Starkey Evolv AI Hearing Aids

Edge mode makes a real-time, temporary adjustment to the settings of your hearing aids based on your current listening environment. This is a significant change to settings such as noise reduction and gain, as well as other controls, with the goal of improving clarity and comfort. Until you change memories or restart the hearing aid, the “optimized” setting will remain. Wearers often prefer this setting in difficult environments, according to the company.

The Starkey smart phone app is called Thrive Hearing Control, and it offers a variety of controls as well as information about your hearing aids and usage. It works with both Apple and Android devices. There are standard app controls such as program change, volume changes, and an equalizer. However, there are numerous additional features available, such as a hearing aid self-check, TeleHear, and “Find my Hearing Aids.”

In keeping with the wellness approach to hearing loss, one of the app’s main features is to provide you with information on your engagement and activity. The app will display an overall wellness score based on your engagement and activity levels. Each day, the maximum score is 200. Your daily hourly use, interaction time (conversational speech), and the types of environments you are in all contribute to your engagement score. For example, if you are exposed to more difficult listening environments throughout the day as opposed to only quiet environments, your score will be higher.

Your activity score is calculated based on steps taken, exercise, and standing minutes during the day, with each of these goals editable within the app. For example, the default goal is 10,000 steps per day, but this can be adjusted to meet your specific needs. While these features are not required, some people may find them useful in setting overall health goals.

When a fall is detected, the hearing aids can send text alerts to your chosen contacts (up to three) via the motion sensors. The text will notify your contact of the fall and provide a GPS location. This can be set to happen automatically, or you can send the alerts manually through the Thrive app. You can cancel fall alerts within a 60 or 90 second time window, depending on how the feature is configured.

Fall alerts are part of a comprehensive approach to healthcare that includes hearing, communication, and balance. This is a unique Starkey feature, and at least one small study found that Starkey’s step counting and fall detection (on Livio AI) were generally accurate. Nonetheless, the company claims that Evolv AI has significant improvements in fall detection accuracy.

This is a hearing aid you should definitely consider if you want to increase your overall activity and engagement with others. If you suffer from imbalance, the fall alerts can at the very least provide you and your loved ones with peace of mind. Please keep in mind that in order to properly use this feature, you should have at least a basic understanding of smart phone technology.

TelehHear is Starkey’s remote fitting support that is integrated into the Thrive app and is available across all four technology levels. This feature requires a cloud account and also serves as a cloud-based backup of your hearing aid settings. You can use TeleHear to request an appointment with your hearing care professional (HCP), who will then send you a code for a remote video programming session. This feature may be especially useful if you have trouble getting to and from appointments, live a long distance away from your provider, or prefer to receive services from the comfort of your own home.

You can use a digital assistant in the Thrive app to set reminders, change programs, or find your phone. Furthermore, if your phone is connected to the internet, you can ask questions and search for answers, much like other virtual assistants such as Siri or Alexa. To use Thrive Assistant, you must first create a cloud account through your Starkey account.

Reminders are available in the Thrive app and can be used for anything you want, such as medication or appointment reminders. The app can display visual reminders as well as audible reminders that are streamed from your smartphone to your hearing aids. You can set them to repeat daily, weekly, monthly, or annually, just like any other calendar reminder.

Starkey offers custom-fit wireless options, and with the introduction of Evolv AI, a CIC wireless hearing aid is now available. Wireless custom products were previously only available in canal and ITE sizes. Starkey has a reputation for producing high-quality custom shells, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can produce a true CIC wireless product. Wireless CICs are available from other manufacturers, but they are larger than non-wireless CIC products to accommodate the additional technology. The CIC’s pull string functions as both a removal line and an antenna for the wireless signal.

With Evolv AI, wireless connectivity is provided by more than just custom-fit products. In fact, a wide range of products are available that are compatible with both iOS and Android. Furthermore, regardless of the level of technology you select from the Evolv AI line, all will provide wireless connectivity to compatible phones. Evolv AI supports the Android Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) protocol, which is used by newer Android phones. For streaming, older Bluetooth phones may require an additional accessory.

Starkey recently announced that the Evolv AI products support hands-free calling without the use of an additional accessory. That is, the hearing aid microphones pick up your voice during connected phone calls. This is the first time the company has offered hands-free calling. Android hands-free compatibility is currently unavailable. Check the compatibility of your phone.

Tap Control is an additional wearer control that is activated by a simple double tap of your fingers. It can be used to access Edge Mode in the most advanced technology and to start/stop/pause streaming from an accessory in all levels of technology. This control, which is available in all styles, is configured within the Thrive app and/or by your HCP HCP. In the top three technology levels, the tap control is also used to signal the hearing aid to listen for a voice command (Thrive Assistant). This is a convenience feature that some people may appreciate. Please keep in mind that the tap feature cannot be used to initiate or terminate a phone call from your compatible mobile phone.

This feature was also available in the Livio AI, but it is still only available in the highest technology tier. For a translation of speech heard by the app, you can choose your language and the language of another speaker. For example, if you speak into the phone, the app will translate what you said and display it in the selected second language on the app. The other person then responds into the phone, and the app converts their speech back to your native language. This feature, however, requires an internet connection to function. Approximately 27 different languages are currently available.

The translate feature is unique to Starkey, and it can be an invaluable tool for those who frequently travel abroad or interact with others who speak a different language.

Starkey is one of only a few companies that provides rechargeable custom hearing instruments. While not available in all styles, this is still a useful convenience feature, particularly for those who prefer a custom instrument but do not want to deal with battery changes. This is especially important for people who have poor vision or dexterity. However, the charger design may be challenging for some, particularly for custom devices where contact points must be precisely aligned.

Depending on your needs, Starkey offers a variety of accessories. These include a Mini Remote Mic and a standard Remote Mic+, both of which can help with hearing in restaurants and lecture halls. A table mic is available and can help improve listening in noisy environments, as well as those who are frequently in meetings where hearing is difficult. The table microphone also functions as a TV streamer. There is also a basic remote that allows for simple volume and program changes as well as the ability to mute/unmute the hearing aids.