What Is Auracast? How Bluetooth LE Audio Is Changing Hearing Forever

Bluetooth shows up in our lives so often that it’s easy to miss how radical it has been for hearing aids. I walk you through why Bluetooth hearing aids aren’t just about convenience, but about access: clearer phone calls, easier TV listening, and fewer moments where background noise wins. When audio streams directly into both ears, it stops feeling like “using a device” and starts feeling like hearing again, and that can be a real psychological unlock for people who resist hearing aids because of stigma.

I also get honest about the feature versus use gap I’ve seen in clinic. Just because wireless streaming, apps, and connectivity exist doesn’t mean patients use them. Setup complexity, phone compatibility, and rushed counseling can turn powerful hearing technology into unused menu options. The good news: when we bridge that translation from feature to real life, engagement rises, satisfaction improves, and patients take ownership of their hearing health with everyday adjustments and confident communication.

Then we look ahead to Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast. Traditional Bluetooth is one-to-one. Auracast is one-to-many, letting a public space broadcast announcements or TV audio to unlimited listeners who can tune in with compatible hearing aids, earbuds, or a phone. Think airports, theaters, gyms, schools, and any noisy environment where listening effort is exhausting. If Bluetooth transformed the personal hearing experience, Auracast may transform the public hearing experience and redefine accessibility.

