Phonak Paradise: First Impressions
I’ve been wearing the new Phonak Paradise hearing aids for a little over a week, and I’ve learned a lot about their capabilities and limitations. I think I’m finally ready to share my first impressions! Before I get to that, here’s a little background on the new Paradise hearing aids.
Building on Marvel’s Success
Back in 2018, Phonak introduced Audéo Marvel—the world’s first universal Bluetooth hearing aid. Marvel was an instant best-seller for Phonak, with over a million hearing aids sold in less than a year. Two years later, Marvel is still the #1 most-viewed product on HearingTracker.com, and one of the most talked about hearing aids in Hearing Tracker’s hearing loss community forum.
But there’s always room for improvement. Rather than reinvent the wheel, Phonak has chosen to build on the past successes of Marvel with the new generation of Audéo hearing aids—Audéo Paradise—by offering improvements in sound processing, speech enhancement, and Bluetooth connectivity.
Welcome to Paradise 😉
Audéo Paradise offers all of the crowd favorites first introduced in Marvel. You’ll still get universal Bluetooth connectivity, hands-free calling, lithitum-ion rechargeability, a full suite of wireless accessories, and more:
- Stereo Bluetooth streaming - Streaming from iPhone, iPad, MacOS, Android, Windows, and any other Bluetooth-enabled audio device.
- Hands-free calling in stereo - True hands-free calling from Bluetooth-enabled phones and VOIP services like Skype.
- TV Streaming - Paradise can stream directly from Bluetooth-enabled TVs, and can also stream from the Phonak TV Connector accessory.
- Rechargeability - Paradise provides a full day of hearing aid use from a single charge.
- At-home adjustments - Paradise hearing aids can be adjusted remotely by your hearing expert.
- Moisture protection - As with most Phonak hearing aids these days, Paradise hearing aids have a high IP68 rating.
- RogerDirect™ - Direct streaming from Phonak’s popular Roger remote microphone accessories.
- PartnerMic™ - Clear audio streaming from a remote microphone via Phonak’s AirStream™ technology.
The Paradise product lineup looks a lot like Audéo Marvel too. On the surface, the form factors are almost indiscernable from the previous generation, and Phonak is continuing to offer two rechargeable models (one with a telecoil and one without) and two models that use disposable batteries (the telecoil model uses a 13 battery and the non-telecoil model uses a 312 battery). It looks like Phonak has chosen not to reproduce the 312 telecoil model offered in the Audéo generation.
 "Phonak Audéo Paradise Models")
The New Phonak Audéo Paradise Models
So what’s new in Paradise?
Aside from bringing all the best features from Marvel, Paradise introduces 6 key upgrades when compared to Marvel:
- More Bluetooth connections - Paradise can pair with up to 8 Bluetooth devices and have 2 active Bluetooth connections. This makes switching between your two favorite devices much easier. Marvel only offered one active connection.
- Tap controls - You can double-tap the Paradise hearing aids to accept/end phone calls, pause/resume streaming, and access voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.
- Motion sensing - A new ultra-low power accelerometer detects when you move and adjusts the hearing aid microphones and noise cancellation settings.
- Clearer speech in quiet settings - A new “Speech Enhancer” feature amplifies the peaks of soft speech to provide clearer speech when you’re in a quiet environment.
- Improved noise cancellation - Phonak is introducing “Dynamic Noise Cancellation”, which is an automated spatial noise cancellation system that works in combination with a directional beamformer microphone system.
- PRISM sound processing chip - The new chip offers double the memory and enables better Bluetooth connectivity.
My experience with Paradise
Phonak sent me a pre-launch pair of Paradise hearing aids to test out, and scheduled a remote hearing aid session with one of their audiological staff members to walk me through the new app and hearing aids. The app setup and Bluetooth pairing was super simple on my phone, and while there was a little lag on the video chat with the audiologist, the experience was smooth overall. I was ready to go in no time at all.
