Made for iPhone hearing aids can now pair with Mac; customized audio, too

As part of a flurry of new accessibility improvements announced by Apple today, the company says that Made for iPhone hearing aids can pair directly with Macs for the first time. Previously, pairing was only available with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Compatible products already support pairing with more than one Apple device, so this move should make it much easier for people who use both Macs and iOS devices …

iPhone News - 16-05-2023 14:30

Made for iPhone hearing aids

Made for iPhone (MFi) hearing devices effectively combine the functionality of hearing aids and AirPods. They allow people with hearing impairment to switch seamlessly from listening to their environment, to listening to their devices. Phone calls, FaceTime, Music, Siri, and other content is all supported.

In some cases, MFi hearing aids will switch automatically from ambient listening to your Apple device, such as when you receive an incoming call on your iPhone, or starting to play a movie on an iPad.

Settings allow you to configure your MFi hearing devices on your iPhone, and now on your Mac. This includes choosing an audio preset, adjusting volume levels, and turning on Live Listen.

MFi pairing with Macs

Apple doesn’t provide much detail on this, including just a single bullet point in its accessibility news release:

Deaf or hard-of-hearing users can pair Made for iPhone hearing devices directly to Mac and customize them for their hearing comfort

However, the reference to the “customizing” feature does suggest that connecting to a Mac will allow greater control over the audio experience. While an iPhone allows you to choose between different audio presets, this wording indicates the ability to fine-tune the audio output to your own needs and preferences.

Mac compatibility

The small print says that users will be able to pair Made for iPhone hearing devices with “select” Mac devices with an M1 chip, and all Mac devices with an M2 chip.

We’ll need to wait for further details on M1 Mac support.

Hearing device compatibility

Around 200 devices are supported, from 40 different brands.

Those marked with an asterisk additionally support bidirectional streaming, which allows users to talk hands-free through their hearing aid microphones. This feature requires iOS 15.2 and later on iPhones and iPads; Macs will require some version of Ventura.

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