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Transcript

Welcome And Sponsor Thanks

Blaise M. Delfino, M.S. - HIS 0:06

Welcome back to the Hearing Matters Podcast, where we explore hearing technology, communication science, and the people and ideas shaping the future of hearing health care and hearing loss around the world. Before we kick things off, a special thank you to our partners. Care Credit. Here today to help more people here tomorrow. Inventis. Inventus is innovation. Blueprint Solutions. Clinic management made easy for hearing care professionals. Now with Blueprint AI. And Fader Plugs, the world's first custom adjustable earplug. Welcome back to another episode of the Hearing Matters Podcast. I'm your founder and host, Blaise Delfino. And as a friendly reminder, this podcast is separate from my work at Starkey. Now, let's get into the conversation. What's going on, everyone? Welcome back to another episode of the Hearing Matters Podcast. I'm your host, Blaise Delfino, and today we're doing something a little different. This is a solo episode, and I want to walk you through something that on the surface might seem simple, but in reality has completely changed the experience of hearing loss, and that's Bluetooth. Now, I know, you know, Bluetooth, it doesn't sound groundbreaking at first. I mean, we use it every day from AirPods to car audio, speakers. I mean, it's there integrated into our everyday life. But in hearing healthcare, Bluetooth didn't just add convenience. I mean, it completely changed access, it changed independence. And I mean, in many ways, it changed identity for hearing aid users. And now we're stepping into the next evolution of that story with something called AuraCast. So today, here's what I want to do. I want to slow this down a bit and really walk you through it, where Bluetooth came from, how it changed the hearing aid experience, what we've actually seen in terms of patient adoption and why AuraCast may be one of the most important accessibility shifts that we've honestly seen in decades. So let's start at the beginning. I love Origin stories, so let's rock and roll. If we go back to the mid-1990s, or as the kids say today, the late 1900s. Okay, relax. I was born in 91, so I guess I'm part of that. But uh let's go to 1996. At that time, you had companies like Intel, Ericsson, Nokia, and they were all trying to solve a very similar problem. Devices just weren't talking to each other. Or if they were, it required cables, adapters, you know, these proprietary systems. I mean, it was messy. I remember watching movies at my grandparents' house, and yeah, like you had all these cables, and what is it, red, white, and yellow, and sometimes there was a green in there, but either way, I digress. It was messy. So the goal really became: can we create a universal short-range wireless standard that allows you know devices to communicate seamlessly? I mean, that is the word of this episode, seamlessly. And that effort became Bluetooth. Now, here's something that I love about the story. The name Bluetooth actually comes from a Viking king, Harold Bluetooth. And he was known for uniting Denmark and Norway. And the idea behind the name was this Bluetooth technology would unite different industries, think phones, computers, audio devices, under one standard. And that is exactly what it did. Now, over time, of course, we know Bluetooth evolved. And you don't need to memorize version numbers by any means, but conceptually, here is what matters. Early Bluetooth was basic wireless connection, then improvements in speed, reliability, then Bluetooth low energy, which was a major, major, major breakthrough because now devices like hearing aids could actually use Bluetooth without destroying battery life. And that is where hearing healthcare really starts to change. And I'm excited because I was in the industry and I got to see this change. Before Bluetooth, hearing aids were incredible at, you know, one thing, and that was really face-to-face conversation. Outside of that, though, I mean, there were still major limitations. And if you're a clinician listening to this, you've heard these before. Patient complaints of I can't hear on the phone, the TV's too loud for everyone else. I struggle in noisy places. I mean, I struggle in noisy places is probably the number one patient complaint that I personally heard in the clinic when I was working with patients full-time, hands-on. Bluetooth, of course, it didn't solve everything, but it solved some very specific problems in a very meaningful way, and really for patients and providers as well. Now, the first problem that it solved was something we call direct audio access. Now, instead of sound traveling through the environment and competing with noise, all of that background, ambient noise, audio could go directly into the hearing aids. Phone calls, music, television. It was now clearer signal, less noise, and better access. I want to repeat that because this is really important as part of the origin story and leading into Oracast. Direct audio access was clearer signal, less noise, better access. And I want to give you a real-world example here. So I had a patient who was about in his mid-60s, still working, very sharp guy, and his biggest frustration wasn't conversation in the clinic, it was the phone. So he told me, Blaze, I avoid calls, I'll text, I'll email, I just don't want to deal with it. And if you think about that, that's not just a hearing problem. That's business, that's relationships, it's opportunities. So we fit him with hearing aids with direct Bluetooth streaming. We paired his phone, walked him through it, had him take a live call in the office, and I'll I'll never forget this. He paused, looked at me, and he said, Wait, it's in both ears. And then he smiled and said, I haven't heard a phone call like that in years. That's Bluetooth. That's not convenience, but that's access. Now let's lead into that binaural streaming because this patient just said, Wow, I heard that in both ears. Oftentimes, if patients came to our office and asked if they needed two hearing aids, well, we would always say, we need to test your hearing first. And if you do present with hearing loss in both your right and your left ear, we are going to recommend two hearing aids because of something called binaural summation. We won't go into the weeds today as it relates to binaural summation, but binaural streaming. I'm sure you