 "My Paradise hearing aids and iPhone")
My Paradise hearing aids and paired iPhone
Audio streaming and hands-free calling
My first test was to stream some music from my phone via Spotify. The connection was rock solid, but the sound quality was so-so. I consider myself an audiophile, and vastly prefer the sound of my $10 Panasonic earbuds over any hearing aid when it comes to music listening. I chalk that up to the tiny speakers used by hearing aids and the fact that my ear canal is left open (all the bass leaks out) with receiver-in-canal hearing aids like the Paradise.
I’m a huge podcast fan, so my next test was turning on an episode of the Future Ear Radio podcast. The hearing aids did a great job there, and the sound quality was completely adequate for podcast listening. I did get a few notification sounds from my phone interrupting my podcast from time to time, but I never bothered to change my preferences and deactivate those (the Phonak audiologist did tell it could be done).
I usually listen to podcasts while riding my bike back on forth to the office. Instead of using my normal $40 wireless earbuds (TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79, which I love), I substituted in my new Phonak Paradise aids. And now that I’ve had the experience of wearing the hearing aids on the bike, I don’t know that I’ll be able to go back to the TaoTronics. The hearing aids made it so much easier for me to hear both my podcast and the cars and people around me, making me feel a lot safer on the road.
I took a few phone calls while wearing the Paradise aids. In general they behave as you would expect modern Bluetooth earbuds to behave. You can answer a call with a simple double tap on the aid, and when you’re done, streaming resumes on the music or podcast you were listening to before being interrupted. Phone calls are clear, and everyone I spoke with said my voice sounded good on the other end. I was even able to take calls while riding my bike. Unfortunately, the sound got a little weird when I did that (some occasional popping sounds and echoey-ness), but it was good enough to carry on a conversation, and amazingly there was no wind noise to speak of, for me or the person on the other end.
Voice assistants via double tap
Using the new double-tap control, I was able to activate Siri on my iPhone and Google Assistant on my Android phone. This was extremely helpful when I was riding my bike. One of my favorite voice commands is “Hey Google, fast forward 30 seconds”… Great way to skip an ad on a podcast! Unfortunately, I was not able to test Siri on my MacBook Pro, and this was due to my complete inability to pair the Paradise with my laptop. Well, I was able to get the hearing aids paired, but unfortunately, they would not stay connected, and so I was not able to test audio streaming, phone calls, or Siri from my aids, yet. I am working with Phonak to figure this out (it is probably user error).
Closed captions are available on this video. If you are using a mobile phone, please enable captions clicking on the gear icon.
Hearing in background noise
Given the current circumstances with COVID-19, I was not able to give the hearing aids a hardcore stress test in a noisy public space, like a restaurant or bowling alley. However, I was able to wear the hearing aids at home with my two young children rampaging up and down the halls, screaming and laughing maniacally. The Paradise hearing aids seemed to handle the situation better than any hearing aids I have worn to date. The noise didn’t blow my head off, and I was still able to hear my wife from the bedroom on top of the kids. Given that experience, I suspect they would perform just fine in a restaurant.
Using the new myPhonak app
The new myPhonak app works much the same as the old myPhonak app. Regarding the remote control features, you’ll find the familiar three-band frequency controller for bass, mids, and treble, a volume control, noise reduction and speech focus control, and a control for decreasing loud sound or increasing soft sound. With the new Paradise aids, Phonak has improved the Speech Focus slider, stating that the slider “will now reduce noise from behind and sides whilst enhancing speech from the front.”
 "The new myPhonak app")
The new myPhonak app
The app provides a number of other features that were included in the previous app, like real-time remote hearing care supported by live video chat, access to battery status and wear time, a hearing diary, and custom program settings.
Using the app, your hearing provider can now even test your hearing through the app, using a feature called AudiogramDirect. This relatively new feature was demonstrated to me during my remote care appointment, and it should prove to be extremely useful for those patients who are trying to keep their distance during the pandemic.
