UNITRON Hearing Remote App User Guide

UNITRON Hearing Remote App

Product Information

Specifications:

• Product Name: Hearing Remote app
• Version: 5.0
• Developer: Sonova
• Compatibility: iOS and Android devices

Product Usage Instructions

Getting Started
The Hearing Remote app, developed by Sonova, is a user-friendly application designed to enhance your hearing experience. Follow these steps to get started:

1. Download the Hearing Remote app from the App Store (for iOS) or Google Play Store (for Android).
2. Read the user instructions provided in the app thoroughly to understand its features.
3. No additional training is required to use the app effectively.

Compatibility Information
Ensure compatibility with your device by following these guidelines:

• Disable touch sounds and keypad tones on your phone to prevent interference with the hearing aids.
• Features available in the app may vary based on the connected hearing aids.

Onboarding
Stay informed about privacy updates with the Hearing Remote app:

• Review the Privacy Notice periodically for any modifications.
• Check for the last updated date at the top of the document to ensure you have the latest information.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Q: How can I ensure my device is compatible with the Hearing Remote app?
  A: To ensure compatibility, disable touch sounds and keypad tones on your phone. Verify that all features are supported based on your hearing aids.

• Q: Where can I find additional support for older versions of the app?
  A: For older versions of the app, contact your local representative or visit www.unitron.com for further guidance.

App Overview

Getting started

Hearing Remote app is an app developed by Sonova, a world leader in hearing solutions. Read the user instructions thoroughly in order to benefit from all the possibilities it offers. Additional training is not needed for handling the app. This user guide is applicable for Hearing Remote app version 5.0 and later subversions of the app. For prior versions of the app user guide please contact your local representative or consult the www.unitron.com website.

Compatibility information

• hearing aids with Bluetooth® wireless connectivity are required to use the Hearing Remote app. The Hearing Remote app can be used on devices with Bluetooth® Low-Energy (BT-LE) capability and is compatible with iOS Version 15 or newer. The Hearing Remote app can be used on Google Mobile Services (GMS) certified Android devices supporting Bluetooth® 4.2 and Android OS 8.0 or newer.
• Some phones have touch sounds or keypad tones, which could be streamed to the hearing aid(s). To avoid this, go to your phone settings, select sounds and make sure that all touch sounds and keypad tones are deactivated.
• The features available in the Hearing Remote app vary depending on the hearing aids connected. Not all features are available for all hearing aids.

The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by the Bluetooth® SIG, Inc.
Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, and iOS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Android, Google Play, and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc

Onboarding

• Accepting the app privacy notice
  To use the Hearing Remote app, you need to accept the privacy notice. The Privacy Notice screen is designed to provide you with clear and concise information about how we handle your data and protect your privacy.

• Pairing with hearing aid(s)

  • Detect your hearing aid(s).
    If your hearing aid(s) have a battery door, restart your hearing aids by opening and closing the battery door. If your hearing aid(s) do not have a battery door, first turn off each hearing aid by pressing the lower part of the button until the LED turns red (4 sec). Then turn on each hearing aid by pressing the same button until the LED turns green (2 sec). View “Demo Mode” to try the app without connecting your hearing aids. Please note, no remote control functionality is available in this mode.

• Select your hearing aid(s)
  If more than one set of devices are detected by the app, press the button on your hearing aid and the corresponding device will be highlighted in the app.

• Activating digital solutions
  To enable and use digital solutions features, including Remote Adjust, press the Activate button. To skip this step, tap the Later button.

• Selecting app mode
  The app offers two modes for the Home screen: Advanced mode and Classic mode. The Advanced mode is ideal for those who want access to advanced features and customization options. The Classic mode is ideal for those who want access to basic features and options. This mode is recommended for those who prefer a simpler experience. You can always change these modes within the app in the More tab, under the App Mode.

