Q:  watch and Starkey Halo's

From what I have read, connecting the watch should not interrupt any other function. Where you have your audio directed on the phone should not change because of the watch. However, the Halo manufacturer should be able to answer some of your questions regarding compatibility of he device. Since the device has not been actually released yet, technical specs and certain other information is not readily accessible yet. I would think that it is going to be like any other Bluetooth device and the Halos should work. Again, this is my opinion. And for your sake I hope they work since you pre-ordered a device without having that information.

I've been playing with the Apple Watch for a few days and it does direct the phone's audio to play through the Halos. It's handy to be able to play and stop audio from the watch instead of having to take the phone out of your pocket.

What I have not tested yet is playing music on the watch when the phone is not around. I don't know whether the watch is capable of pairing with the Halos independently.

PS - The watch version of the Trulink App is called xF for some reason, so look for that when installing apps on the watch.

I just got my watch on Tuesday and have not been able to bluetooth from the watch to the Starkey's.  It searches but never finds the devices.  I even spent an hour with Apple Care this morning and they could not get it to work.  Any tips on how you were able to do it?

I haven't been able to pair directly with the watch, but if the phone is paired, audio played via the watch does cause the phone to stream to the Starkeys.

Mine doesn't.  They work great on the iPhone 6.  When I answer the iPhone it streams right to the Starkeys.  But if I try to answer the phone on the watch, it goes to the watch speaker.  The Trulink app is on the watch and it will adjust the audio etc.  But no streaming to the hearing aids has occurred.   I can answer on the watch and ask people to hold while I then transfer to the iPhone and the Starkeys are streaming. 

I have used it mostly for music and podcasts, so I hadn't noticed the problem with phone calls. Hopefully they'll fix that in an update.

Good data point.  I checked and mine also automatically stream music to the devices.  So why it won't stream the phone audio is a real mystery.  I have an open issue with Apple right now and will call Starkey tomorrow to see if they have any insight.  If we get it working, I'll post.  It sounds like it's an Apple issue, not a Starkey issue.  We'll see.... 

Thanks. I too will post if I get more info.

Just figured out something that might be of help to others. The Trulink app (xF) does not work in Glances at this point. However, if you

choose “Resume Previous Activity” in Settings/General/Activate on Wrist Raise, and open the app, it wll persist and be available whenever you raise your wrist. (If you want to see the watch face instea, a double click of the Digital Crown will switch back and forth betwen the watch face and the app). Of course, using any other app in between will require that Trulink be opened again to restore this behavior.

I spoke with Starkey and they verified that you can stream music and podcasts to the Halos, as well as control volume, memories, etc from the watch app, but you cannot get the phone call audio.  They said it was an Apple issue.  I then spoke with Apple and they will send a request to the Apple engineers to look into the issue.  Fingers crossed.....

Hi Marc,

You should be able to answer calls from your watch and stream the audio directly to your hearing aids as long as your phone is nearby. Halo hearing aids and the Apple Watch work together via the TruLink app and iPhone devices. For more information please visit the Halo manufacturer blog on Halo and Apple Watch here: http://www.starkey.com/blog/2015/04/halo-and-apple-watch-now-compatible

Comment on the blog with any further questions, and I will do my best to help you.

Sincerely,

Sarah

Hi TedCD,

Right now the Watch and Halos do not pair independently and require the phone to do so. However, you can do the following directly via the Apple Watch:

• Control volume easily and effortlessly in any environment
• Change memories to personalized settings
• Mute hearing aid microphones

For more information on what capabilities Halo and Apple Watch have together, please visit http://www.starkey.com/blog/2015/04/halo-and-apple-watch-now-compatible.

Just to be clear, when I answer a phone call from my iPhone 6 it streams to my hearing aides.  When I answer a call on my watch, it will NOT stream to the hearing aides.  I have to 'transfer' the call to the phone before the audio will stream to the hearing aides.