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Amazon Fire TV devices get two big hearing aid upgrades for family streaming

Amazon Fire TV devices get two big hearing aid upgrades for family streaming
  • Amazon's flagship Fire TV Omni Mini LED TV series will now support Dual Audio.
  • This feature will allow it to stream sound to a supported hearing aid and through the TV speakers.
  • A raised QR Code with access to setup instructions is being included within select Amazon Device packaging.

Amazon’s had a pretty packed few months – including new Kindles, a Fire TV Stick refresh, and an entry into Mini LED TVs – and is now debuting a new accessibility feature, expanding another, and highlighting an accessible addition for some product packaging.

A variety of Fire TV devices already support the ability to beam audio directly to hearing aids thanks to support for the Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) protocol. Amazon’s latest move, though, is dubbed “Dual Audio” and is exclusive to the Fire TV Omni Mini LED TV series for now – with this, you can send audio using ASHA to a hearing aid and audio through the TV’s speakers.

This is the first time a Fire TV device can send audio out in two streams. This way, if you’re wearing a hearing aid, you can watch TV with family members and have it be a communal experience without any delays. It’s exciting to see this launch for the Fire TV Omni Mini LED TV series, but I do hope Amazon can expand this to other Fire TV devices as well – be it a Fire TV 4-Series model or a streaming stick.

A look at the Fire TV interface for pairing a hearing aid.

(Image credit: Amazon)

A software update will be required to enable this, and it will start rolling out to the Fire TV Omni Mini LED TV series in the ‘coming weeks.’ Once it’s installed, you’ll be able to turn on ‘Dual Audio’ in Settings under Accessibility. You’ll pair a compatible hearing aid with the TV to start the process, and then with it, you can have audio through the aid as well as the TV speakers. After that first setup, you can also use quick settings to turn the feature on and off.

More broadly, beyond just the Fire TV Omni Mini LED TV series, Amazon is expanding the types of hearing aids that can be paired with its Fire TV family of devices. Now supported via the audio streaming protocol for hearing aids are Widex Moment Behind-The-Ear (BTE) and Receiver-In-Canal (RIC) aids. BTE and RIC hearing aids will be supported on all ASHA-enabled Fire TV devices like the Omni TV lineup, Fire TV Cube, and the 2- and 4-Series Fire TV models.

A look at the raised QR code included in some Amazon Devices packaging.

(Image credit: Amazon)

Beyond support for more types of hearing aids and Dual Audio on the Fire TV Omni Mini LED TV series, Amazon has also added a tactical-marked, raised QR code inside the packaging of select devices. The QR code, which features raised dots, is designed to help customers who have low vision or are blind easily access quick setup guides and other support documents. You’ll scan the QR code and be taken to these; the raised QR code is found on the “top left corner on the back panel of the device Quick Start Guide” inside the packaging.

It’s not found on every device that Amazon makes, but it is found on some of the new Kindles – Colorsoft, Paperwhite, and Scribe – the Fire TV Soundbar and Soundbar Plus, Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series, Echo Spot, Echo Show 15, and Echo Show 21.

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jacob.krol@futurenet.com (Jacob Krol)
December 18, 2024 at 11:00PM
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