Rechargeability, battery life, and the charging case
Phonak says the hearing aid batteries should last 16 hours, including 4 hours of Bluetooth streaming and 4 hours of TV Connector streaming. For my own personal use, I found the hearing aids easily lasted all day, and I probably streamed audio and calls at least 6 hours a day. I did accidentally kill the hearing aids once by forgetting to turn them off and leaving them in the unplugged charger overnight. I mistakenly assumed they turned off automatically when placed in the charger.
Regarding the charger itself, it’s not my absolute favorite. The hearing aids don’t magically pop into the cradle with magnetism like many of the wireless earbuds I’ve used. So it can be a little fiddly getting them securely in place. Thankfully, there are some green flashing indicator lights to let you know when you’ve done it correctly. The hearing aids don’t come out of the charger super easily either, so you’ll need to hold the case with one hand and grab the hearing aid body (not the wire) firmly to remove from the charger.
Other observations
I was able to pair the Paradise aids to an iPhone and Android phone simultaneously and easily switch back and forth without having to turn off Bluetooth on the other paired device every time I wanted to switch devices. So the new dual active Bluetooth connection feature does work as advertised. Given the COVID-19 situation, I haven’t had much chance to test out the motion sensing feature, as most of my interactions are in my home or office, where I don’t walk and talk as much. With that being said, most of my experiences with these hearing aids were quiet conversations with my wife and family, and I could definitely notice a difference in clarity while wearing them.
Bonus Video from Dr Cliff, AuD
Dr Cliff covers the new Paradise hearing aids in a great deal of detail in his latest YouTube video. If you enjoy the video, be sure to subscribe to his channel.
Closed captions are available on this video. If you are using a mobile phone, please enable captions clicking on the gear icon.
)
Thanks for the detailed first impressions. Is the Bluetooth connectivity across multiple devices better, the same or not as good as MFI hearing aids? While Apple botched the connections with iOS 13, they did get it worked out eventually.
Is the sound streaming better or worse than Oticon OPN’s? While the Oticon’s don’t compare with real headphones or even the AirPods for music, I find them more convenient overall because they are extremely portable, Switch to phone calls and back and stay in my ears. My AirPods will fall out if I’m working or moving too much.
Thanks.
Switching back and forth between iPhone and Android was no problem for me, so it seems that's all worked out. Sound quality wise, I cannot compare the Opn's. I have never streamed music with them.
Are the wax guards and domes still hard to change?
They are so small it's ridiculous!
Yes, unfortunately.
Thank you for this thorough review. I think I'm going to try these out!
Dr. Bailey, I am trialing Marvel Audeo 90's right now and am concerned because the BT cuts out when I am walking outside listening to iTunes. It only cuts out when holding phone in left hand or pocket. Does the Paradise do the same or is there a fix for my problem? My audi didn't mention this new model. Thanks.
Mike
Hey Mike. For me there was no issue walking outside. Just the quirkiness with phone calls while biking.
1. The BT can have trouble streaming if it Has to go through your body to get to the streaming ear, which I’m guessing is the right one
2. Sometimes cache memory is not as available for streaming. Close open pages, and/or re-boot your phone.
3. You may need to have the mode of streaming re-programmed by your Audiologist
Did Phonak reps make any comment regarding future availability of CROS for the Paradise?
According to Dr. Cliff Olson’s review, Phonak is working on a CROS.
Thanks. I just watched the video and heard the comment about CROS.
Hi... It’s ironic that you say that music doesn’t sound good with the hearing aids. I have severe hearing loss and am also wearing Marvel 90s (like the other member wrote), yet by using bigger domes I am able to get a rich, full bass sound that, in my opinion (as an ex-professional studio musician), is better than many of the professional in-ear monitors (Shure, etc) for on stage and studio gigs! Unless it’s just the Paradise aids that sound thin, I feel it’s a bit harsh for you to imply that the small hearing aid speaker can’t cut it. My Marvel 90s sound PHENOMENAL. Apart from the multiple Bluetooth connections, if the Paradise can sound as good as the M90s I’d consider moving up, otherwise I’m happy with these!
