Listen to videos, audiobooks, podcasts, and music on your Android phone via your hearing devices! Hearing instruments will soon be able to directly stream to Android, allowing for the ability to transmit live audio from a mobile device to your hearing aids. This feature is available on the upcoming Android 10, the latest operating system created by Google, with the Starkey Livios.
Android 10 specifically includes a protocol allowing for low energy Bluetooth streaming to hearing aids. Considering that many hearing instrument providers use high energy Bluetooth and only stream to one side, this is a significant improvement in direct streaming capabilities. High-energy Bluetooth creates a significant battery drain for both hearing aids and the smartphone itself. The upcoming low energy solution that is launching with the Starkey Livios and Android 10 will utilize low energy, making it easier on both hearing aid batteries as well as smartphone batteries, and allows for streaming to both sides at once.
Android 10 will likely launch on Google devices early next year, along with other major manufacturers. Starkey will update the compatibility list as major manufacturers launch Android 10 to specifically ensure the streaming protocol is included and compatible with each smartphone manufacturer’s phone build, and Android 10 version.
Because Android has always been an “open platform”, meaning that every smartphone manufacturer has the ability to add their software features to their versions of the operating system, Starkey will continue to ensure the hearing aid streaming protocol is included in each major manufacturer launch of Android 10.
Evergreen Speech & Hearing Clinic strives to make you an informed hearing consumer. For more information on when the Android 10 operating system will be available on different devices, check out the link below.