have been in the gym walking outside, going somewhere, and one of your Bluetooth Air buds either loses battery, cuts out, and you only have one going. I had this happen to me at the gym a couple months ago. It was so frustrating, and it was just frustrating. So this is where we lean into the binaural streaming. Now we're sending audio to both ears, and that is simultaneously. So this sounds simple, but it absolutely changes everything because now it feels natural. It doesn't feel like you're using a device. It feels like you're just hearing. I mean, Bluetooth completely changed that for these hearing aid users. And of course, the control and personalization as it relates to fine-tuned settings, all from their phone. Again, this was discreet. It was private. And that really does matter because when we talk about the stigma associated not only with untreated hearing loss, but also with wearing hearing aids, now patients felt empowered. It mattered because hearing loss, it's not just functional, but it's emotional. And that's a great lead-in regarding integration into life. This is the big picture here. Bluetooth helped hearing aids move from a medical device, those big beige bananas that people think of when they hear the word hearing aid, to something that fits into everyday life. Now, here's another patient case study that really stuck with me. I had a patient years ago, early 70s, very resistant to hearing aids at first. Didn't want to feel old, didn't, you know, didn't want to feel like something was wrong. And rightfully so. I was talking to a colleague today about Eric Erickson's psychosocial stages of development. And we talked about the generativity versus stagnation stage, which is where some of our patients are. So we really need to meet our patients where they're at. This specific patient, again, didn't want to feel old, didn't want to feel like something was wrong. But eventually he did move forward. And I believe that a lot of it is because of the educational aspect that we did implement with him. And what changed everything for him, it wasn't actually conversation in the clinic, but it was the fact that his hearing aids connected to his phone. So he could stream his favorite music. I believe it was the Beatles. He could take calls. You know, his daughter might call him, his son might call him. Now he's better able to understand his grandchildren on the phone. He was able to adjust everything himself, which again feeling like he felt old. And he told me this. He said, Blaze, these do not feel like hearing aids. They they feel like tech. Now that shift from medical devices to technology, that's a psychological unlock. And Bluetooth played a huge role in that. And you might be asking, well, did patients actually adopt it? Because I remember going to so many conferences and talking about the implementation of Bluetooth into hearing aids and providers saying, Well, my patients don't carry around their phone, or my patients don't use smartphones. In 2026, look where we are today. It is incredible how technology advances, how patients and individuals adopt that technology. And of course, you're going to have your laggards, but my goodness, it's incredible in terms of the adoption. So let's go into this right now. Did patients actually adopt the Bluetooth technology? So we'll slow down here a bit. You know, I get excited, but this is where things get a little interesting. And where I believe we need to be honest. Just because a feature exists doesn't mean it gets used. And I think that's in every industry, in every tech industry. Just because a feature exists doesn't mean it gets used. So with some of our early data, there's a gap. Early data showed us something very important. It showed us that a large number of patients had hearing aids with wireless capability, but far fewer were actually using those features. Think, you know, streaming, apps, connectivity. It was available, but not always used. Now let's lead into now that feature versus use gap. And I've seen this firsthand. Patients come back for follow-ups, and I would ask, have you been streaming? You know, using the app? And they'll say, Well, no, not really. Not because they didn't want to, but because nobody really showed them how, or they forgot, or it felt overwhelming. And that is the gap. It's not the technology, it's really the translation from feature to real life use. And once you bridge that gap as a hearing care professional, everything absolutely changes. And as we talk about, you know, hearing loss never discriminating, or as a hearing care professional, having a patient in their 70s or 80s saying, Oh, they're never going to use their phone. I remember vividly one of our patients, she wore Bluetooth compatible hearing aids. She asked for them. She wanted these hearing aids to connect to her phone. And I'll never forget it. I was getting the phone set up with her. And I always sat next to the patients because you always want to make sure that the patient is part of this process. And she had like some of the coolest apps on there. Like, well, for one, she had the Chick-fil-A app, which was awesome. But despite her age, she was with it in terms of modern day technology. And she accepted it and she adopted it and she used it. Again, once I bridged that gap as a hearing care professional with my patient, everything changed. As we're talking about bridging that gap and everything changing, why are some patients going from it's a great feature to utilizing it every day? Well, a few reasons. Not everybody had compatible smartphones when Bluetooth was first introduced to hearing aids. Setup really wasn't always intuitive. I mean, different iOS operating systems, different hardware, different software. Counseling did sometimes fall short. And I'm not here to call out any hearing care professionals in the beginning of this Bluetooth technological boom. You had to make sure as a professional that that specific model actually spoke to your patient's phone version, whether, again, that be that software or that hardware. And in some cases, patients really didn't see the value at first. And that's always challenging. Whenever you, as a hearing care professional, understand the technology, know how the technology can help the patient, you're excited about it, and you know how it can really help their communication and their lives overall, you'll get a little bit excited, but they might not see the value. If we go into more