By Stephen Pate – Recent rumours say Apple is building the broken link for Apple Watch and hearing loss. Apple Watch and Made For iPhone hearing aid users may be able to stream audio from the Watch.
“One of the other rumors suggests you’ll also be able to connect your hearing aid to your Apple Watch. Exactly how that works remains to be seen.” says TechRadar Apple watchOS 6 update release date, news and leaks.
We should know more after the Apple WWDC June 3 – 7, 2019 when Apple usually announces new operating system features.
Living with the broken link between the Apple Watch and MFI hearing aids
Since the introduction of the Apple Watch, users of Made for iPhone Hearing Aids have been frustrated by the disconnect between the Watch and their ears.
Everytime I get a phone call I put my wrist on my year and yell “Hello! Hello!” It’s sad. If my iPhone is nearby, I ignore the watch and head for the phone, which often means losing the call since I’m not the swiftest person moving around (read wheelchair user).
Broken Promises No Cell Calls With Apple Watch
If you use MFI Hearing Aids, you cannot hear phone calls or stream audio to those devices. For people with hearing loss, trying to hear calls on the Apple Watch tiny speaker is impossible if not bordering on cruel.
Recently, Phonak announced they will have hearing aids that allow for streaming from any Bluetooth device. However, Phonak clarified this connectivity by excluding the Apple Watch. Android is catching up to Apple’s technology, once the most advanced for people who use hearing aids.
Apple Watch OS6 coming this fall
The rumours are based on a Bloomberg article Apple to Reveal New Home-Grown Apps, Software Features at WWDC which states “There will be a section for “hearing health,” like how loud you play music on your headphones or the loudness of the external environment,” in Apple iPhone iOS13.
“Apple is planning to better integrate hearing aid support,” Bloomberg follows on the Watch OS6 update, “will have a more comprehensive Accessibility settings menu on the main page of the Settings app.”
“There will be one that shows the status of audio books, another showing the battery life of hearing aids, and others that measure external noise and rain data.”
This makes sense since the current Watch OS5 setup has no Accessibility Settings for MFI Hearing Aids. The normal Bluetooth connectivity does not work for hearing aids.
MFI Hearing Aids are not included in the Apple WatchOS 5 Setup
Apple’s WorldWide Developer Conference starts on June 3, 2019 and Apple is expected to present a Beta of Apple Watch OS6 and iOS13 at the conference with the rumoured Watch hearing connectivity.
Apple Watch owners with hearing loss wait with eager anticipation.
In the meantime, is anyone finding connectivity between their iPhone and MFI Hearing Aids flakey since AirPlay 2? My OPNs are constantly disconnecting overnight or for no reason whatsoever.
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