EARGO Unveils Two New OTC Hearing Aids User Guide

USE AND CARE
USER GUIDE PART 2

Unveils Two New OTC Hearing Aids

Welcome To Eargo!
Thank you for choosing Link by Eargo earbuds, our first ever Over-the-Counter (OTC) hearing aid with Bluetooth streaming audio and truly wireless stereo.
The earbuds are designed to be worn as a pair for optimal hearing aid and streaming performance.
We hope you enjoy the experience. To get started hearing life to the fullest, please read this Use and Care guide.
Please also read the included Technical & Regulatory Information guide and note the safety, warnings, cautions and regulatory information before use.

Important: Before use, please scan the QR code, or call 800-615-9000 to register your product.
You can also visit eargo.com/register

Important: Before use, please remove the adhesive strips covering the charging contacts from each earbud.

What’s Included

LINK by Eargo Earbuds:
1 pair includes left & right

Closed Eartips:
1 pair each small, medium and large sizes
Open Eartips:
1 pair each small, medium and large sizes Medium open eartips are pre-fitted onto your earbuds.

1 Brush Tool

1 Charger & 1 USB-C to USB-A Cord

User Guides:
2 User Guides
1 Technical & Regulatory Guide
1 Use & Care Guide

Get To Know Your Earbuds

Get To Know Your Charger

What The LEDs Mean

There are 3 LEDs: One for the Left earbud, one for the Right earbud and one for the charger.

| Solid Green: >90% charged
---|---
| Pulsing Green: 75% – 90% charged
| Pulsing Yellow: 25%-75% charged
| Pulsing Red: <25% charged
| Pulsing Blue: Bluetooth pairing
| Solid Blue: Paired state
| Pulsing White: Reset state

Charge Your Earbuds

Charge the Left earbud in the left cradle, and the Right earbud in the right cradle.
Position each earbud so that the eartip is facing outwards, and the L/R marker on the earbud is facing downwards.
The gold contacts on the earbud align with the gold contacts in the charging cradle. Earbuds turn off while inside charger.

Charge Your Earbuds, Continued
Close the lid while charging.
The earbuds last up to 9 hours on a single charge in hearing aid mode.
It takes about 1.5 hours to charge the earbuds from empty to full.
The earbuds will announce “Low battery”. Depending on your usage, you will have about 20 minutes of remaining use.
Note: Earbud battery life depletes faster when in audio streaming mode or call mode.

Charge Your Charger

Your charger contains an internal battery that charges your earbuds on-the-go.
To charge your charger, plug the supplied USB cable into the USB-C port on the back of the charger. Then, connect the larger end to a USB power outlet, or to a USB wall plug adaptor.
Only use the USB cable supplied in the packaging. Use a plug adaptor that supports 5V/1A or 5V/2A.

• A fully charged charger will provide 4 recharges to the earbuds.
• It takes about 1.5 hours to fully charge a depleted charger and about 2 hours to charge a depleted system.

Choose somewhere other than the bathroom to charge, as long-term exposure to moisture can harm your charger or earbuds.
After charging, remove the earbuds from the charger. They will power on in hearing aid mode in the last program used.

How To Wear Your Earbuds — Inserting Them

1. Practice this in front of a mirror. Hold the earbud so the eartip is pointing down, and the gold contacts and R or L is facing you.
2. Place the eartip into your ear canal.
3. Rotate the earbud back as you gently press it further into your ear.
   The touch sensor should be facing out, not up.

How To Wear Your Earbuds — Inserting Them
The earbud should feel snug in your ear and remain securely in place.
Still not sure it’s in correctly? Try using your other hand to pull the top of your ear upwards to create space for the device, then rotate it into place using the other hand.
You can also try gently pulling down on your earlobe while rotating and pressing it into your ear. When in correctly the earbud will rest comfortably in the bottom of the bowl of your ear.
See “Find the perfect fit”, page 12 and 13 for information about eartip sizes and styles.

How To Wear Your Earbuds — Removing Them
Grasp the earbud with your fingers and gently pull to remove. You may need to twist the earbud towards your nose when removing. Check the eartip. Sometimes eartips can turn inside-out during removal. If this has happened, use your fingertips to push and roll it back into position.

We recommend cleaning the earbuds after use.
See pages 23 to 26 for instructions.

