Bluetooth Hearing Aids: Setup and Troubleshooting

The world changes a little more each day, and there has never been a better time to take advantage of it, as new technologies proliferate. In terms of technical progress, it feels like every time you open your browser, a new article announces a major breakthrough. In medical technology, hearing aids have long been at the forefront. These remarkable devices come in many shapes and sizes, but all are precisely tuned to help you perceive frequencies you naturally struggle to hear. A rapidly evolving technologyThe history of hearing aids is long. Ever since humans have suffered from hearing loss, there has been a quest to create technologies capable of remedying it. As early as the 13th century, records show hollow tubes being used by the hard of hearing to capture frequencies that eluded them. With each generation, the world of hearing technology experiences new advancements, and it continues to develop even today. Thomas Edison, who was hard of hearing himself, invented a device that amplified telephone sound by about 15 decibels. This device had a limited effect on true hearing impairments, but it paved the way for what we now call modern hearing aids. The 20th century saw immense progress in hearing technology: from Thomas Edison's amplifier to vacuum tube hearing aids, then to electronic transistors. These advances ultimately led to the transition from analog to digital. As they evolved, hearing aids followed certain trends in terms of size, power, and connectivity. More and more devices are designed and presented as "invisible" once worn. Their power source has also constantly evolved to require less and less maintenance. CLARIA, for example, offers rechargeable hearing aids. Hearing aids are also becoming increasingly connected thanks to a recent advancement: Bluetooth technology. This uses radio waves to allow devices to communicate with each other, safely and without interfering with other frequencies. This technology is well-established and widely used across devices, regardless of brand or origin. Most devices you buy integrate Bluetooth, as this experience is reliable and widespread. Why Bluetooth? If your hearing aid is Bluetooth-compatible, how can it improve your hearing? Listening to music Your hearing aid is specially designed to help you recognize and understand frequencies that have become difficult to perceive. This is due to how your ears work: the organ of hearing houses very sensitive structures that respond to precise frequencies at certain decibel levels. Once the frequencies that pose a problem for you are identified, your hearing aid helps you perceive them. For music, slipping on a pair of earbuds or putting headphones over your ears won't necessarily improve your listening if some frequencies elude you more than others. However, your Bluetooth hearing aids allow you to hear the music around you. Control One of Bluetooth's great assets is the ability to control your devices wirelessly. A few general rules need to be known for setting up and troubleshooting your Bluetooth hearing aids. If your hearing aids are connected to your phone via Bluetooth and the manufacturer has developed an application that acts as a control center, you can adjust the volume and a multitude of other settings wirelessly. This is a significant advantage, regardless of the size of your hearing aids: manually adjusting these settings can quickly become tedious. Setting up your Bluetooth hearing aids Bluetooth is a proven platform, used by all kinds of technologies, manufacturers, and producers. There are therefore universal methods for using it, regardless of the hardware. Whether you use an iPhone or an Android device, a PC or a MAC, the systems are similar. Here are some general rules to guide you. Check that all devices are turned on and that Bluetooth is enabled You can test your device's Bluetooth capabilities by ensuring all your devices are on, sufficiently charged, and that the Bluetooth option is enabled. Bluetooth can be seen as a universal feature, independent of brands. Like Wi-Fi, if your device can connect via Bluetooth, it's very likely that you can enable or disable it. iPhone and Android devices, among others, have a control center that groups general settings. Bluetooth activation and deactivation are usually found in the settings. Once you've verified that both devices are on, you can proceed to the next step. Pairing your devices If you have never paired your Bluetooth device with another, a few steps are necessary. After ensuring the device is on and in pairing mode, its name should appear in the pairing menu. As soon as it appears, select it to establish the connection. For devices previously paired, most technologies maintain a dedicated list of known devices. Your devices generally remember previous pairings, which saves you from reconfiguring everything every time you use them. What to do when it doesn't work: universal troubleshooting steps As reliable as technology is, it sometimes isn't as much as we'd like. Whether you take out your phone to connect it to your hearing aids only to find its battery is almost dead, or you're simply struggling to set up Bluetooth: the wonderful tools technology offers sometimes need a little attention and troubleshooting to work. Bluetooth can be considered a universal feature, regardless of brand, manufacturer, or device type. Troubleshooting, however, varies depending on the hardware you have. If you're having trouble connecting your hearing aids to the desired devices, take a deep breath and follow these tips. Check that your devices are sufficiently charged Bluetooth consumes battery. Not only will you notice its impact on the battery life of both devices during use, but you may also encounter connection problems if the charge is insufficient. This can result in a device turning off shortly after connecting, or even being unable to connect at all. Simply plug your devices into a charging station, then repeat the procedure. Pairing problems When you can't connect your device at all, or maintain the connection, it's a pairing problem. This means your devices are struggling to recognize each other. Here are some quick and simple steps to follow in this case. Start by checking that Bluetooth is enabled and functional on both devices. Once this is established, open the menu of the device you are connecting through and see if the desired hearing aids appear there. Look for their name in the device you are trying to pair them with. If this name does not appear in the pairing menu, disable Bluetooth then re-enable it. If you see the name of the device you want to connect to but the connection fails, try to "forget" it to remove it from your connection menu. This option is usually accessible by selecting the hearing aids in the pairing menu and then choosing "unpair." Once this is done, pair your devices again. Turn off, then turn back on If nothing else works, restart both devices and start from scratch. A full reset is sometimes necessary to re-establish the connection when other steps have failed. Bluetooth hearing aids: coming soon At CLARIA, we are currently developing our very first line of over-the-counter Bluetooth hearing aids. "The advent of Bluetooth technology has been a game-changer for hearing aid wearers." - Drew Sutton, MD, board-certified ENT specialist. The most important thing when troubleshooting your Bluetooth devices is to stay calm and follow these steps to successfully connect to your hearing aids. If problems persist, consult your healthcare professional or contact the device manufacturer: these difficulties are common. To learn more, CLARIA remains your reference for staying informed about affordable hearing aids and available resources. Sources: Hearing Aid History: From Ear Trumpets to Digital Technology – EMBS Thomas Edison | Gallaudet University Mobile Device Tips: What is Bluetooth? | GCF Global

Bluetooth Hearing Aids: Setup and Troubleshooting

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