In a competitive hearing care market, the technology you recommend defines the value of your clinical service, especially with all the innovations that have come to the market over the past few years.
We now have hearing aids that are waterproof, snap into charging cases, use AI to address noisy environments, and monitor clients’ health. It surely can’t be long before they’ll make a cup of tea and predict the lottery numbers(!)
Recommending Auracast-enabled devices is not just about “latest and greatest” marketing; it is about ensuring clients are future-proofed for a technology that is arriving worldwide today. With many hearing aids expected to have a five-year lifespan and Auracast adoption widespread over that time, not fitting an Auracast-enabled hearing aid will limit their options.
Of course, the caveat is that it is important to fit clients with the right hearing aid for their hearing loss. However, with Starkey, GN, and Oticon all getting behind Auracast across their range, it is more than likely that an Auracast-enabled hearing aid will fit the bill.
Auracast is easy to use
Once clients understand how to connect to an Auracast, they will appreciate how easy and straightforward it is.
They connect using Auracast Assistant – Starkey, GN, and Oticon all have this built into the hearing aid app installed on the client’s mobile phone. All they have to do is press the Auracast Assistant app and select the Auracast they want to join.
Because the stream is displayed in the Auracast Assistant, there is no ambiguity about whether the Auracast is working or not. Clients have certainty … and clarity in what they are hearing.
Auracast helps solve the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) Problem
Even the most advanced AI-driven directional microphones are limited by the laws of physics. Once a speaker is more than two metres away, reverberation and background noise begin to degrade the signal, making it hard to hear.
Here is where Auracast can help: it bypasses the room’s acoustics entirely, delivering a pure, digital signal directly from the source (such as a microphone or TV) to the patient’s ear.
This can provide an SNR advantage of up to +20dB … and really help clients to hear.
Brand-agnostic TV streaming
Historically, patients had to buy proprietary TV streamers for their specific hearing aid brand. If they upgrade to a different brand, they would have to buy a whole new set of additional equipment.
With Auracast, a single, affordable third-party transmitter connected to a TV will work with any Auracast-enabled device. It is also possible to buy televisions with Auracast built in as standard, eliminating the need to buy a streamer.
This simplifies the home setup and makes your technical support much easier.
More products are coming to the market, including Auracast-enabled hi-fis, record players, and radios.
Creating an Auracast life
Being able to connect directly to an unlimited number of Auracast-enabled devices with a few taps means people can create their own ecosystem. Clients can do more with Auracast than any previous assistive listening system.
If they are struggling to hear someone in the car, on a walking tour, or in a restaurant, they can use an Auracast-enabled microphone about the size of a postage stamp to capture the voice and transmit it directly to the hearing aid.
Table microphones can do a similar job in meetings.
Windows 11 laptops are being released with Bluetooth LE Audio available. It’s quick and easy to check if a laptop is compatible with hearing aids – in the Windows 11 search box at the bottom of the screen, all people need to do is type ‘hearing devices’. Windows will then display a message as to whether it can pair to hearing aids or not.
Google and Samsung are two manufacturers who are getting behind Auracast in a big way, creating Auracast Assistant apps in their phones: the Samsung Galaxy family have them, as do Pixel 9 and 10.
As Android 16 rolls out, more phones will be able to support Auracast Assistants.
Enhancing patient autonomy
Auracast is empowering in a way that patients have not experienced before.
For example, they will no longer need to find the “loop zone” or wait at a reception desk to borrow a listening device. They can just turn up and tune in. Don’t want to listen? Just turn off the Auracast from the Assistant app and carry on.
This reduced “barrier to entry” for assistive listening leads to higher engagement and significantly higher patient satisfaction rates.
A good example of this Auracast life is the trials of Auracast at Frankfurt Airport. Two gates have been kitted out with the technology, meaning anyone can tap into gate announcements – no more missed planes and reduced anxiety for those who currently struggle to hear the announcements.
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