It's not the Paradise. It's the open canal fitting. I'm 100% sure the sound quality would be great with more occluding domes or custom fitted molds.
They DO sound great with an occluded ear mold. I've checked with a frequency generator (free, Android: KewlSoft) and get full bass down to < 8 Hz.
Are you up to finding a good way to add a MECHANICAL switch to close / open the acrylic molds??
Done right, we could have both. Another alternative would be with an alternative setting so, although it would not be as accurate as it would with a partially open port, it might be adequate to keep the port closed most of the time. Today though, I have to partially pull the mold out to talk with someone.
I can’t keep mine connected to the Apple iPad so I’m unable to watch a movie or hear any audio. However, I can answer a call on my iPhone and listen to Audible with them on my IPhone 11 plus. Nothing works with them on their newest IPad. Is there anything I can do?
Are you using the Marvel devices? If so check their support page, or contact the support hotline at 1-800-679-4871.
This doesn't sound like it's right for someone with severe/profound hearing loss. I've tried everything on the market (and have been tested) and found digitals to not be for me. I've been wearing a Sumo XP for over 6 years and found that analog programmable works better for someone who is a cochlear implant candidate but doesn't want the surgery. I'm saddened that hearing aid companies are getting rid of hearing aids that work for some people instead of perfecting them. Digital is not for everyone.
Your comment is interesting. My loss is severe/profound. I plan to try the new Phonak paradise next week. I have been a long time analog user for over 54 years since age 2. I currently am wearing the Oticon Dynamo. And my biggest issue is the background noise and soft voices.
How was your experience with the Paradise aids? I have been wearing hearing aids for over 52 years (since I was 4) & have a moderate-severe loss. I have been through 4 sets of analogs and one digital (Resound), each pair lasting 12+ years. My audiologist is recommending the Paradise or Oticon.
Do you know the BlueTooth protocol for Android the iPhone and the bitrate? For iPhone do they support AAC? Is it distracting when you you want to scroll through and app like Facebook and the HAs switch in and out of Bluetooth audio?
Now I'm interested in Widex Moments for its Puresound vs the Phonak it is features. Widex claims the best streaming music experience. I work in NYC and found that with my domes I need either noise cancelling or isolation headphones to hear on the subway.
I think it would be cool if the HA manufacture would make an over ear headphone that connected with the HA and filled in the sound, matched your hearing and offered noise reduction. hmm who can I give my idea to. :)
I am trying out Marvel 90 right now but will try the new Paradise on Monday. I was really hoping the blue tooth problem I am having connecting to my Mac Book Pro was solved in the Paradise model... But as you have the same problem I´m afraid Phonak has an issue with Macs as every other Blue Tooth device works fine for me. As you have direct contact with Phonak I hope you can stress this issue to find a fix.
Many thanks,
/M
Here's a note I got from Phonak (I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but maybe you can try and let us know if it works):
Many thanks that did the trick for me.
/M
Glad to hear that, and thanks for reporting back!
Were you still paired to both phones in addition to the MBP?
I just got my Phonak Paradise P90-RT’s earlier this week and was able to successfully pair them to my iPhone 12, 2020 MacBook Pro, Phonak TV Connector connected to my LG 65” flatscreen TV, and AppleTV connected to my LG 27” 4K computer monitor. They seem to switch automatically between any two devices, while still being paired with all of them!
I have phonak marvel 90 Charging pair. Today while charging my son did switch off first then switch on. After this my Left (Blue) hearing aid is not working. I did 3/4 times long press on hearing aid but not starting and also tried to put on charging device but green charging light not flashing but right side (red) is proper working. Plz give me ur precious advise for solve this my issue.
