Announcements

The Frankfurt Airport started a trial of Auracast™ broadcast audio, a Bluetooth Audio technology that streams gate announcements directly to passengers’ own devices like hearing aids, earbuds, or headphones, making it the first airport globally to do so. The system is live at two gates in Terminal 1 and helps travelers with hearing loss hear key information clearly without relying on loudspeaker…

Starkey announced new connectivity enhancements for its Omega AI hearing technology platform, adding three major features to improve how users connect and communicate. The company claims that the Auracast assistant lets any smartphone with the My Starkey app tune into Auracast broadcasts and stream audio straight to users’ hearing aids, with controls for volume and language. Starkey claims that…

The European Federation of Hard of Hearing People (EFHOH), with partners including the European Association of Hearing Aid Professionals and Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, is running an anonymous survey on how hearing loss affects people at work and what supports empowerment and inclusion. Responses help identify barriers and solutions for inclusive workplaces. The survey is available…

A preprint reports findings from an observational analysis using UK Biobank data to examine the relationship between hearing outcomes and physical activity measured through wrist-worn accelerometers. The study uses data from roughly 79,000 adults aged 39 to 70, combining objective sensor-based activity metrics with self-reported hearing difficulty and performance on a speech-in-noise test.…

In a Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) blog post, contributors from member companies describe several Bluetooth-related developments they expect to see gain traction in 2026. These include Bluetooth Channel Sounding, which the authors say could support more accurate distance measurement for applications like asset tracking and industrial safety, and Auracast broadcast audio, which they…

The Hearing Health Foundation funds research through its Emerging Research Grants (ERG) program , which awards seed money to scientists studying hearing and balance science and related conditions. The program supports a wide range of topics including the physiology of hearing and balance, epidemiology of auditory and vestibular disorders, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of hearing loss,…

Sertoma offers two national scholarship programs focused on hearing health and communication access, funded through its Annual Fund. The Sertoma Hard of Hearing or Deaf Scholarship supports U.S. high school seniors and current undergraduates with clinically significant bilateral hearing loss who are pursuing a full-time bachelor’s degree at a four-year U.S. college or university, with eligibility…

The Help America Hear Scholarship supports U.S. high school seniors with hearing loss by offering financial aid and hearing technology to help with college or vocational education. Ten students are selected each year. Recipients receive a scholarship worth up to about $4,000 plus a pair of customized ReSound prescription hearing aids that fit their specific needs. Applicants must be high school…

A 15-year-old girl from Queens, New York who was born with microtia, a condition where the right outer ear and ear canal didn’t form, can now hear clearly for the first time after a series of reconstructive surgeries that included rebuilding her ear and fitting a bone-anchored hearing device. The procedures were provided with help from the Little Baby Face Foundation and led by a surgical team…

Apple's recent AirPods firmware includes hearing-related features for compatible AirPods models when paired with an iPhone or iPad running recent iOS software. One notable update (firmware version 7B19) adds a Hearing Test, a Hearing Aid feature, and Hearing Protection. The Hearing Test lets users assess their hearing and view results in the Health app. The Hearing Aid feature applies personalized…