The start.
Direct streaming via bluetooth to your Android mobile is just around the corner. If you wear a ReSound LiNX Quattro or Beltone Amaze hearing aid there is good news on the horizon. Following a future Android update, you will be able to monitor your hearing aids using your phone. You will also be able to call friends and listen to music or other audio with the sound being feed directly to your hearing aids.
This has been made possible by the development of Google’s Bluetooth low energy spec. which will be marketed as ‘Asha‘ or Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids. According to the company, this will deliver low-latency, high-quality audio with minimal impact on battery life.
The short version.
If that sounded a little technical here is the short version. You will be able to check your hearing aids battery. Adjust its settings and have high-quality sound delivered directly into your assistive hearing device directly from your Android phone. No secondary apps to fettle with and all without draining your batteries.
Google developed Asha in conjunction GN Hearing which explains why their hearing aids will be the first to benefit from this new Android feature. Hoping that other hearing aid companies will soon follow suit.
At stake is a multimillion dollar market. It is currently estimated by the World Health Organization that 466 million people suffer from a disabling hearing loss worldwide. That number is expected to grow to over 900 million by the year 2050. And, it does not take into consideration the number of people who suffer from hearing problems that have not yet reached the point of being disabling. Now, thanks to Asha, Google can tap into that market that in the past has been available only to its number one competitor, Apple.
Apple has long had a similar capability built into its iPhones. This latest development will go a long way towards leveling the playing field between the two companies. Most importantly it will also make it possible for those with hearing aids to have a choice in which phone they choose.
Freedom to choose, better sound and a more convenient life; sounds like a winning combination.