How to use Apple Watch to MFi hearing aids for phone calls... without iPhone present!

If I may and my 2 cents, none of the people in our senior lounge ever goes out with only their Watch and I would restrict the practice for workouts only. Apple advise not leaving cellular on for long periods to save battery and all day hearing aid connection would be unlikely unless you have an Ultra model .

amspectrum wrote:

It IS Apple's fault. What about the Americans with Disabilities Act? It's discrimination.

Apple is not preventing you from using your hearing aids. Apple provides many accessibility features that will allow you to use their devices if you have difficulty hearing. But they are not obligated by the ADA to make your third-party hearing aids work with every device they make.

It is in no way apples fault. The hearing aids are made for iPhone. Not made for apple watch. If you're hearing aids manufacturer is saying that did would work, contact their support and ask them on how to accomplish this

I have Rexton BiCore hearing aids and I also can't call with them from my Apple Watch. I can adjust the settings using my watch, but that is still a remote for my iPhone to say it that way

To further clarify, it appears your saying that you can’t make calls from your Apple Watch without your iPhone. Do you mean that the call can’t be connected on your watch without your iPhone being present OR you just can’t hear or speak (through your hearing aids) during a connected call on your watch without your iPhone being present? There is a difference.

We are protesting here to Apple, the absence of the Low Energy (LE) short-range Bluetooth frequency from the AppleWatch chipset, that iPhones also have. That ‘Accessibility’ capability would allow most hearing aids like Widex to pair, enabling calls and music without the iPhone present. Without that, one needs a ‘bridge’ device across frequencies (like the ComDex necklace), or the phone present. Regular old Bluetooth uses too much power and drains the Watch battery too fast. Maybe some brands of low-cost hearing aids may use old regular Bluetooth. No good reason for Apple not to add Accessibility & LE Bluetooth to its Watch?

No, my apple watch 9 (with eSim card) CAN make telephone calls - without my iPhone 12 being near.

But as it is unable to pair with my hearing aid (!!!), the person at the other end of the call is only heard through the tiny loudspeaker of the watch.

With even the slightest background noise, it is almost impossible to hear, for a person with hearing aids.

What is keeping Apple from finding a software solution ???? - and NOT rubbing it off on the countless hearing aid producers ?

You've got it backwards. To believe Apple can magically make any brand of hearing aid instantly compatible with Apple Watch is not feasible. It's up to the hearing aid manufacturers to make their products compatible with a device. One would think that they'd understand they likely have a lot of users who wear Apple Watch. And they should do something about it. But your supposition Apple needs to fix this is totally flawed. Apple doesn't own then, nor the code used in their devices.

I love your statement about "the countless hearing aid producers." So you think Apple should go out and buy every hearing aid from the countless hearing aid manufacturers, tear them down, try to figure out the code the manufacturer used to program them, then somehow incorporate whatever code was used to make some other companies product compatible with Apple Watch? That's just not going to happen.

That’s like writing that phone companies and computers should radio via any frequency Apple chooses. LE Bluetooth( that most hearing aids use) is a ubiquitous standard like WiFi and cellular…bigger than Apple, so yes it’s their action to adopt it on Apple Watch. And yes Apple developers and marketers read this too, when they want to know why sales fall short of expectations…

Dear LobsterGoast1

"Your supposition Apple needs to fix this is totally flawed" ???

............

After having read about it, newest Apple iPhones are able to pair with most hearing aids !

As I read it, (most ?) hearing aids communicate through a "low energy BlueTooth protocol".

And of course ! Their batteries are small !!!!!

iPhones CAN pair and communicate with them.

Why can´t Apple Watches ??

...

I hope Apple will step up to the plate and develop new software / firmware to Apple Watches !

Or even develop new hardware.

This problem has been known for years now ! (judging from the Appel Communiuty).

(For one thing, the distance between Watch and hearing aid is typically under 60 cm.)

I can't answer why. No one here can answer why. We aren't Apple. We don't work for Apple. We also don't work for the company who made your hearing aids.

You are more than welcome to contact Apple or your hearing aid manufacturer and ask them.

Hi, LobsterGhost1

Of course I got through to a very competent engineer from my hearing aid company. I am an engineer myself.

He had a very balanced and non-judmental take on the problems mentioned in this Apple Community.

I got HIS explanition !

The ONLY reason, I replied to you an extra time, is, that you seemed to "singlesidedlight side with Apple".

(Forgive my English. I am all Danish).

I HAVE contacted "Apple senior supporters". Online and written.

They have NO answers - only they seem to have admitted to having another BlueTooth protocol than most/all of the hearing aid community.

I'm not single siding with anyone. You're asking questions that no one on this forum can answer. This is and always has been a user to user only forum, which Apple doesn't participate in.

I'm glad you got your answer.

I Got New Oticon miniRite T hearing aid MFI Yesterday.

Mye Old healing aid used a streamer around my nack and I loked forward to MFI.

But now I can’t use mye hearing with my Apple Watch as stand alone device.

I often use my Apple Watch as stand alone, jogging, gym, fitness, walking I nature. Now this is no longer an option. I am very disappointed. 😏

I can se this problem has been adressed for long time without apple has solved it. 😏🤔

Hi, I don’t have the cellular watch but all of my watches have the BeMore app on them but I would like to be able to leave my phone in my pocket/bag and be able to answer a call on my watch and have it stream through to my hearing aids GN Resound Ambio S77 however if I answer via the iphone then the call automatically goes to my aids but if I answer on the watch even with the iphone next to it then the call isn’t streamed to my hearing aids, but from what I can see in your post they could?

Watch <--> iPhone using normal bluetooth. iPhone <--> hearing aids using MFi.

Maybe there’s a setting that Ive not set up on my watch etc?

TIA