Cochlear Implants vs Cell Phones

sligett thought this was worth mentioning said Fri, Jan 22nd 2016 at 11:47am ET

I’m gathering information for a relative who has cochlear implants. She asked me to find out which cell phones are most compatible with cochlear implants. I’ve read about M4 and T4, and that different frequencies may work differently, and that using speaker-phone mode is a way to go.

So I’m now looking for first-hand experiences from people with cochlear implants and cell phones. If you have such experience, would you share? Phones that work, or don’t work (with which carrier?). Thank you.

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PurplePawprints said Fri, Jan 22nd 2016 at 11:55am ET:

Good luck! I don't have implants, but as a hearing aid wearer, I know finding info on this sort of thing can be a major pain. Does she have an audiologist who can make recommendations?

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stacylinnwoods said Fri, Jan 22nd 2016 at 10:23pm ET:

I have one and I don't generally use my phone, however I do listen to music, so I would recommend using a Bluetooth with a wire into your CI. Crisp sound, you can even adjust your CI to hear more of the person on the other end vs the background noise to completely muting it.

I've also heard that one cochlear has already come out with Bluetooth in the processor, but it's not functional yet (they're still working on it apparently). I would look into that as well.

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chellemonkey said Sun, Jan 24th 2016 at 12:06am ET:

I honestly have no idea how cochlear implants work but I was shown one of these phones at a vendor event and because it uses vibration you could hear it even with ear protection on. Would something like this be helpful? http://www.kyoceramobile.com/smart-sonic-receiver/

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f00l said Sun, Jan 24th 2016 at 12:38am ET:

Does bone induction work w various hearing solutions? There are some bone induction bluetooth headsets that dont go in your ears.

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sligett said Sun, Jan 24th 2016 at 7:02pm ET:

Thank to you @PurplePawprints @stacylinnwoods @chellemonkey and @f00l for your ideas and support. (Also thanks to those who starred their posts.) I'll follow up with my relative and perhaps come back for more ideas or with more questions.

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thismyusername said Sun, Jan 24th 2016 at 11:53pm ET:

Sure you already saw it but if not:

http://www.cochlear.com/wps/wcm/connect/us/recipients/nucleus-5/nucleus-5-lifestyle/how-to/talk-on-the-phone

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