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Hearing aids with functional Android apps?

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Hello, I’m a newbie to hearing aids and am trying out a pair of Widex Moment 440 for my moderate cookie-bite hearing loss. I would really like to be able to use an Android app with my hearing aids, but I’ve been very disappointed with the Widex app. My main issue is that it automatically detects when it thinks I should be streaming sound, and jumps into a mode that amplifies any sound from my phone and dampens everything else. Annoyingly, the app interprets any animation or video as something I want streamed, so just browsing Facebook or playing games (with all sound muted) results in the hearing aids dampening outside sound. There is no way in the app to turn auto-streaming off, as far as I or my audiologist can tell. I’ve also been frustrated by the app randomly deleting saved settings in the short time I’ve been using it. Based on reviews of the Widex app in the Play store, this seems to be a common issue. Are there any brands that have more stable and useful Android apps?

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Edited
@muddskipper said:

I want streamed, so just browsing Facebook

Go into your Facebook and turn off In App Sounds. That’ll solve your FB issue.

image

The In App Sound still causes issues even when phone on silent.

The games I play, I also have to turn In App Sounds off as well. Not sure if all games have that option tho?

@muddskipper said:

My main issue is that it automatically detects when it thinks I should be streaming sound, and jumps into a mode that amplifies any sound from my phone and dampens everything else.

Yeah one of the limitations of LE bluetooth that I’ve also noticed, with the older generation you got an option in your Android bluetooth settings to toggle Calls and Media on or off, so this ment you could just have calls connecting, with Android they connect with no option for this, I presume it’s the same for iOS, so not an App issue as far as I can tell.
You could use a Com Dex accessory if you wanted for your Moments, this would give you the option of turning on or off media and calls separately.

@muddskipper said:

Are there any brands that have more stable and useful Android apps?

I don’t have any real issues with the Signia or ReSound Apps I use, and they seem to work as intended, you can download any brand from that App store and try them in Demo mode, just to see what they offer.

Edited
@tenkan said:

I presume it’s the same for iOS, so not an App issue as far as I can tell.

In iOS under Settings, Accessibility, Hearing Devices, Audio Routing, you have the option separately to choose how calls and media should be handled. The options for calls or media are Always Hearing Devices, Never Hearing Devices, or Automatic, which presumably goes to your ’s if you’re wearing them, otherwise through the phone speaker if you’re not. So, any HA (and isn’t Widex one?) would have these options if using with an iPhone. With ReSound in the Smart 3D app if streaming is in effect for some reason, the main screen presents a button, Hear All Sounds. If you tap that button, the volume of your external mics will not be turned down relative to the volume of streaming sounds. Maybe there’s something similar available somewhere in the Widex app or iOS settings? There may be other options I don’t know about in iOS as I’m a relative iPhone newbie.

Yes those settings are pretty good and would be quite helpful, I don’t see anything like this in android (well not my old model anyway)the auto playing is one thing the OP is finding a pain, it doesn’t actually bother me, so being able to at least adjust the microphones while streaming is a bonus.

I believe the my phonak app allows you to adjust how much is streamed and how much outside sound is allowed in. Of course you need phonak aids

Are you sure it’s the app, or is it the way the aids work. In the case of Phonak, the Android app can be sleeping, and when there is a bluetooth audio signal, even when muted, the aids themselves switch to steaming mode. What’s annoying is that the aids decide whether it’s speech or music. I can’t.

But in Phonak with the P90s you can program them to auto-switch into streaming or not. Not sure if that would solve the OP problem or just cause more headaches. No idea on the Widex.

With Phonak and Unitron, when it comes to sound. You can just press the top button a few times and it will mute the sound of the background sound coming through the microphone. … If you want it to be permanent, then it can be done by an audiologist because I have seen options in the software for adjusting the hearing aid.

And where is that? If it’s in the app, it must be for the Phonak brand. I have the Costco KS10, which is mostly the same as the Phonak P90.

In Target, when you click on the Program Options for Bluetooth Automatic 4.0 Streaming, It shows Bluetooth “Media Streaming” Activation checkmarked as Automatic, but it cannot be unchecked.

Thanks

In reply to @Zebras

I have in app sounds turned off for everything I use, before I ever got hearing aids. My problem isn’t that the apps are putting out any sound, but that the hearing aid app assumes there’s something I’m trying to stream and dampens environmental sounds.

In reply to @richardsondc

My audiologist is recommended switching to Phonak. I’m still in the free trial phase, so I have flexibility on brands. Is turning off the auto-streaming something you can do in the myPhonak app, or something my audiologist would have to do? I’m also willing to learn how to , if necessary. I’m pretty fed up with my hearing aids switching to streaming whenever I try to take a picture or send a text.

@muddskipper said:

switching to streaming whenever I try to take a picture or send a text.

My Phonak’s do this and can’t figure out how to solve the issue.

I went to a Country Show and wanted to take pictures.

I also had my on mute as they had big speakers everywhere.

Every-time I took a picture, it un muted my Aids. Super super annoying.

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