I’ve been using Oticon Real for a couple of months. They are the first devices that I have had (after several audiologists and trials!). They work very well and I am now totally dependent on them!
I can easily stream phone calls and videos from my iPhone which is super helpful.
Now I’d like to figure out how to use MS Teams on my Mac. The Mac doesn’t seem to directly connect to the Oticons, unless I’m missing something. Is there an intermediate device I can use?
I saw the Connect Clip on the Oticon web site but it mentions a Bluetooth dongle being needed. I guess the dongle plugs into the computer, which connects to the ConnectClip which connects to the hearing aids. Since the already have Bluetooth that seems like a lot of connections!
The Mac doesn’t seem to directly connect to the Oticons, unless I’m missing something. Is there an intermediate device I can use?
The typical device would be the ConnectClip from Oticon - it connects to a computer using normal Bluetooth and to the hearing aids. There have been reports of issues with both Real and More hearing aids and the ConnectClip but Oticon may be developing a fix. And it adds latency which may/may not bother you. With some computers, you may need a USB dongle that provides a more complete set of audio capabilities (or more bug free Bluetooth implementation) - my now old ConnectClip shipped with a BTD 800 that Oticon tech support told me to use if there were issues. With my iMac Pro I had to use it but with my work MacBook Pro I did not.
I have no experience with Teams so cannot comment on how well that works with a ConnectClip and a Mac.
Other possible devices are the EduMic (it connects to an analog audio output) and the TV adapter 3. With those you would use the device to send audio to your aids and use the Mac microphone. More complicated and would depend on how flexible Teams running on a Mac is for selecting and using audio devices.
Long term if you have a new Mac with an M2 processor (or a very small selection of M1 Macs) is the new upcoming version of macOS (Sonoma) is supposed to work with aids (like your Real devices) just as the iPhone/iPad do now.
In my case, I use an iPad for Zoom and other communication stuff and turn off Bluetooth on my iPhone when using my iPad. That way things “just work” and there are no notification interruptions, etc from the phone. When done, turn Bluetooth off on the iPad and back on on the phone. Thing usually work that way - you might need to restart the aids or iPhone/iPad to make the switch.
I’ve been using a ConnectClip with Teams for several years. I work remotely, so I use Teams literally for hours each day. I’ve used it with Opn, Opn S, More and now Real hearing aids and with HP and Lenovo laptops, running Windows 10. I have never required a Bluetooth dongle, because laptops have built-in Bluetooth. I think the dongle is intended for desktop PCs which don’t have built-in Bluetooth. I would be surprised if MacBooks ever support , but you never know.
As was mentioned by @biggar, there currently are problems when using the ConnectClip with More and Real hearing aids, resulting in audio drop-outs. I’ve been in contact with Oticon about this. They claim to have identified the cause of the problem on Real hearing aids and said there will be a fix, which will be a firmware upgrade. I doubt you will notice any latency.
The ConnectClip also works fine with Zoom and other similar applications and you can also use it for streaming, such as Netflix or YouTube.
I also use the ConnectClip with in-flight entertainment systems. In this case, I use a Bluetooth transmitter to send the audio to the ConnectClip. This does introduce noticeable latency, but it’s not a show-stopper.
Teams will use whatever microphone you tell it to use. In my case, I have a logitech webcam which has a stereo microphone, so I use that.
FYI, the ConnectClip has two interfaces. One is stereo headphones (no microphone). The other is mono headset with a mono microphone. You have to pick one or the other. If you want to have stereo headphones, you cannot use the ConnectClip as the microphone. As I said, I use the logitech webcam microphone so I can use the stereo ConnectClip headphones device. This provides the best audio quality in both directions. If you don’t have an external webcam with a microphone, you can use the laptop microphone.
I would be surprised if MacBooks ever support MFi, but you never know.
I have no idea when this will happen and be useful but the macOS Sonoma preview on the Apple web site has the following statement near the end in the Accessibility section:
Made for iPhone hearing devices can now pair directly with Mac, so users with hearing disabilities can take calls and have conversations more conveniently.
The above statement has a footnote (7) that has this list for machines:
Available on MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021), MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021), Mac Studio (2022), and Mac computers with M2 chip.
So it sounds like Apple is finally getting around to supporting hearing aids on their latest computers.
I second darylm’s suggestion of getting a TV adapter if you watch TV. I find it quite useful as I can mute the TV sound and then only I hear the TV - very useful if my wife isn’t interested in a show I would like to watch. And you might very well be able to use it to send the stereo sound from your computer to your aids for Teams and use the laptop microphones for the audio going the other direction until the new version of macOS arrives and actually works well enough to be useful with MFi hearing aids.
Oh. The reason I was asking about the microphone is that some of my coworkers use AirPods and are able to walk around the room while on a Teams call because the AirPods have the microphone. This works with my too when on an iPhone call. I can leave the phone on the table and walk around the room. So I was hoping to do that in a Teams call too.
Kudos to Apple if they support on their laptops and computers.
The TV adapter is kind of cumbersome to use for streaming, but it would work.
Since the ConnectClip uses Classic, it has pretty good range compared to the hearing aids. Occasionally when I’m in a call, I carry the ConnectClip with me and I can get quite far from my laptop, even down a level in my house.
Just to follow up with this thread now that I actually have Sonoma on my Mac. There is good news and bad news. The good news is Apple really does support . The bad news is that other bluetooth accessories such as the Magic Mouse, keyboard, and trackpad interfere with the signal. It seems that the audio takes precedence but I can’t control the computer while listening!
I read an article that suggested getting wired accessories. And another that the newest versions of the wireless accessories work better. Either approach is awfully costly for maybe being a solution.
The bad news is that other bluetooth accessories such as the Magic Mouse, keyboard, and trackpad interfere with the signal. It seems that the audio takes precedence but I can’t control the computer while listening!
Very useful observation! Thanks for the warning! So we will look for other ways to connect hearing aids. Buying a new Mac obviously has no benefits other than money for Apple.
Are you referring to the hearing aids? I was able to upgrade from Opn to Opn S and from More to Real for no cost, so I did. The only I still have are Opn S and Real.
Tucson Arizona
