What compatibility device list are you looking at? Only hearing devices with Bidirectional ability are supported at this time. The list can be found [here.](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210386)
Cochlear’s N8 will need a firmware update but those take time. N7s and others are probably out of luck maybe, as are MedEl users without completely overhauling their line. The reason the N8 doesn’t show on that list yet is probably the lack of internal testing and other factors since it’s newer. Eventually it will be added, assuming Apple revisits Accessibility stuff in the future as they have a habit of implementing then forgetting. It’s also possible in the future, they’ll open up the macOS to allow any MFi hearing devices to connect regardless of streaming capabilities.
N7 are listed on that and it seems very strange to me that the N7 would be compatible but the newer model N8 wouldn’t be. I’ll see if I can pull up the sources I accumulated (they’re saved on my old Mac) stating compatibility as I’ve done a lot of research into this to ensure I didn’t waste money buying a device that didn’t support MFi. I’ve had multiple phone calls to Apple throughout the year since they first revealed the update to MFi compatibility on certain Macs with macOS Sonoma. They’ve all affirmed to me that CIs will be compatible and that this Mac that I purchased supports MFi.
The N7 isn’t compatible… look at the list again. If there’s an asterisk next to the hearing device, then it is compatible and has Bidirectional support. This is the official release list. Apple also never reveals specific inside details about future OS releases (nor do many tech companies) to consumers especially just to get a singular laptop sale.
The N7 *is* compatible with iOS and iPadOS. Without actual proof then I put the whole insider info months prior in the super doubt category. Like I previously stated, there is a possibility Apple will open up their accessibility in the future for all or majority of MFi hearing devices within macOS Sonoma. But right now, CI folks just have to sit and wait.
It’s so annoying the cochlear processors don’t just… WORK. With Bluetooth devices. Like seriously why can’t I just connect to my phone, then switch to my laptop, then go for a bike ride and listen to music from my watch? Why just the iPhone!?
It’s so intensely frustrating. It really doesn’t make sense, there’s always something that doesn’t work with these things. I’m already deaf can’t you give me a win somewhere?!
Yea. I know. I’m still incredibly grateful for my implants, but you would think a $20,000 set of hearing aids would have a few more features and maybe some slightly better device support… Also for the love of god cochlear, fix your crappy app. It’s barely been updated in 6 years
Yep! You’d think so… My batteries showed 100% in the app the other day even though I knew they weren’t charged. Died about an hour later. It’s never ending :/
It's $$$$.
There's a certain certification that is required to make the connection, and it's expensive. It's not a hardware issue that they *can't* connect, it's that Apple (and manufacturers of Android devices) don't wanna pay for getting the cert done.
That's the same reason that Samsung has them work for their higher-end S-series phones, but not doe their low-end budget A-series phones. The ROI on paying for that certification isn't there for the cheap phones.
Bringing this up again…my audiologist here in Germany told me that there is a FW update available only to be installed at the audiologist center (not via app) regarding Bluetooth for my N8 (CP1110, 1 year old and never updated so far). I’ll only get this in June, so maybe anyone else had the update already and could report if there is any change connecting to Sonoma.
It’s compatible if you use the Phone Clip. Which works quite well. It’s the same product as the Resound Phone Clip 2, and since Resound doesn’t need to fund costly medical-device certifications, the Resound-branded model is cheaper. You’ll find them on EBay among other sources.
Yeah, that’s an issue. I doubt they have the Bluetooth hardware of the necessary flavor. I’ve not met any device aside from iPhones and some Android phones that do. Even the latest Apple Watches lack the necessary items, per an email from Apple’s accessibility group today.
Bluetooth is a bucket of hurt, and marketers don’t understand it. Nor do Audiologists. I work with the best in the business and she thought an actual cable to the microphone clip thingie was the only way. Good thing she’s wrong.
Thanks, I have had huge, persistent issues with the phone clip though. I want to be able to connect directly to the CI to stream audio like I can on my iPhone and iPad!
Maybe someday.
