will drop it’s connection.

I’m using a Google Pixel 6a with the Philips 9040 hearing aids.

I found this about Bluetooth “Bluetooth is the current king of short range wireless communication1 but it has a number of shortcomings. While works efficiently when there is a clear air path between the two devices, it requires a significant power boost to push the signal through obstacles like the human body, known as "[path loss]”. I have had signal loss with KS10’s (classic Bluetooth) and two aids Bernafon and Rexton Reach with my iphone in my front pocket if I carry the phone (same distance to aids) the problem goes away

I think my questions are answered and I have a few work arounds to use if I decide to. Yes I am one of “those guys” who want things to work perfectly or I won’t have it. 40 years in DP (now IT) service keeping things working as designed and advertised will make you expect what you buy to work as advertised.

I am thankful for the ability to hear and the rest of the features are just fluff. There are plenty of other and better ways to stream music rather than draining my batteries and losing the ability to hear while they charge.

I am a retired IT professional/electronics technician/associate engineer. We all try for perfection but we know it isn’t possible when humans are doing the development. We all do our best and hope for the best. But we all know that the bugs and defects will be found sooner or later.

In reply to @Lucky

@Lucky said:

Seems it is not a Bluetooth protocol issue and more of a “hearing aid” protocol/low power issue.

I think it’s to do with how small some hearing aids are.

I wear big Oticon Xceed 1 UP Aids and I have no issue with Bluetooth cutting out when in my pant / trouser pocket etc or at anytime really.

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