Hi there. Just noticed your post. I just had that sort of problem with my left M50. Here's how I fixed it:1) Short out the hearing aid with a paperclip across both charging nobs. 2) Reset it into the charger. 3) Load up Target software and connect the 1 aid 4) save the fitting of the hearing aid in a session 5) Exit out of the target software 6) Reload target software, but do not go into any Clients or Sessions. Instead click on the wrench along the bottom of the screen 'Trial & tolls' 7) Click on the 'Reset to factory settings' option 8) connect the problematic aid only 8) proceed with factory reset (take about 3 mins) 9) Place aid back in charger egg 10) Load up Target again 11) Connect your hearing aids (leave problem aid in charger) 12) load up your last saved session 13) save that session to the aid 14) take aid out of charger (should now work).
Does the charger for Paradise hold charge so it can be used to charge batteries when not plugged in?
Jim
Yes, but only the "premium" charger. It holds 3 charges. The standard charger only charges when plugged into the wall.
Thank you for your response.
Does the premium cost a lot more?
Jim
I think it will depend on your provider. Unfortunately there is no MSRP.
I just read that TapControl only works with the accu hearing aids, but not e.g. with the Phonak Paradise 13T.
This was just confirmed on the Phonak homepage.
Rechargeable battery is not an issue for me.
My M70 13T batterie holds 6-7 days.
bye,
Ralf
That's correct, tap control only in the rechargeable
Can I use Phonak Paradise with a Cros B device? Is there any compatibility?
I am wondering how someone usually gets to move the next level of hearing aid? I paid $5400 canadian for my hearing aids (three free accessories) 5 months 1 week 1 day ago. They are the Marvel M90R's. If I wanted the paradise hearing aids how would that normally work. Is there a trade in period? Can I pay a certain amount to trade in? What would your audiologist say? What would you say as an audiologist.
Many of the new features in the paradise I feel would fix issues I have been having.
Speech Enhancer (Amplifies peak of soft speech AKA exactly what I need for soft spoken women and maybe accents hopefully)
Dynamic Noise cancellation vs SNR-Boost Hopefully improve my party going experiences once COVID settles down.
2 simutaneous bluetooth connections with up to 8 devices paired. Life changing at work and home as I am constantly taking out my phone to switch between devices.
tap options: Voice Assistant/Accept&End Calls/ Pause&Resume again taking out my phone constantly would be a thing of the past.
Hey JD. You'd need to check in with whoever sold you the devices to see if they have some type of upgrade program. Typically, nothing like this exists, but I have heard of programs like this, especially on leasing / subscription models. Given the rapid pace of technological advancement these days, it may be worth looking into something like that for future purchases!
Does anyone know if I am streaming audio from my Bluetooth enabled Home Theater system to the hearing aid, can I adjust the volume of the streaming audio from the Phonak App? I need to know this because the Home Theater system cannot adjust the volume from its end - it's designed to support wireless headphones that have their own volume control
Is there currently a Naida or BTE model planned for the Paradise?
I am 74 with almost complete loss of high frequencies. I ahve an existing pair of phonak audeo that use batteries. They allow me to hear reasonably on Phonak Dec phones. I use a neck receiver that allows me to turn up/down volume or off with the TV.
If I need to turn off the aids when in a noisy place or otherwise I just click the battery door open. I don't have a mobile phone and find them extremly difficult to hear as signals vary and users often march around while taking and the position of the phone moves.
I tried the new aids. I don't trust rechargeable, carrying spare batteries allow me freedom to go anywhere do anything without having to carry the charger with me and find somewhere to plug it in.
Trying to find the small switch behind my ear and press it correctly to turn the aids off often results in be increasing volume!. Far to fiddly compared with unclicking the battery.
