Remote Microphone Improves Communication for Hearing Aid Wearers

Most hearing aid manufacturers have compatible Remote Microphones that can be paired to your hearing aids (or a love one’s hearing aids). This allows a microphone to be clipped to a shirt near the speaker’s mouth, or placed centrally on a table to send the conversation back to the hearing aid.

Great examples of remote microphone uses include:

• Placing the Remote Microphone on a lecturer with a large audience so the wearer can hear the lecturer through their hearing aids directly. This is effective for university students in large lecture halls.
  
  
• Placing the Remote Microphone in the middle of a conference table so the presenter (or a participant) can hear the questions being asked.
  
  
• Parents wearing Remote Microphones so they can talk directly to their children when out and about.
  
  
• People visiting the elderly can wear Remote Microphones to improve conversation with their loved one (which helps to improve their quality of life, as communication is so important to a person’s well-being).
  
  

Live Listen Feature for iPhone

If you have iPhone compatible hearing devices (Made For iPhone, or MFi), your iPhone has a built-in remote microphone feature called “Live Listen.”

When you pair your hearing aids to the iPhone (Settings > General > Accessibility > MFi Hearing Devices), scroll to the bottom and you will see “Live Listen” and its description.

• Live Listen is most easily opened by using the Accessibility Shortcut – by pressing the Home button on the bottom front of the iPhone three times; on the iPhone X and later by triple clicking the side button.
  
  
• This will bring up the options for adjusting your hearing devices including “Live Listen.”
  
  
• Simply tap “Live Listen” and your phone becomes a Remote Microphone. Place it near the speaker you are trying to hear better, and the iPhone mic will pick up and send the sound back to your hearing devices.
  
  
• A person could also hold your phone like a microphone and you will hear their voice in your hearing aids.
  
  

Remote Microphone Through Bluetooth

If you don’t have an iPhone, or Made-For-iPhone hearing aids, you may still be able to use your mobile phone (iPhone or Android) as a remote microphone, using Bluetooth connectivity. Of course, to use this feature your hearing devices need to be equipped with Bluetooth.

Use Remote Microphone to Improve Your Communication

Remote microphones for hearing aids are available to improve communication between spouses, parents and children, at doctor’s appointments, in lecture halls, board rooms, religious services, etc.

Take advantage of the remote microphone – and other features of your hearing aid to improve your hearing and make your life easier.

By Dr. Linda E. Himler, Doctor of Audiology, Ascent Audiology & Hearing