Home tab – Advanced mode

• Adjust hearing aid volume
  Move the slider right or left to increase or de-crease the hearing aid volume on both ears. Press the ( ) Mute button to the left of the slider to mute or unmute the hearing aids.

• Split the volume
  Press the ( ) split volume button to control the volume on each hearing aid separately. Use the volume slider to change the volume.

• Join the volume
  Press the ( ) join volume button to merge the volume sliders.

• **Enable presets – Comfort and clarity***
  For the Automatic Program, you can select between Clarity, Comfort or Normal. Clarity is available to enhance speech, whereas Comfort is used to reduce noise to improve overall listening comfort. Clarity and Comfort are mutually exclusive and cannot both be in the ‘On’ state at the same time. Normal is the default setting.

• This feature is not supported by all hearing aid models. You can refer to your hearing aid user guide for more information.

• Change programs on the hearing aid(s)
  Swipe left and right on the program carousel to see all available programs. When you stop swiping, the selected program (e.g. Restaurant) will be applied to your hearing aid(s).

Optional programs
Choose from a list of predefined programs to personalize the hearing aids for a specific situation. The available Optional Programs varies depending on the technology level of your hearing aids.

• Restaurant
• Television
• Outdoors
• Café
• Live Music
• 360 car / Transportation
• Party

1. Go to the Home tab.
2. Swipe left or right until you see the image /icon. Click on the Manage Programs button.
3. To quickly add an optional program click on the (+) plus sign.
4. Click on the ( – ) minus sign to remove the optional program from the program list.
5. Click on the program tile to preview the program.
6. Clicking on the program tile will take you to the program preview screen. The program preview screen will be displayed. Change settings and click on Save to add the optional program to the program list.

Program settings
Further adjustments may be available depending on the program currently selected, your hearing aid configuration, and connected audio sources.

• Tinnitus masker
  If your hearing care professional has enabled the tinnitus masker, you will have an option to adjust the volume of the masking noise.

• Balance
  If you use an external streaming device, (e.g. TV Connector, music) you can adjust the focus to hear more of the streamed signal or alternatively more of the surrounding environment.

• Program settings
  You can access additional settings directly on your Home screen by tapping the ( ) advanced features button at the top-right corner of your program tile for the more advanced settings.

• Sound settings
  You can adjust the Focus Mic control to focus more on sounds from the front or listen all around you.

  • The Enhance Speech control allows you to enhance or reduce speech to the desired comfort level.
  • The Reduce Noise control allows you to increase or reduce the level of noise to the desired comfort level.

• Equalizer settings
  Here you can change the Equalizer settings.

  • Tinnitus masker
    If you have tinnitus and have been instructed by your hearing care professional on how to use the Tinnitus Masker, you can adjust the volume of the masking noise.

Editing name of a program
Hearing Remote app allows you to change the name of programs so you can personalize what each program means to you. You can change the program name for any program, including the optional programs. To change the program name :

1. Tap on the (…) program settings at the top left corner of the program image (or icon).
2. The program settings screen is displayed
3. Tap on the Change program name.
4. Enter your preferred program name in the text box and click Confirm.

Home tab – Classic mode

• Adjust hearing aid volume
  • Move the slider up or down to increase or decrease the hearing aid volume on both sides.
  • Press the ( ) Mute button below the slider to mute or unmute the hearing aids.
• Split the volume
  • Press the ( ) split volume button to control the volume on each hearing aid separately.
  • Use the volume sliders to change the volume. Press the ( ) join volume button to merge the volume sliders.
• **Enable presets – Comfort and clarity***
  For the Automatic Program, you can select between Clarity, Comfort or Normal. Clarity is available to enhance speech, whereas Comfort is used to reduce noise to improve overall listening comfort. Clarity and Comfort are mutually exclusive and cannot both be in the ‘On’ state at the same time. Normal is the default setting.
• This feature is not supported by all hearing aid models.
• Change programs on the hearing aid(s)
  Tap the arrow beside the current program name to see all available programs. Select the desired program (e.g. TV Connector).