The Tv receiver has the on off and volume control on the module that has a short wire to the TV. If I want to turn the volume off- during adverts for example or vary the sound I have to get up and go to the Tv each time. Not as convenient as the existing model.
The new phones do not work with the Phonak DEc landlines. Phonak responded well few people use landlines now so we concentrate on mobile and Blue tooth.
For those who feel the need to ask Siri or Alexa and get their phone out when they want to adjust their aids or to tap tap so they can hear Spotify or their phone I assume these aids are perfect.
However, they will largely be the younger consumers, who possibly have damaged their hearing with their plug in earpieces all the time.
For those of us who want easy and simple to use hearing aids PHONAK have forgotten us.
Constantly trying to make things more technologically advanced may appeal to the designer but the aids are not for their use but those of us who want simple effective aids not all signing and dancing aids that can be difficult to use.
Hi everyone. I want to share my unsuccessful experience using SKYPE while connected to my laptop running windows 10 operating system.
Two different sound profiles are created on the computer after pairing the HA:
1. One labeled as Hands-Free AG Audio. When this profile is selected no voice is been heard on the HA and no MIC is recognized by the computer.
2. Second labeled as Headphones. This one is producing decent sound but serves just as headphones.
SKYPE applications as well as Microsoft teams application are not able to use any of these profiles.
KIdly share your positive and negative experience and any tips to resolve the issue.
Many Thanks
Aleksander
Hi!
I experiences the same. In Teams-Settings-Devices-I am able to select "H-Phonak hearing aid Hands-Free AG Audio" for both microphone and speaker, but it does not work.
When testing in Windows-Sound settings, mic and speaker works.
I called Norwegian Phonak support and asked if Teams was supported, their answer was to test by themselves, and got back to me telling it worked OK on their PC.
I also tested on my MacBok Pro in Microsoft Teams, not working there either, and on another Windows laptop.
Regards
Pål
I had the same experience with Teams. I had better luck when I turned off Notifications on my computer for all applications.
I also found that everything often worked for 10 mins and then I lost the speaker connection but kept the mic connection. Changing the speaker option in Teams Devices to a different speaker and then back to my R - Phonak connected again until the next stoppage.
But yesterday I went through an entire 90 min Teams meeting with no problems by using Headphones (R-Phonak hearing and Stereo) as the Speaker and my wired Yeti Mic as the microphone. Notifications were turned off.
Hope this helps
Jim
Does anyone know if there’s an update to the status on the Bi-CROS option for the Paradise? My audiologist thinks it might be a good option for me (long-time hearing impaired, first time HA user), but without a sense of when they might come to market, it’s hard to justify waiting that long if there’s no reason to believe it’s coming in 2021.
Hi, does anyone else have problems with Bluetooth dropouts (stuttering), and spoken Caller ID, on Phonak Paradise? I've had a pair of P90Rs for a month now, and the continual dropouts in streaming and phone calls are infuriating.
• Most times, when streaming starts, on receipt of phone call, start of a chat session or streaming content, there is stuttering – continual dropouts at half to two second intervals, usually accompanied by crackling. The only way out of this is to physically switch the right-hand (Bluetooth-connected) aid off, then re-establish the connection. This takes half a minute or so, and is rather embarrassing with a chat or phone call. It happens with all devices – smartphone, laptops, desktop PC – all pretty new, running Android 10 and Windows 10. In all cases the device is within two feet of my ears. I’ve tried switching Bluetooth off and on, disabling Wi-Fi, disabling Bluetooth on other devices, changed to “Fixed Bandwidth”, even attempted to change Bluetooth codecs; nothing restores stability except physically switching the hearing aid off and on. Unfortunately, stability doesn’t last that long – sooner or later, typically after half an hour or so of streaming, or at the next phone call – the dropouts will be back and I have to switch off and on again. This is really annoying, can’t be good for the longevity of the hearing aids. And it seriously hampers the usefulness for streamed phone calls and streaming in general – one of the main selling points.