Find The Perfect Fit — Eartips

Your earbuds come with medium open eartips attached. Choose a size that fits your ear canal comfortably – not too tight, not too loose.
Medium size fits most people.
Which eartip style is right for me?
You may want to change the style of tip depending on your listening situation.
Open style eartips work well for using Link by Eargo as hearing aids.
They are a good choice for listening to speech in a relatively quiet environment, especially if you struggle to hear soft and high pitch sounds on the treble part of the spectrum. Open eartips are less blocking. They amplify the high pitch sounds, while allowing low pitch sounds in through the holes, so your ears can process the bass parts normally. This results in a more natural sound quality.

Find The Perfect Fit, Continued

Closed style eartips are a great choice if you’re using Link mainly for streaming audio and active noise cancellation.
Closed eartips are also a good choice for listening to speech in background noise. Many people prefer the fuller, richer sound quality and more effective noise reduction.
You are the expert, so try out each style in different situations and choose what works best for you.

Pair Your Earbuds

Pair your earbuds to a compatible device to experience audio streaming, and to control earbud volume and settings from the paired device’s controls.
First, ensure that Bluetooth is switched on in your device settings.
Then, follow one of two methods to set your earbuds in discovery mode for pairing.
You can manage your pairing connection within the paired device’s Bluetooth list under Settings. Selecting “disconnect” will disconnect the earbuds. Selecting “forget” will delete the pairing altogether. When replacing earbuds into charger after use, close the charger lid to stop Bluetooth streaming.

Method 1 – in-charger pairing:

• Place both earbuds inside charger.
• Keep the lid open.
• Press and hold the push button on the charger until you see pulsing blue LEDs (approximately 3 seconds).
• Tap on ”Link by Eargo” in your device’s Bluetooth list. Solid blue LED will appear for 5 seconds once device is paired.
• Remove earbuds from charger and place in ears. Use your paired device to stream and control phone calls and audio.

Method 2 – in-ear pairing:

• Place earbuds in ears.
• Touch and hold both earbuds for 5 seconds until you hear “Pairing”.
• Tap on “Link by Eargo” in your device’s Bluetooth list.

Earbuds will announce “Connected”.
Use your paired device to stream and control phone calls and audio.

Select Mode With Touch Control — Hearing Aid
Hearing aid mode is the default mode for Link by Eargo. When in hearing aid mode, a single tap on the touch sensor will connect you to an existing audio stream. A double tap will change the hearing aid program. See the table below for details.
Double tap to try each of the 4 programs. Choose the one that is most comfortable for listening to speech in quiet conditions. Amplification, especially for speech, increases as you go from Program 1 to 4. If you’re new to hearing aids try Program 2. If you’ve worn them before try Program 3. We also provide a Mute program after Program 4 to turn volume off.

Program 2
Program 3
Program 4
Mute

Select Mode With Touch Control — Phone
When you enter or exit phone mode, a tap or double tap on the earbud touch sensor will change the mode in both earbuds. See the table below for details.

device
Double tap| Two consecutive single taps within 1 second| End call, or reject incoming call| Dependent on paired mobile device

Select Mode With Touch Control — Audio Streaming
Audio streaming is typically initiated from the connected device. When streaming audio, a tap or double tap on the earbud touch sensor will change the mode in both earbuds. See the table below for details. Active Noise cancellation reduces unwanted background noise when streaming.

Single beep
Double tap| Two consecutive single taps within 1 second| Activate or turn off Active Noise
Cancellation (ANC)| “ANC on” or “ANC off”

To reset earbuds, place them in the charger and press and hold the charger push button for at least 10 seconds. Pulsing white LEDs indicate the devices have reset. Bluetooth pairing will be deleted from your device.

Remove Eartips

To remove the eartip from the earbud:

1. Grasp the earbud in one hand
2. Grasp the eartip in the other hand
3. Pull apart

It may help to use your thumb or fingertip to peel the eartip away on one side first.
When to throw away an eartip:
Discard eartip if you see any wear and tear, or sooner if desired.
When to reuse an eartip:
If it is intact, showing no signs of wear and tear, you may soak the eartip in a mix of dish soap and clean warm water. Rinse with clear water and dry the eartip thoroughly before reuse.

Replace Eartips

To replace an eartip onto the earbud:

1. Select your eartip and identify the stem, where it will attach to the earbud. Hold the eartip in your hand.
2. Grasp your earbud in the other hand. Align the sound outlet of the earbud over the stem of the eartip
3. Press the sound outlet into the stem. Check for secure attachment with a gentle tug.