Lifestyle tab

The Lifestyle tab* takes you to a scrollable screen where you view your hearing aid data. You can view your lifestyle data as tracked by your hearing aids, your Listening Environments information as well as other physical activity data.

• Listening Environments
  This section provides a summary of the time you spent in the different environments as detected by your hearing aid(s).

• Average Wearing Time
  This is the average time you have worn your hearing aid(s) each day.

• Step counter
  The Step counter** displays the number of steps you traveled in your day as measured by the accelerometer in your hearing aid(s).

• Active minutes
  The Active minutes is the number of minutes you spent active in your day, e.g. walking, running or doing any similar medium-to-intense activity while wearing your hearing aid(s).

• The information contained in this section is for educational and informational purposes only. You should not use the information shown in the Lifestyle section as a substitute for, nor should it replace, professional medical advice. If you have any questions about your health, or before beginning an exercise program, you should always consult with a physician or other health-care professional.
  ** This feature is not supported by all hearing aid models.

Devices tab

The Devices tab is where you can modify the settings of your hearing aid(s).

• Tap control
  There is a built in sensor on some hearing aid(s) which enables the control of some hearing aid functions through tap control. See page 12.

• Auto On
  You can choose if the hearing aid(s) turn on automatically when you remove them from the charger.

• Adaptive Bluetooth®
  If you are having issues with the quality of the audio during calls, disabling this feature may improve your experience.

• Hearing aid adjustments
  If you opted in for the digital solutions feature, you will be able to receive push notifications that contain adjustments to your hearing aids sent by your hearing care professional.

• My devices
  If you are experiencing problems with the connection to the app, you can choose Forget Devices and try pairing them again. If you want to connect a different pair of hearing aids to the app, you must first forget the currently connected hearing aid(s). Then you can pair the new devices.
  NOTE: Forgetting devices will remove the connection between your hearing aid(s) and the app.

Tap control
If your hearing aid(s) have tap control, you can customize how your hearing aid(s) respond to your double taps. There is a built in sensor on some hearing aids, which enables the control of some hearing aid functions through tap control. The action and sensitivity of tap control can be customized as follows:

• Streaming
  Accept/end call or streaming – enable/disable the ability to accept/end calls or connect to a streaming device (e.g. TV Connector) using a double tap. You can only use tap control to connect to a streaming device if your hearing care professional has configured your hearing aids for manual connection.

• Custom actions
  (configured separately for the left and right hearing aid):

  • Pause/resume media – double tap will pause/resume media while streaming.
  • Voice assistant – double tap will activate the voice assistant on your smartphone.
  • Off – double tap will not perform an action.

• Tap sensitivity
  (configured separately for the left and right hearing aids):

  • Gentle – most sensitive.
  • Normal – default sensitivity.
  • Firm – least sensitive.

Hearing aid adjustments
If you enabled digital solutions, you will be able to receive push notifications that contain adjustments to your hearing aids sent by your hearing care professional.

1. Receive a personalized message from your hearing care professional. Click on See Adjustment to access the adjustment.
2. Or open the Hearing Remote app and go to Devices > Hearing aid adjustments.
3. Select the adjustment and click on Apply Adjustment and follow the instructions to apply the changes.
4. Now the adjustment is being applied to your hearing aids. If you preferred another setting, you can select any previous message and apply it to your hearing aids.

Support tab
The Support tab is where you can find information about your hearing aids. You can find tips for using the app, as well as how-to videos and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs).

More tab

The More tab is where you can find additional app settings and the legal information related to the app.

• App mode
  Switch between two modes of the app Home screen: The Advanced mode and the Classic mode. The Advanced mode is ideal for users who want access to advanced features and customization options. The Classic mode is ideal for users who want access to basic features and options. This mode is recommended for users who prefer a simpler experience.

• Appearance

  • Press the toggle button to select between app program pictures or icons.
  • Select pictures if you prefer the more vibrant and colorful view of program pictures.
  • Select icons if you prefer the less colorful view of program icons.

