In a somewhat related vein…is there a way to get audio from the iPad to transfer to my Resound hearing aids? They’re paired with my iPhone and while I could unpair and repair to watch a video on the iPad and reverse when done…but that’s a pain; so I just plug in a set of corded earbuds to the iPad and stick them in over my aids domes. I’ve looked around in the prefs and have audio handoff enabled on both iPhone and iPad (latter on 17, phone not updated yet)…have I missed something or is this not something easily done?
I have Signia hearing aids, as opposed to Resound; but I’ve yet to find a way to move them between my iPhone and iPad without un-pairing/re-pairing first.
Because it’s a hassle, I – like you, Neil – avoid it by using headphones over my hearing aids.
(Though I do have an alternative for TV/Apple TV to hearing aid audio; Signia has an optional device that streams sound from my TV to my hearing aids, without having to do any re-configuration of the hearing aids. There’s an option on the hearing aids to toggle audio from the TV-connected device into the hearing aids.
Looking over it, it could easily be connected to a stereo – or an audio out for an iPad. But I have no idea if Resound hearing aids provide this feature.)
I have Rexton and no, there is no easy way to switch. This seems to be the biggest difference between plain Bluetooth hearing aids and “made for iPhone” hearing aids, mine being the latter. They are easier to set up on an iPhone but don’t do much after that. Regular Bluetooth hearing aids, I hear, are less reliable but can do things like pair with multiple items.
My partner has Resound hearing aids. As above, there is no easy way to swap between an iPhone and an iPad. That seems to be the default for iOS and hearing aids.
In theory the iOS Accessibilty setting for Hearing Devices should allow you to select and pair a Made for iPhone (MFI) hearing aid on the fly but this doesn’t seem to work (BTW the setting has advice that non-MFI hearing are paired via Bluetooth settings).
Then there is the lack of support for cellular Apple Watches - there is no way to pick up a call received on a watch, other than first transferring it to an iPhone and then the hearing aids.
I’m using the Oticon Opn Hearing aids. In general they’re great in connecting to my iPhone, but as others have noted with MFi hearing aids they don’t transfer well. There is no mic connection to the iPhone so using them on a call requires the phone to be close enough to pick up my voice. And like others you can’t pair them to your watch. I have a pair of Avantree Over the ear style bluetooth headphones I use for work, connected to my desk phone, and they pair to my Mac and iPhone. But I find them bulky when I’m not at my desk. I bought a set of AirPod Pros to use for many reasons, one being the handoff, the other main reason is I can load the Audio Profile from the last hearing test into the iPhone and use it with the same quality as my hearing aids. Maybe better quality for music. This feature is not limited to the Pros, all the AirPods and I believe most of the Beats can utilize it. In fact I’m certain the earPods can do it as well. My hearing aids still do a lot of things better, but for phone calls and listening to music on the iPhone the AirPods have them beat.
I have Jabra aids (via Costco – rebadged Resound aids) paired to my iPhone 12 mini. I also picked up the Resound "Phone Clip+ accessory, which is also “Made for iPhone.”
The Jabras are paired directly to the iPhone, and the Jabras also serve as the phone microphone, so truly hands-free and no accessory mic unit needed. I don’t have to hold the phone to my mouth to talk.
The Phone Clip+ will simultaneously maintain two Bluetooth device connections when paired with the hearing aids. I use this device to connect with audio to my work-provided iPhone XR and with my computer for Zoom & Teams meetings. But the Phone Clip+ can pair with up to eight different devices. So I can pair with my iPad to listen to audio there, but I have to disconnect (not unpair) one of the work connections in order to do so (Bluetooth settings > My Devices). The Phone Clip+ has a mic and can either clip to your shirt or hang from a provided lanyard. It needs to be in proximity to your mouth for the mic to work.
If I’m on audio with the Phone Clip+ and my personal phone rings, the phone will take precedence over the Phone Clip+ and ask if I want to take the call.
All in all, I have found this to be the best approach to managing multiple devices that want to stream through the hearing aids.
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Do you think it would work in a car - to choose between hearing aids and the car audio?
Sorry for the delay; only now had a chance to test.
I was not able to connect the Phone Clip device to our 2015 Hyundai Sonata Limited. It requires a six digit code to pair, which you can do with a phone but not this device.
More recent cars may be more forgiving, but I think it’s going to vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
There are numerous different kinds of Bluetooth pairing authentication mechanisms.
A common one (frequently used by phones) is that one device (e.g. the car) displays a code which you enter on the other device (e.g. the phone).
If one device doesn’t have a display or keypad, but the other does, authentication can still be done - typically using a code provided out of band. For example, an old headset I own authenticates with just “000000”. I’ve seen others where it’s a random 6-digit number printed on a card included with the device (or sometimes printed on it).
But, of course, your car may not support that mode.
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