How do you feel about audio technology in your life? Do you rely on physical media to play music, such as records, cassettes, or CDs? Or, are you the type to stream music from your smartphone to a Bluetooth speaker or headphones, taking advantage of the latest the tech sector has to offer? If you fall more into the first group, you might not be quick to seek out Bluetooth connectivity in your hearing aids. Indeed, adding more features to a device can become confusing, and you might want to keep it simple with just a few options to control. Having too many things to remember in your devices can feel annoying, so you might want to keep it simple. Even for those who are keeping their devices as simple as possible, Bluetooth connectivity can be an important option to consider. Any new technology can be judged by its ability to simplify life rather than complicate it. Rather than adding another worry to the process of hearing assistance, you will want to integrate options that make your life easier, and Bluetooth can be one of those technologies. Let’s take a look at the ways that Bluetooth connectivity can simplify your life and make your hearing aids more user friendly rather than more complicated.
Bluetooth and Streaming Audio
When you use Bluetooth connectivity to send audio to your hearing aids, they can become quite like a pair of earbuds. Rather than sending audio into the acoustic environment of the air and then amplifying that sound, you can bypass the background noise of your space and send that sound directly to your ears. In the case of music, audiobooks, podcasts, and sound for video or television, this process can be quite beneficial. For instance, if you play the television in a noisy room with kids playing and other people speaking, it can still be difficult to make out what is happening on screen, even with hearing aids. Sending that audio directly to your hearing aids can eliminate that confusion. One of the best life-simplifying features of Bluetooth connectivity is to send the audio for phone calls directly to your aids. When you try to hold a phone up to your ears with hearing aids in place, that connection can create feedback, muffling, and other annoying sounds. Instead of holding your phone up to your hearing aids, you can bypass that process with Bluetooth connectivity. Phone notifications are particularly beneficial in this process, and you won’t need to miss another text message due to not hearing the beep.
Adjusting Your Aids with Bluetooth
Bluetooth connectivity also makes it possible to adjust the settings on your hearing aids directly through your smartphone. In the past, most hearing aids had a single dial to control the volume. Although this might seem like a simple solution, it came with several problems. First, you had to remove your hearing aids to adjust that volume, making it impossible to check if the sound was right while making the adjustment. Particularly if you found yourself at a party or other social event, making these adjustments was a clunky process. In addition, having only a single setting on your hearing aids had the effect of raising the level of background noise as well as the sound of voices at the same time. Bluetooth makes it possible to use an app on your smartphone to change the settings in your aids wherever you are. These settings are not limited to the overall volume but also include the relationship between high and low sounds, otherwise known as equalization. You can also use settings to reduce background noise and other features that affect audio quality. With these options in mind, you might be newly open to the possibility of Bluetooth connectivity in your next hearing aids.
If you are still concerned that adding this feature will complicate things rather than simplify them, don’t hesitate to contact one of our hearing health professionals to talk through your concerns. We can see if Bluetooth connectivity is right for you or if there are other solutions to your hearing needs that will suit your individual hearing profile and unique features of your lifestyle.