Did you know that the FCC requires all cellphones to be hearing aid compatible? However, just because a cellphone and a hearing aid are required to work together, doesn’t mean that the process has always been easy and seamless. With technology changing all the time, it can be difficult to know what devices might best meet your needs – and how to get everything to work together! Oticon More™, Oticon Zircon and Oticon Play PX hearing aids feature Bluetooth capability, allowing direct streaming to and from a variety of your favorite devices. But first, a little more about how Bluetooth works.

What Is Bluetooth and how can it improve your hearing experience?

The first Bluetooth-compatible hearing aids were introduced about 15 years ago. However, they required an intermediary device and were much bigger and more difficult to use than today’s devices. And, they used a ton of battery power. Needless to say, they never really caught on with users.

However, the introduction of Bluetooth Low Energy® (LE) changed the game. This new, improved technology eliminated the need for an intermediary device as well as lowered power consumption. Bluetooth LE gave hearing aid manufacturers the freedom to offer increased connectivity sources and ease of use.

Then, Apple jumped into the Bluetooth arena with their “Made for iPhone” hearing devices, enabling users to turn their hearing aids into wireless headphones. For direct streaming, Android™ developed the ASHA protocol which allows select Android devices* to directly connect to Oticon More, Zircon and Play PX instruments. Most recently, Apple released the ability for select iPhones and iPads to do two-way hands-free communication.*

Introducing two-way hands-free communication:

Oticon’s latest hearing aids, Oticon More, Zircon and Play PX can be used with select iPhone or iPad devices* to make or receive hands-free phone calls or video calls-as well as calls on Facetime and much more.

Here is how two-way hands-free communication works:

To use compatible Oticon hearing aids with two-way hands-free communication you will first need to pair your hearing aids to your iPhone or iPad. Once paired you are free to stream.

• Make or receive a call on select iPhone or iPad devices
• The hearing aid will shift to “hands-free communication” and capture your voice
• Your voice is streamed directly into the hearing aids
• Finally, when your conversation is complete, hang up on your iPhone or iPad

It is that easy!

Your hearing care professional can assist you with pairing right in the office, so make sure you bring your phone or iPad with you if you need help.

As you can see, hearing aids with two-way hands-free communication capabilities offer a host of benefits and freedoms to today’s users. We urge you to look into how they can help enhance your life in addition to supporting your hearing health.

To learn more, and how Oticon hearing devices can help you, contact a hearing care provider in your area today.

*Android devices need to support ASHA to allow direct connectivity to Oticon More, Zircon and Play PX. iPhone and iPad devices need to support two-way hands-free communication. Please visit oticon.com/support/compatibility for more information and to see which devices are compatible.