Modern Hearing Aids – almost like a Second Brain for your Ears
Hearing Aids have generally become a lot smaller and more discreet in recent years.
They have also become a whole lot cleverer too, thanks in large part to the huge advancement in technology and communication over the last decade and now as we have entered the 2020’s. Many hearing aids now enjoy the same technological benefits as other devices, controlled remotely and effortlessly from intuitive smartphone apps.
Smart Hearing Aids
“Smart” hearing aids are the most popular and effective treatment option for low/medium or more substantial hearing loss. The automatic functionality in smart hearing aids allows users to interact with their environment naturally while the device’s algorithms sort out noise and enhance desired sound in real time.
In simple terms, the smart hearing aid will adjust real-time to the current environment and will also remember your preferences in different situations based on any manual adjustments you might make.
This means the hearing aid will learn your hearing preferences over time in a wide variety of different situations. For example, your listening preferences within a busy and noisy pub or hearing tannoy announcements at a railway station. You can choose if you prefer to minimise background noise or hear “as is”.
The smart hearing aid will recognise similar situations and adjust according to the preferences it has learnt from past experience and user history.
Clever eh?!
Wireless & Bluetooth
In today’s communication-driven society, you can have most types of audio streamed into your ears safely and without distortion. With smart hearing aids, you can synchronize all of your devices and navigate between audio sources with ease, without sacrificing discretion or audio quality.
Many hearing aids can now connect to your smartphone to enhance your overall hearing experience. This is mostly done using Bluetooth technology like many other devices, and advancements in hearing aids means this feature doesn’t drain the battery like it used to.
Here are a few of the excellent features you can use with your hearing aids in conjunction with your smartphone:
1) Phone calls direct to your hearing aids
You can ask your smartphone to stream calls direct to your hearing aids, you don’t have to even pick up your phone.
2) Music and other audio to your hearing aids
Stream your favourite songs, podcasts and even real-time driving directions from Google Maps direct to your hearing aids.
3) Adjust volume and programs without fiddling with your hearing aids directly
Use your smartphone app to increase or decrease the volume – left volume, right volume or both together. You can also switch between programs or memories set up by your audiologist.
4) Check battery status
Check the battery status and percentage of your hearing aids, see instantly how much charge remains and for how long.
5) Find lost hearing aids
Modern hearing aids are now pretty small and if you can misplace your mobile phone, you can certainly misplace your tiny hearing aids! Use the apps functionality to help you seek out and find your hearing aids.
Hearing Aid Apps – from the manufacturers
Most major hearing aid manufacturers have their own app that is designed specifically for use with your hearing aids. In order to take full advantage of the smartphone features, you will need to download the app specific to your hearing aid from the Apple App Store (for iPhones) or Google Play for (Android phones).
Bespoke Hearing Apps
In addition to apps designed specifically for hearing aids, there are many other apps that can enhance your hearing experience.
For example:
• Apps that create captions for your phone calls. This supports what you can hear from the phone call.
• Apps that capture the audio from live muted TV and play you the content. This is great for muted or quiet TVs in bars, restaurants, gyms, airports or at somebody’s house where the volume seems quiet to you.
• Apps that give alerts based on different sounds – doorbell, smoke alarms and emergency sirens.
Future articles from Nantwich Hearing Centre will examine some of our favourite features from this new technology – based on customer feedback – and we will also test and rate some of the more popular apps!
At Nantwich Hearing Centre, our friendly and expert Audiologists are more than happy to explain and demonstrate the latest hearing aids and accompanying technology. Please use our contact page to call us, make an appointment or please do just pop in and say hello!