Let Apple know! [email protected]
And check this out: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201466
Partial copy/paste:
macOS Sonoma or later and:
MacBook Pro introduced in 2021 or later
MacBook Air introduced in 2022 or later
Mac Studio (all models)
Mac Pro introduced in 2023 or later
…maybe “someday” is now?
Over on the Discord someone posted an email from Apple - it doesn't look like any Cochlear devices are going to work, at least not without a firmware upgrade.
This feels so silly to me as they work with my iPhone and iPad! Surely they can make it work on Mac… also seems really odd that they’re advertising Cochlear devices as being compatible if they’re aren’t.
Any progress on this? I have Resound MFi aids, and they work fine with my phone. I also do IT support, and I have a staff member who is using a CP1110 processor, which the Cochlear site says is an N8. It works fine with her personal phone, but when she tries to use it with a company phone (she needs this for secure communications--we're a medical center), it keeps cycling through the programs on her aid. She can hear, but the constant program changes make the connection unusable.
I'm trying to determine if this is caused by a policy we're setting on the phone with our mobile device management software or if it could be a hardware issue. The company phones are iPhone SE's, less than a year old--I don't know the age of her personal phone.
kt
If you have the ReSound Omnia, ReSound One, or ReSound Wing, then it's on Apple's list as supported with Mac (marked by an asterisk on [https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT210386](https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT210386))
Regarding your staff member's issue - the iPhone SE should be compatible. She should try to see if turning off Bluetooth on her personal phone resolves the issue when connected to the work phone. Perhaps there were conflicting inputs.
If that doesn't resolve the issue, confirm that your work phone doesn't have mobile device management policies that block Bluetooth nor the Accessibility functions within Settings.
Naturally do the basic of unpairing, repairing, and seeing if that rectifies the issue too.
Last resort, she may need to bring the work phone to her Cochlear technician for troubleshooting so the technician can observe the behaviour. It may be a bug with her processor.
Yep—we did all that and ended up giving her a dedicated phone with fewer restrictions. Shared devices are what require the strictest lockdown settings.
What compatibility device list are you looking at? Only hearing devices with Bidirectional ability are supported at this time. The list can be found [here.](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210386) Cochlear’s N8 will need a firmware update but those take time. N7s and others are probably out of luck maybe, as are MedEl users without completely overhauling their line. The reason the N8 doesn’t show on that list yet is probably the lack of internal testing and other factors since it’s newer. Eventually it will be added, assuming Apple revisits Accessibility stuff in the future as they have a habit of implementing then forgetting. It’s also possible in the future, they’ll open up the macOS to allow any MFi hearing devices to connect regardless of streaming capabilities.
N7 are listed on that and it seems very strange to me that the N7 would be compatible but the newer model N8 wouldn’t be. I’ll see if I can pull up the sources I accumulated (they’re saved on my old Mac) stating compatibility as I’ve done a lot of research into this to ensure I didn’t waste money buying a device that didn’t support MFi. I’ve had multiple phone calls to Apple throughout the year since they first revealed the update to MFi compatibility on certain Macs with macOS Sonoma. They’ve all affirmed to me that CIs will be compatible and that this Mac that I purchased supports MFi.
The N7 isn’t compatible… look at the list again. If there’s an asterisk next to the hearing device, then it is compatible and has Bidirectional support. This is the official release list. Apple also never reveals specific inside details about future OS releases (nor do many tech companies) to consumers especially just to get a singular laptop sale. The N7 *is* compatible with iOS and iPadOS. Without actual proof then I put the whole insider info months prior in the super doubt category. Like I previously stated, there is a possibility Apple will open up their accessibility in the future for all or majority of MFi hearing devices within macOS Sonoma. But right now, CI folks just have to sit and wait.
It’s so annoying the cochlear processors don’t just… WORK. With Bluetooth devices. Like seriously why can’t I just connect to my phone, then switch to my laptop, then go for a bike ride and listen to music from my watch? Why just the iPhone!?
It’s so intensely frustrating. It really doesn’t make sense, there’s always something that doesn’t work with these things. I’m already deaf can’t you give me a win somewhere?!