Replace Eartips, Continued
For all sizes and styles of included eartips, the stem of the eartip should fit snugly over the lip on the earbud’s sound outlet.
Practice removing and replacing eartips over a table or countertop.
Only use compatible Link by Eargo eartips.
Do not attempt to couple a different eartip to the earbud.
Need more Link eartips? Shop accessories at eargo.com or call us at 800-615-9000 to order.

Daily Care
It is very important that you brush the earbuds clean after use. Wax, oil or other debris can get into the sound inlets and outlet, which may cause the hearing aid to have poor sound quality or even no sound.

Daily Care, Continued

1. Clean the eartips. With the eartips attached, use the bristles to brush the silicone and the sound outlet area. Use the wire loop to remove any visible wax.
2. Clean the microphones. Use the bristles to brush the two sound inlets.
3. Clean the charging contacts. Use the bristles to brush the gold contacts clean.
4. Wipe. Use a lint free cloth (not included) over the entire earbud to complete the daily cleaning process.

Deeper Cleaning

Deep cleaning with putty and 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes will ensure your earbuds remain in good working condition. Perform deeper cleaning at least once every two weeks.
Remove the eartip (p. 20). Brush around the sound outlet to remove wax and debris. Then, perform the following steps.

Putty: used to remove debris off device.
Wipes: used before and after putty, to clean off the device.
Wipe first. Use the alcohol wipe all over the earbuds.
Use the putty. After you wipe the earbuds, knead the putty and make it into a roll or a ball.

Deeper Cleaning, Continued

• Hold the putty in one hand and the earbud in the other.
• Gently press the putty into the sound outlet. Peel it away. Repeat a few times.
• Gently press the putty into the microphone areas and peel it away. Do this a few times.
• Repeat on the other earbud.

Wipe again. Reuse the alcohol wipe all over the earbuds one more time, to remove any residue.
Don’t forget! Your charger needs cleaning too. Use a 70% isopropyl alcohol wipe to remove dust, debris and wax from the cradles and contacts.
Eargo Deep Cleaning Kit with putty and wipes is available at eargo.com

Where, When & How to Clean Your Earbuds

Getting Used To Hearing Aids

Please be patient as you adapt to your earbuds.
Hearing aids provide access to soft, high pitch sounds that you may have become unfamiliar with over time.
Hearing “too much” is a common sensation in the first weeks of wear. Your brain needs time to adjust and re-learn what to pay attention to and what to filter out.
Spend some time in each of the four listening programs to see which is the most comfortable. Your earbuds will process speech best if you are within 10 feet of the sound source and looking towards it. The noise reduction is sophisticated, but it cannot reduce background sounds to zero, just as normal- hearing ears cannot do this.

Getting Used To Hearing Aids, Continued
You may notice your own voice sounds different.
This sensation tends to improve over time with consistent wear. We recommend using the open style eartips to help with this.
Touching the microphones can result in feedback – a whistling, ringing or buzzing sound from the earbud. If you experience feedback often, we recommend using a larger size eartip, or a closed style eartip. Aiding your hearing is an important step that you’ve taken. To learn more about your journey, visit eargo.com to read our blogs and articles, and to watch our helpful videos.

Troubleshooting

Unmute devices (page 17)
Low sound| Earbud is blocked| Perform Daily or Deeper cleaning (pages 23-26)
Volume too low or too high in hearing aid mode| Listening program choice| Try another listening program (page 17)
Streaming device volume choice| Change the volume on the paired phone or device
No sound in phone call or audio streaming mode| Bluetooth is not connected| Pair your earbuds (pages 14-16); Check Bluetooth connection status in Settings on your streaming device
No LEDs on charger| Charger battery is dead| Charge charger (page 7)
Overall sound quality issue in hearing aid mode| Eartip style or size choice (pages 12-13)| Try a different eartip
Overall sound quality issue in audio streaming mode| Eartip style or size choice; Active Noise Cancelation (ANC) setting| Try a different eartip (pages 12-13); turn ANC on or off (page 19)
Earbuds still streaming after removal from ear| Lid of charger is open; earbuds not in charger correctly| Close charger lid after replacing the earbuds

800-615-9000
eargo.com
Eargo and the Eargo wordmark are registered trademarks of Eargo, Inc.
©2024 Eargo, Inc.
LBL0331-001 Rev A

References

• Eargo | A Revolutionary New Hearing Aid
• Register Your Device

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