Many of our patients here at Audicles Hearing Services take advantage of the great accessibility feature of iPhones that allow them to pair their hearing aids to their phones via Bluetooth.
When Apple first introduced the feature, it was truly a game-changer for anyone who needs hearing aids – it allows them to use their phone to its full capacity without worrying about hearing loss limitations.
However, since the newest iPhone and the newest operating system update came out (iOS14), our patients and others who use this accessibility feature have encountered several different difficulties in this feature, causing them to question whether they should stay with apple products.
If you’ve encountered some troubles after updating to the most recent iOS or iPhone, you are not alone!
What Is The iOS14 Update Doing To Your Listening Experience?
In fact, so many people have been experiencing it, they rallied around each other in an apple forum thread:
“I have the issue in my Oticon aids, only in the right, only occasionally and not only on a phone call. I had it once just when browsing and not listening to any media – it started spontaneously and ended the same way.”
“I have the new Resound One 9 hearing aids with new iPhone 12 Pro and ios 14.2. The static occurs occasionally when using the iPhone, as well as the TV Streamer or MultiMic, which are activated via the iPhone. It goes back and forth between right and left ears and is very loud and horrible.”
“My Widex Apple compatible hearing aids do not work with my iPhone 12 Pro. Large amount of static and volume changing during conversations. “
As you can see from the forum posts, these issues affect different people in different ways – some get static, some get sound cutting in and out, and others still have difficulties pairing, many having more than one of these issues.
Sound issues like static, difficulty pairing and sound cutting out of one or both sides are reported to be affecting people with many different brands of apple compatible hearing aids, which indicate that the issue does not lie with the hearing aids, but with the Apple operating system or hardware itself.
Moving Forward
While it can be frustrating while it’s happening, software bugs are commonplace in updates, and Apple is very aware of this.
When they catch wind of a bug, they do everything they can to fix it as soon as possible, often by putting out a new update with fixes in place – which they have already done!
If you experienced these bugs, visit this page for instructions on updating your device and getting your hearing aids working with your iPhone again.
This is also a great reminder that if you are in a demographic that relies on technology for things like accessibility, it is prudent to wait to update your device until the bugs are worked out.
It will save much time and frustration! If you have any questions or need help with your Apple-compatible hearing aids, contact us! We are here to help.
