Android
Android 16 makes hearing aids better in noisy places
Google is always trying to make Android easier to use for everyone. At their recent Galaxy event, they announced a new feature for hearing aids called LE Audio. This feature wasn’t explained in detail at first, but with the launch of the first Android 16 beta, we got more info on how it helps hearing aids.
LE Audio is the newest way to send sound over Bluetooth. It’s better than the old ways because it uses less battery, works better, and can connect with more devices. One cool thing it does is let hearing aids broadcast sound, like sharing music with others.
With the new Android 16 Beta 1, Google shared some updates about hearing aids. Now, users can control how much background noise they hear through their hearing aids. This means you can make sounds around you louder or quieter, which is useful in noisy or quiet places.
There’s a new control called “surroundings” that lets you adjust the noise level for each earbud or both together. You can even quickly turn the surrounding sounds on or off. This feature seems to work a bit like the controls on the Pixel Buds Pro 2, but those aren’t confirmed to work as hearing aids yet.
Another big update is using your phone’s microphone instead of your hearing aid’s during calls. This is handy if the environment is too noisy or if your hearing aid’s battery is running low. It could save battery life by not always using the hearing aid’s mic. There’s a new “switch” button that pops up during calls to let you change which microphone you’re using.
These changes in Android 16 are more than what the law says they need to do. Last year, the FCC said phones must work with hearing aids, and Google’s doing that with LE Audio. These new features are already in the Android 16 Beta 1, but I can’t try them out myself since I don’t have LE Audio hearing aids. If you do, and you’re using this beta on a Pixel phone, let us know if you notice these improvements!