• Caller ID is not announced on receiving a phone call – all I hear is a ring tone, even though caller ID (or phone number) is always displayed on my phone. This negates the usefulness of answering a call with phone still in pocket. And, significantly, it (still) works correctly with my previous 6-year old Phonak hearing aids with the Compilot Bluetooth dangle. I have checked every conceivable phone setting, from Bluetooth to Voice Assistant, Text-To-Speech, Notifications etc. I’ve also tried changing Bluetooth codec and other settings in Developer Options – always resets to default SBC, nothing has any effect.
I am currently trying on a trial pair of Paradise aids and have not experienced any stuttering while connecting to an incoming/outgoing call. It may be due to your phone connectivity.
I have a Samsung S9+ and do not receive any verbal caller ID for incoming calls. Text to speech is not a good option, as it changes the overall functionality of the phone, not just call ID. I'm thinking of installing an app that announces who is calling to see if that helps. It'd be nice to know who's calling before looking at the phone.
Abram when you say your aids “easily lasted all day” roughly how long was this? I ask as Phonak recently said to me my Audeo M90’s would actually last around 12 to 14 hours. Rather different from my interpretation of a “day” being 24 hours - the Audeo brochure statement is “full day of hearing including streaming”.
Here are the stats I have:
When the re-chargeable battery wears out, out much does it cost to replace them and who has to do it?
See thread here: Frequency and cost of replacing rechargeable hearing aid batteries
My Phonak Audeo Paradise P90 RT hearing aids easily last all day from about 9am when I put them on to 9 pm, and when I take them off at night the remaining percentage is always above 50%. And one morning they showed no charge because my charger ran out of power, and putting them on the charger while plugged in for 30 mins gave me a good 10 hours charge that day, even though it's suggested to give only 6 hours. Seems pretty good.
I have noticed that using the bluetooth from my Paradise hearing aid seems to be drastically draining my phone battery. I have a 5 year-old Samsung Galaxy S6 and am ready to get a new phone. Has anyone tried using the hearing aid with an Iphone 11 or 12? Or, do you have a recommendation for another new model phone that might work better? I don't want to spend the big bucks on a phone that won't work with my shiny new hearing aid. If I had a functional phone I would use the bluetooth feature for up to 4 hours per day. Thanks!
Please try asking this in our forum.
I upgraded to a pair of Phonak Paradise P90s and the difference to my previous Marvels is fantastic. I'm satisfied in all areas except Bluetooth connectivity with computers. iPhone works well for Siri, Teams and music, but whatever I do, I cannot get Teams and Paradise to play nicely together (or at all)!
This is embarrassing, because I am a Microsoft Skype for Business and Teams specialist! I'm also a Windows expert so usually advise others on Windows issues.
I use 3 different laptops/desktops and have not succeeded with any of them. I even purchased the only Bluetooth 5.0 dongle that I could find (Asus) - no luck! I have done extensive research and it seems for some people, it just "works", whilst others not. To be absolutely clear, Teams has a "Make a test call" facility that makes an announcement then asks you to speak, subsequently playing back what it heard. With all my other headsets, this works, with Teams - nothing. No announcement, nothing heard and speaking blind gives no indication that anything was recorded. Not even an error message! What is really strange is that I can listen to music from that same PC and also records sounds using the Windows sound recorder.
To use Teams, I don my trusty Plantronics Focus headset over my aids, which works perfectly, but it's bizarre being able to accept calls on the iPhone Paradise combination but not from Teams!
If this was a purely Microsoft issue I would lodge a support case with MS, but I have never managed to find a reliable support resource for Phonak, or to find if there's a software update available. Anyone know of one?
Annoyingly I can see Phonak Switzerland across the lake from my home in Switzerland and have even done Microsoft consulting for them. I would love to work with Phonak to diagnose and rectify this issue!
This is especially annoying when even the review on this site promises "Universal Bluetooth connectivity"! No...