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Digital Voice Upgrade - Hearing Aid Compatibility

Graham888 — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 06:50:30 GMT

BT has just 'upgraded' my landline to Digital Voice (DV). This was a mandatory change, I assume because my house was recently connected directly to fibre and BT wants to phase out its copper-based landline service. However, since Caller Display could not be made to work reliably on my existing BT4000 phone handsets after connection to DV, BT provided their 'Essential Digital Home Phone' (EDHP) handsets to replace them. I was very pleased with the replacements until my wife complained about the sound quality. I then discovered that, unlike the BT4000 handsets, the EDHP handsets do not have an in-built inductive coupler for use with digital hearing aids. Furthermore, the small print in BT's manual for the EDHP states 'Radio signals from this product may cause interference to hearing aids.' Does anyone know of a solution to this problem?

Re: Digital Voice Upgrade - Hearing Aid Compatibility

imjolly — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 09:13:24 GMT

I don't have the essential phone but have the Alexa premium and it has in accessibility a setting for hearing. if not in your essential then try 150 and if they will give you another premium phone not necessarily with Alexa

Re: Digital Voice Upgrade - Hearing Aid Compatibility

Graham888 — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 10:16:39 GMT

Thank you for your helpful reply. I checked the manual for the Advanced Digital Home Phone and the hearing setting for that is limited to tone adjustment only. That would probably offer some improvement to my wife's hearing, but not as much as an inductive coupler would do. Unfortunately there does not seem to any DV phone with the latter built in at the moment, so my wife will have to accept the situation for the time being.

Re: Digital Voice Upgrade - Hearing Aid Compatibility

Ian-M — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 12:33:02 GMT

Can anyone confirm if Digital Voice is compatible with (Phonak) digital hearing aids?

It looks like the BT phones supplied dont and we may have to use our original phones(Phonak)

Re: Digital Voice Upgrade - Hearing Aid Compatibility

imjolly — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 12:35:43 GMT

The setting just boosts voice so not compatible and need to use existing phone connected to phone socket on back of hub

Re: Digital Voice Upgrade - Hearing Aid Compatibility

licquorice — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 12:38:05 GMT

Phonak hearing aids use Bluetooth connectivity (or at least mine do) and as far as I'm aware the DV handsets don't have Bluetooth. You can simply plug your existing base station in the green socket at the rear of the hub and continue to use your existing handsets rather than the DV handsets.