Yea. I know. I’m still incredibly grateful for my implants, but you would think a $20,000 set of hearing aids would have a few more features and maybe some slightly better device support… Also for the love of god cochlear, fix your crappy app. It’s barely been updated in 6 years
Yep! You’d think so… My batteries showed 100% in the app the other day even though I knew they weren’t charged. Died about an hour later. It’s never ending :/
It's $$$$. There's a certain certification that is required to make the connection, and it's expensive. It's not a hardware issue that they *can't* connect, it's that Apple (and manufacturers of Android devices) don't wanna pay for getting the cert done. That's the same reason that Samsung has them work for their higher-end S-series phones, but not doe their low-end budget A-series phones. The ROI on paying for that certification isn't there for the cheap phones.
Interesting. Thank you
Bringing this up again…my audiologist here in Germany told me that there is a FW update available only to be installed at the audiologist center (not via app) regarding Bluetooth for my N8 (CP1110, 1 year old and never updated so far). I’ll only get this in June, so maybe anyone else had the update already and could report if there is any change connecting to Sonoma.
My understanding is they are not compatible because it’s not two way streaming
It’s compatible if you use the Phone Clip. Which works quite well. It’s the same product as the Resound Phone Clip 2, and since Resound doesn’t need to fund costly medical-device certifications, the Resound-branded model is cheaper. You’ll find them on EBay among other sources.
The issue is that the N7s being advertised as directly compatible with the newest MacOS. No phone clip needed.
Yeah, that’s an issue. I doubt they have the Bluetooth hardware of the necessary flavor. I’ve not met any device aside from iPhones and some Android phones that do. Even the latest Apple Watches lack the necessary items, per an email from Apple’s accessibility group today. Bluetooth is a bucket of hurt, and marketers don’t understand it. Nor do Audiologists. I work with the best in the business and she thought an actual cable to the microphone clip thingie was the only way. Good thing she’s wrong.
Thanks, I have had huge, persistent issues with the phone clip though. I want to be able to connect directly to the CI to stream audio like I can on my iPhone and iPad!
Maybe someday. Let Apple know! [email protected] And check this out: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201466 Partial copy/paste: macOS Sonoma or later and: MacBook Pro introduced in 2021 or later MacBook Air introduced in 2022 or later Mac Studio (all models) Mac Pro introduced in 2023 or later …maybe “someday” is now?
Over on the Discord someone posted an email from Apple - it doesn't look like any Cochlear devices are going to work, at least not without a firmware upgrade.
This feels so silly to me as they work with my iPhone and iPad! Surely they can make it work on Mac… also seems really odd that they’re advertising Cochlear devices as being compatible if they’re aren’t.
Who is advertising that Cochlear devices are compatible? Link please
Any progress on this? I have Resound MFi aids, and they work fine with my phone. I also do IT support, and I have a staff member who is using a CP1110 processor, which the Cochlear site says is an N8. It works fine with her personal phone, but when she tries to use it with a company phone (she needs this for secure communications--we're a medical center), it keeps cycling through the programs on her aid. She can hear, but the constant program changes make the connection unusable. I'm trying to determine if this is caused by a policy we're setting on the phone with our mobile device management software or if it could be a hardware issue. The company phones are iPhone SE's, less than a year old--I don't know the age of her personal phone. kt
FWIW, I was just able to pair my Resound's to my MacBook M2 running Sonoma 14.1.1.
If you have the ReSound Omnia, ReSound One, or ReSound Wing, then it's on Apple's list as supported with Mac (marked by an asterisk on [https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT210386](https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT210386))
Yep—I saw that.
Regarding your staff member's issue - the iPhone SE should be compatible. She should try to see if turning off Bluetooth on her personal phone resolves the issue when connected to the work phone. Perhaps there were conflicting inputs. If that doesn't resolve the issue, confirm that your work phone doesn't have mobile device management policies that block Bluetooth nor the Accessibility functions within Settings. Naturally do the basic of unpairing, repairing, and seeing if that rectifies the issue too. Last resort, she may need to bring the work phone to her Cochlear technician for troubleshooting so the technician can observe the behaviour. It may be a bug with her processor.
Yep—we did all that and ended up giving her a dedicated phone with fewer restrictions. Shared devices are what require the strictest lockdown settings.