• Analytics
  Enable or disable the sharing of the usage data. By providing usage data, you will enable us to learn and improve the product and services. We will never sell your personal information to others. It’s part of our Privacy Notice.

• Demo mode
  Turn Demo Mode on or off. The demo mode allows you to try out the app without connection to hearing devices.

• Legal information
  Access legal and regulatory information related to the app.

NOTE: The app is available in different languages. It will automatically match the language of the phone’s operating system. If the phone’s language is not supported, the default language is English.

Compliance information

Declaration of conformity
Hereby Sonova AG declares that this product meets the requirements of the Medical Devices Regulation (EU) 2017/745.

• If the hearing aids do not respond to the device because of an unusual field disturbance, move away from the disturbing field. Activate your Bluetooth. Bluetooth has to be enabled to connect to your hearing aids. If the hearing aids do not respond, please check if the hearing aids are switched on and the battery is not empty.
• Instructions are available at: unitron.com/appguide in Adobe® Acrobat® PDF format. To view them, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. Visit Adobe.com to download.
• To obtain a free paper copy of the instructions, please contact your local representative. A copy will be sent within 7 days.

Description of symbols

Important safety information
Please read the relevant safety information and limitations-of-use information on the following pages before using your Hearing Remote app.

• Intended use
  Intended use of the app is to select, adjust and save existing hearing aid functions, access status information and communication between the End User and Hearing Care Professional, wirelessly in a visualized way.

• Intended patient population
  The intended patient population for this solution are End Users (lay persons) with unilateral and bilateral, mild to profound hearing loss, wearing a compatible hearing aid, and that value the convenience like the ability to control their hearing aids from their smartphones. The app is intended for users 17 years and older. The Tinnitus feature is intended for patients with chronic tinnitus from 18 years of age.

  • Target profile
  • Age 17+
  • Owner of a smartphone
  • User type
  • Modern to self-reliant
  • User of hearing aid
  • First time user and experienced user
  • Target market
  • International
  • Compatible with hearing aids with Bluetooth® connectivity

• Intended user
  Intended user is the person with hearing loss using a compatible device.

• Intended medical indication
  Please note, indications are not derived from the app, but from the compatible hearing aids. General clinical indications for the use of hearing aids and Tinnitus feature are:

  • Presence of a hearing loss
  • Uni- or bilateral
  • Conductive, sensorineural or mixed
  • Mild to profound
  • Presence of a chronic tinnitus (only applicable for devices which provide the Tinnitus feature)
  • Grade of hearing loss according to IEC 60118-15 “Electroacoustics – Hearing aids – Part 15”:

• Intended medical contra-indications
  Please note, contra-indications are not derived from the app, but from the compatible hearing aids. General clinical contra-indications for the use of hearing aids and Tinnitus feature are:

  • Hearing loss is not in the fitting range of the hearing aid (i.e. gain, frequency response)
  • Acute tinnitus
  • Deformity of the ear (i.e. closed ear canal; absence of the auricle)
  • Neural hearing loss (retro-cochlear pathologies such as absent/non-viable auditory nerve)

• The primary criteria for the referral of a patient for a medical or other specialist opinion and / or treatment are as follows:

  • Visible congenital or traumatic deformity of the ear;
  • History of active drainage from the ear in the previous 90 days;
  • History of sudden or rapidly progressive hearing loss in one or both ears within the previous 90 days;
  • Acute or chronic dizziness;
  • Audiometric air-bone gap equal to or greater than 15 dB at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz and 2000 Hz;
  • Visible evidence of significant cerumen accumulation or a foreign body in the ear canal;
  • Pain or discomfort in the ear;

• Abnormal appearance of the eardrum and ear canal such as:

  • Inflammation of the external auditory canal
  • Perforated eardrum
  • Other abnormalities which the hearing care professional believes are of medical concern

