Q: iPhone 6 app causing squeal in Costco hearing aids
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Feb 25, 2016 8:49 AMby OldGnome,I can understand how disconcerting such a sound can be. I get that kind of sound when I put my hands too close to the hearing aid microphones. It is not pleasant.
Since the problem occurs with the hearing aids, you should return to the fitting audiologist and have them checked. The problem could be either in the hearing aids or the app. Both are the responsibility of the vendor, not Apple.
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Feb 25, 2016 8:52 AMby Pmintz25,I am not familiar with the app so this could be a long shot...does it use Bluetooth to communicate with the hearing aids?
Can you use the hearing aids without this app to test? I'm thinking if you turn Bluetooth off on your iPhone it may help. Obviously if the app uses bluetooth then that may not be the correct option. Perhaps there is a setting within the app to "forget" the iPhone.
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Feb 25, 2016 9:31 AMby martyfrosch,Agreed, that it is the responsibility of the vendor. But if others had encountered this problem, and found a solution, I would be way ahead.
The squeal is not the feedback noise you hear when you place your hand next to the hearing aid. It is much louder, unbearable in fact, and does not go away. I have made another appointment with the Costco audiologist -- but I suspect it is a problem with the App, and she is not a software engineer.
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Feb 25, 2016 9:37 AMby martyfrosch,I've spent about a week troubleshooting this problem. The first time it occurred, the squealing persisted for three days, whether or not I had opened the app, even after waiting overnight with the battery doors opened. When it went away, I couldn't do much, until last night when Miles Davis set it off again. Yes, the app uses Bluetooth to communicate with the hearing aids. An obvious next step would be to turn off Bluetooth, and even deinstall the app, then reinstall it and see if the problem persists. However, since I am in the first 6 weeks of using these hearing aids, I'd rather be able to demonstrate the problem to the audiologist. If I "solve" it now, and then it recurs after another 6 weeks, I might face a long process of problem determination and resolution.
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Feb 25, 2016 9:44 AMby OldGnome,If it is indeed a problem with the app, the audiologist will have (or at least should have) a way to communicate the nature of the problem back into his/her organization for further troubleshooting. I wear Starkey's and have been able to contact their "tech support" (they don't call it that) to report problems with the software. However, they were willing to talk with me. I do not know if the developer of the Costco app will, and they may not even work for Costco.
I agree that if a solution had been found, it would appear here. Your initial message didn't give any information on what you had already tried, so I started at the beginning.
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Feb 25, 2016 10:47 AMby martyfrosch,Many thanks. I'll go the Costco route. The app vendor is another company, and the audiologist will give me an 800 number. I expect a few go ''rounds with them -- "nobody else has this problem" etc. I at least was able to get a pic with another digital camera, showing the "iPhone" program in their app. We shall see.
The tricky part will be to reproduce the problem so she can see it. I guess I'll crank up Miles Davis just before I leave and see if I can set the thing off.
