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Conflict between Oticon Opn and Apple AirPods Pro?

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Has any one found a conflict between their MFI Hearing Aids and Apple AirPods. Every time I re-connect my Oticon 3’s to the iPhone, the AirPod Pro’s disconnect. Conversely, the AirPods won’t connect if my MFI ’s are paired?

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I have been told that you can only have one MFI hearing device at a time paired to IOS devices. That was told to me by Oticon due to me getting my new aids this summer and I will using my present aids as backup.

There is nothing similar to MFI Hearing Aids and AirPods other than they both amplify sound in your ears.

  • MFI Hearing Aids use Bluetooth LE and AirPods Bluetooth 5,0 which gives them superior connectivity.

  • MFI Hearing Aids use proprietary processors and Apple has its own unique H1 chip for the AirPods.

  • MFI Hearing Aids use lower power and smaller removable batteries. The long stem on AirPods is the non-removable battery.

  • MFI Hearing Aids have completely different code in iOS at “Accessibility” and AirPods connect like any normal Bluetooth device.

  • MFI Hearing Aids do not connect to Apple Watch or Apple TV but AirPods do.

Then why are you not allowed to have both the aids and the AirPods paired at the same time. They have to tie in to the MFI some ways or both could be paired at the same time.
I can have my hearing aids (MFI) and my headphones none Apple paired at the same tme

To the OP, are you just presuming that both your OPN 3 and your Airpods Pro should play simultaneously on the same content if you wear both at the same time and play music or videos on your iPhone? Or did somebody from Apple say that it can be done?

I have the OPN 1 and the first gen Airpods. I can tell you that even though the OPN interfaces with the iPhone MFI, that’s just an interface, but it still goes through Bluetooth (albeit Bluetooth Low Energy proprietary to Apple iOS only), and you need to have Bluetooth enabled on your iPhone in order for your OPN to work.

I also own a ConnectClip with my OPN. I can use it on my Samsung Note 8 and connect both the ConnectClip and the Airpods to the Note 8 and play the audio content SIMULTANEOUSLY. Unfortunately they have different lags, otherwise it would have been great for me to get the bass from my Airpods and the highs from the OPN via the ConnectClip.

But if I try the same setup with the iPhone, not through MFI but through the ConnectClip, I can connect to both the ConnectClip and the Airpods at the same time. HOWEVER, they don’t play simultaneously like on the Note 8. If I put on the Airpods, then only the Airpods play. If I take off the Airpods, then the music is paused, and if I click Play, then I hear from my OPN through the ConnectClip. But I don’t have to connect/reconnect, they both remain connected at the same time, they just don’t make the sounds simultaneously like with the Note 8.

Now if I pair the OPN via MFI (and not with the ConnectClip), the same thing also happens on the iPhone. They’re both connected, but only either the Airpods play when I put them into my ears, or when I take them out, the music is paused and if I click Play, the OPN starts making the sound.

Hi sdpate1, I also have Airpods Pro and will soon have an Oitcon Ponto device on my right side. I have wondered this same thing. Will I be able to get some quality stereo listening back by pairing to both devices simultaneously. Have you learned anything new about if/when this might be possible? Thx

It’s either one device or the other. The Oticon’s are very persistent in keeping the connection; however, once you insert one of the AirPods in your ear, it becomes the destination for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV sound.

It’s too bad because each device has its advantages. The AirPods have wider dynamic range and markedly less distortion with complex music. What they lack is basic compensation for your hearing loss by frequency band. I use the AirPods almost exclusively for watching TV and listening to music.

The Oticons OPN’s are superior for phone calls and conversation. I can barely stand the OPN’s for listening to music since they have too much distortion like a raspy edge.

I’ve experimented with several equalizer apps to compensate for my hockey stick hearing loss. The results are dramatic. Vocals stand out and various instruments pop out of the sound mix.

The 64 dollar question is how do I get better sound when playing the piano or guitar. Hearing aids make the guitar sound like the strings are buzzing. I took my guitar in for a setup complaining about string buzz. The luthier told me to take the hearing aids out. Poof the buzzing disappeared.

I’m going back to my audiologist in March to see what he thinks, perhaps experiment with the EQ curve. EQ apps are annoying since the don’t seem to integrate into iOS.

Yes MFI of the IOS is one at a time only. And I have found that I can only have one set of hearing aids paired to my iphone at a time.Both are Oticon aids by the way.

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