With the recent ability to pair hearing instruments to Bluetooth (2.4Ghz) devices, hearing aids have entered the realm of connectivity with other Bluetooth-capable devices. Wireless transmission of sound and information in the 2.4 GHz frequency band allows for sending sound over long distances directly to a hearing aid.
Using this technology, Starkey’s Livio hearing aids can all stream audio directly to any recent iPhone. Android users (Samsung, Google, LG, Motorola, HTC) have had a harder time with syncing to hearing aids. But all Livio devices also support Android streaming, although exactly how it is implemented depends on your phone.
The newest Android 10 platform allows your Android phone to stream directly to a hearing aid in the same way that an iPhone does. It lets the latest Samsung smartphones – the Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+ and Note 10 – stream to your Livio hearing aid, in exactly the same way as for an iPhone*. Google’s Pixel 3 and Pixel 4 range can also stream directly to Livio devices.
As more smartphone manufacturers adopt the Android 10 platform, we are aggressively deploying the additional connectivity it provides to our Livio devices, continually bringing new benefits to hearing aid wearers in Australia and around the world. We’re looking forward to providing direct support to more and more Android phones as manufacturers upgrade their products.
If you have an older or incompatible Android phone, don’t panic, though! It is also possible to stream through the use of an accessory that serves as a bridge between the hearing device and smartphones, computers, smart TVs, cars, etc, which allows older Android phones to stream to your Livio hearing aid.
Ask your hearing professional for Starkey’s Remote Microphone +, which enables streaming of audio from an Android phone to your Livio hearing aids, as well as allowing you to stream from a range of other devices and to amplify the speech of those around you. Your hearing healthcare professional can take care of pairing the hearing instruments with the phone for a quick, simple way to stream audio to the Livio hearing aids.
Once this is set up, streaming audio from the phone to the hearing aids is as easy as pressing a button on the Remote Microphone + to start and stop streaming.
* Please note that this functionality is only available to patients whose network operator has updated their Samsung device to the latest Android 10 platform, which has been rolling out in Australia since the start of 2020.