• The hearing care professional may decide that referral is not appropriate or in the best interests of the patient when the following applies:

  • When there is sufficient evidence that the condition has been fully investigated by a medical specialist and any possible treatment has been provided;
  • The condition has not worsened or changed significantly since the previous investigation and / or treatment
  • If the patient has given their informed and competent decision not to accept advice to seek a medical opinion, it is permissible to proceed to recommend appropriate hearing aid systems subject to the following considerations:
  • The recommendation will not have any adverse effects on the patients’ health or general wellbeing;
  • The records confirm that all necessary considerations about the patient´s best interests have been made
    If legally required, the patient has signed a disclaimer to confirm that the referral advice has not been accepted and that it is an informed decision.

• Clinical benefit
  The apps itself does not provide direct clinical benefit to the end user, but other benefits, which are mainly usability related. The clinical benefits are solely provided by the hearing aids. The app provides the following benefits to the intended users:

  • Providing the possibility to adjust and save hearing aid settings to individual needs, in a limited range as defined by the initial fitting, e.g., to address specific needs. This might help to increase the hearing comfort and satisfaction with the hearing aids in specific listening situations (e.g., by decreasing the loudness in noisy listening environments).

• Side effects
  Please note, side effects are not derived from the app, but from the compatible hearing aids. Physiological side-effects of hearing aids like tinnitus, dizziness, wax build up, too much pressure, sweating or moisture, blisters, itching and/or rashes, plugged or fullness and their consequences like headache and/ or ear pain, may be resolved or reduced by your hearing care professional. Conventional hearing aids have the potential to expose patients to higher levels of sound exposure, which might result in threshold shifts in the frequency range affected by acoustic trauma.

• Limitations of use
  The app usage is limited to the capabilities of the compatible device/devices. Any serious incident that has occurred in relation to the app, should be reported to the manufacturer representative and the competent authority of the state of residence. The serious incident is described as any incident that directly or indirectly led, might  have led or might lead to any of the following:

  • a. the death of a patient, user or other person
  • b. the temporary or permanent serious deterioration of a patient’s, user’s or other person’s state of health
  • c. a serious public health threat
    To report an unexpected operation or event, please contact the manufacturer or a representative.

• Security notice
  Patient data is private data and its protection is important:

  • Make sure the smartphones are up-to-date with the latest Operating System security updates.
  • Enable automatic updating.
  • Make sure your installed app version is up-to-date
  • Only use genuine Sonova apps from official stores with your hearing aids.
  • Only install reputable apps from official stores
  • Make sure you use strong passwords and keep credentials secret
  • Lock phone with PIN and/or biometric (e.g. fingerprint, face) and set the phone to lock automatically after several minutes of inactivity.
  • Make sure the installed apps only have the permissions they need
  • Avoid creating a Bluetooth® pairing with your hearing aids in a public area. This is due to the risk of unwanted interference from a 3rd party. We recommend to do this Bluetooth® pairing at home.
  • DO NOT use a jailbroken or rooted phone Make sure to keep data safe at all times. Please be aware that this listing is not exhaustive.
  • When transferring data through unsafe channels, either send anonymous data or encrypt it.
  • Protect your smartphone data backups not only from data loss but also from theft.
  • Remove all data from a smartphone that is no longer used by you or will be disposed.

• Software maintenance
  We are constantly monitoring feedback from the market. If you experience any issues with the latest app version, please contact your local manufacturer representative and/or provide feedback in the App Store or Google Play Store.

Sonova AG
Laubisrütistrasse 28
CH-8712 Stäfa, Switzerland

And importer for European Union:
Sonova Deutschland GmbH
Max-Eyth-Str. 20
70736 Fellbach-Oeffingen, Germany

Australian Sponsor:
Sonova Australia Pty Ltd
12 Inglewood Place,
Norwest NSW 2153
Australia

029-6851-02 V1.00/2023-11/tm © 2023 Sonova AG or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

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