Modern hearing aids made today have evolved with the times and are more advanced than ever before! One of the fairly new and exciting advances in hearing aid technology is the ability to pair the hearing aids to almost any smartphone, including Apple iPhones and nearly all Android devices. Hearing aids and their connection to smartphones provides a long list of benefits and super convenience.
Although there are dozens of positive reasons to use smartphone compatibility, we’ve taken the time to point out 10 amazing benefits for you!
- Apple iPhone-connected hearing aids allow you to make quick hearing aid adjustments with the Apple Hearing Controls. Apple has created a Hearing Control function that can be quickly accessed in your Control Center. For hearing aids paired with the iPhone, this feature lets you adjust hearing aid volume or change memories fast and easy.
- Find missing or misplaced hearing aids. For Starkey hearing aids paired to a smartphone, you can use the Thrive Mobile App to locate misplaced hearing aids. Using a map, the Find My Hearing Aids feature shows you the very last and exact location where the aids were wirelessly connected to the phone. If you are reasonably close to them, this feature shows you when you are getting close to them.
- All of your “Hey Siri” or “OK Google” responses can be heard by the hearing aids. When using voice assistants like Apple’s Siri or Android’s OK Google, you can ask your question and hear the response through your paired hearing aids. So the next time you need to know the weather forecast or find the nearest Pizza place, just ask Siri and listen to her answer through your hearing aids! Be cognizant of the fact that the specific phone and operating systems need to be compatible for streaming directly to Starkey hearing aids.
- Translate languages live to hearing aids. With Starkey’s Evolv AI hearing aids and the Thrive Mobile App, you can have a foreign language translated and streamed in your language right through your hearing aids. This makes communicating with those who speak another language so much easier. Without question, it’s a fantastic feature when traveling!
- Hear that “tone” through your hearing aids when an email, calendar update, text or social media notification occurs. Within the Thrive Mobile App, simply turn on Alerts. Now, every time you receive an email, a text message, a calendar notification or social media update you will hear an unobtrusive audible indicator through your Starkey Evolv AI hearing aids. You will immediately be notified when that important text or update comes through!
- Set reminders for daily, weekly, monthly or yearly events and hear those reminders in the hearing aids. Starkey’s Evolv AI devices allow you to schedule reminders in the Thrive Mobile App by stating your request. Simply “double tap” your Evolv AI device and say something like: “Remind me to go for a walk today at 7:00 PM.” Then, at 6:00 PM you’ll hear a reminder in the hearing aids telling you to go for a walk. This feature can be used for any kind of reminder you want!
- You have the ability to watch movies or TV, streaming the audio directly to your paired hearing aids. Our smartphones have become a common way to view videos, movies and TV. With your hearing aids paired to your smartphone, now whenever you watch something on the phone, the audio is streamed straight to your hearing aids. The hearing aids will automatically switch to a special streaming memory for the best sound quality matched to your specific hearing needs.
- Track and see how many steps you have taken, minutes of exercise you have completed and how often you have stood up per hour. Starkey’s Evolv AI devices have motion sensors built directly into them that can monitor your physical movement. Any and every step you take is counted. Each minute of exercise you complete is recorded. And, each time you get up and walk around is identified. This activity information can be viewed in the Thrive Mobile App allowing you to keep an eye on your physical activity. Tracking this information could very well motivate you to lead a more active lifestyle.
- You can stream high-fidelity, stereo music directly to paired hearing aids, with the ability for you to personalize the sound quality. Anytime you want to listen to your favorite musician, playlist or streaming service, it is streamed directly to your hearing aids. Your hearing aids provide the highest sound quality possible, tuned for your individual hearing loss. Your smartphone-connected hearing aids are the best wireless earbuds available!
- Track how much your brain is being stimulated. It is an absolute proven fact that the number one reason for slowing down cognitive decline is social engagement. Starkey’s Evolv AI devices use artificial intelligence to track your daily hearing aid use, if you are listening to and engaging with speech, and if you are experiencing a variety of listening situations. This information can be viewed in the Thrive Mobile App. Having this information at hand allows you to maximize the benefits of better hearing on your brain!
If you want to experience these features for yourself, we can help. Call (888) 919-6824 or simply click here and we’ll connect you with a hearing professional near you who can demonstrate the latest smartphone-connected hearing aids for you!