I currently have Beltone hearing aids and find that their app is not fully accessible. Since I will probably be getting new hearing aids, which brand has the most accessible app?
The Phonak app was horrible last time I tried it. The Resound app is good. You can do most things with a little work, however adjusting your hearing aids audio profile (how loud certain frequencies are) is not accessible.
There is a way around this, though. If you contact your hearing care provider they can set up a session through the app, which you can enter fairly easily, and make the adjustments for you. Then they push out a hearing profile that you download. However this is something I haven't been able to do without some messing about.
There's also a slightly odd behaviour within the app. On the main screen, if you are swiping through the available modes, your hearing aids will switch to the indicated mode automatically. But as far as I know, this doesn't happen if you're navigating by touch.
I hope this helps.
Hello,
In July 2022 Phonak released an update to the MyPhonak app. It is reported to be accessible now.
As for Phonak in general, the pros are they are not mFI (made for iPhone) specific, so easier to pair to other devices for streaming. The cons are since they're not mFI you are kind of stuck using their specific app. Whereas mFI compatible aids can use the controls built into iPhone which are more consistently accessible as they're maintained by Apple.
In general, a good pair of aids will not need to be controlled or configured by an app often. This is more tedious and anoying in day to day life than the marketting life would lead you to beliee. My advice, if you're asking, is to choose the aids that work the best to treat the hearing loss, sound the best. If they have an accessible app, fantastic, but don't let the app drive the decision.
Comments
Avoid Phonak
The Phonak app was horrible last time I tried it. The Resound app is good. You can do most things with a little work, however adjusting your hearing aids audio profile (how loud certain frequencies are) is not accessible.
There is a way around this, though. If you contact your hearing care provider they can set up a session through the app, which you can enter fairly easily, and make the adjustments for you. Then they push out a hearing profile that you download. However this is something I haven't been able to do without some messing about.
There's also a slightly odd behaviour within the app. On the main screen, if you are swiping through the available modes, your hearing aids will switch to the indicated mode automatically. But as far as I know, this doesn't happen if you're navigating by touch.
I hope this helps.
Phonak Updates and Other Thoughts
Hello,
In July 2022 Phonak released an update to the MyPhonak app. It is reported to be accessible now.
As for Phonak in general, the pros are they are not mFI (made for iPhone) specific, so easier to pair to other devices for streaming. The cons are since they're not mFI you are kind of stuck using their specific app. Whereas mFI compatible aids can use the controls built into iPhone which are more consistently accessible as they're maintained by Apple.
In general, a good pair of aids will not need to be controlled or configured by an app often. This is more tedious and anoying in day to day life than the marketting life would lead you to beliee. My advice, if you're asking, is to choose the aids that work the best to treat the hearing loss, sound the best. If they have an accessible app, fantastic, but don't let the app drive the decision.