recent trends, if we fast forward, we're seeing a shift. I mean, more patients today are using apps, they're streaming audio, they're engaging with their devices. But most importantly, what we're seeing is these patients are satisfied, which is like, oh my gosh, between the advancements and not only the hearing aids, but also the Bluetooth and the phones today, it is such an incredible ecosystem for patients who present with hearing loss today to have that superhuman hearing. Now, I want to talk about present-day users that you know are empowered. And I'm sure you, if you're a hearing care professional, you've probably had patients more recently who come in expecting this. So they'll ask, can I stream phone calls? Can I control this from my phone? And when they get it, they use it. I had one patient tell me, Blaze, I adjust my hearing aids more in a day than I ever thought that I would. I mean, that is engagement. That is that is ownership. That's a completely different experience than what we saw even 10 to 15 years ago. I think the real takeaway here is Bluetooth adoption wasn't a moment, it was absolutely progression. We have availability, awareness of the technology, you had usage and of course satisfaction. And now we're much, much, much further along that curve. Let's dive into the bigger trend here because Bluetooth didn't happen in isolation. Hearing technology today as a whole, it's evolving, it's evolving rapidly, and it's exciting. Adoption is also increasing, and devices are becoming more connected, more personalized, more aligned with how people actually live. And Bluetooth was one of the catalysts for that shift. And that's a hill that I'll definitely put my flag on. Bluetooth was a catalyst for that shift. You're talking about overall connectivity, feeling connected, being connected, reducing that stigma associated with hearing aids and presenting with untreated hearing loss. If anything, Bluetooth absolutely helped reduce that stigma. And it is incredibly, incredibly exciting. So enter LE Audio. You know, now we're moving into what's next. Bluetooth LE audio. Think of this, I want to say, as an upgrade to the overall foundation. So overall, it brings better efficiency, better sound architecture, and something called multi-stream audio, which allows multiple synchronized audio streams from one source. Incredible. And this is important because it really does set the stage for Oracast. Now, if you've been online lately or you know you've been searching on any of the AI models, GPT, Copilot, what have you, maybe you've searched like what is Oracast? How does AuraCast help those with hearing loss? Well, Oracast is a huge buzzword today. It's gaining a lot of traction, and rightfully so, because I just brought you through the history of Bluetooth, what it meant for connectivity, what it meant for accessibility. And we're now talking about Bluetooth LE Audio, which allows multiple synchronized audio streams from one source, and that sets the stage for Oracast. So I want to simplify this. Traditional Bluetooth, one device connects to another. So that's private, that's one-to-one connection. Oracast one device can broadcast audio to unlimited listeners. One to many. Think of it like a public audio channel. And your hearing aids, if you wear hearing aids, can tune into it. This is where it becomes bigger than technology. This becomes about accessibility. Again, we're talking about Bluetooth. Bluetooth created greater accessibility, greater personalization, greater counseling opportunities between the patient and the hearing care professional. We are now enhancing accessibility all thanks to Oracast. Now, today's limitations. This is really important that we talk about this. Current assistive listening systems, they help, but they're Limited, they're not always available, not always easy to use, and oftentimes they are expensive. So if we're talking about like school-age children, like an FM system, which in the classroom is still that one-to-one connection. It's not that one source to multiple devices like Oracast, but Oracast does have the potential to be more scalable, more accessible, more private, and higher quality. So I want to bring you through an airport scenario. I'll paint this picture for you. Now, I travel a decent amount, and if I fly out of the Charleston airport, and let's say I'm flying Delta, I mean all the terminals are very close to each other. They usually do a great job just announcing one gate at a time. But I have normal hearing with all of the ambient noise going on, it can get a little muddy, if you will. But let me paint this picture. So think about a patient, one of your patients, or maybe you or the individual listening to this wearing hearing aids. You're sitting at the airport and there is noise everywhere. You know, announcements are echoing, they're missing their gay call. That is stressful. Travel in and of itself, stressful. Don't care who paints the picture. In my opinion, travel is stressful, but that's just me. Now imagine instead, though, that same patient or you are sitting in the airport, you open up your phone, you select the airport broadcast, and the announcement streams directly into your hearing aids. The announcement is clear, it's direct, there's zero guessing, there is zero anxiety. Ladies and gentlemen, that's not just better hearing, that is independence, that is greater accessibility, that is confidence. So now you know, as that individual wearing hearing technology, that your flight is on time or it's delayed, hopefully not canceled. But my goodness, travel is already stressful. What Oracast just did for those who present with hearing loss and wear hearing aids, you've reduced that social pressure. You've reduced that listening effort. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Now, the bigger idea here. Oracast doesn't just help people with hearing loss. And I really want to nail this point down because, of course, in the airport scenario, it was about someone who presented with hearing loss and wore hearing aids. Again, Oracast doesn't just help people with hearing loss, it helps anyone in difficult listening environments. When something helps everyone, it gets adopted faster. So I think you're picking up what I'm putting down. We've been talking about stigma. Stigma goes away when something becomes widely accepted or something becomes common. Now, of course, the technology today, the hearing technology today, is uncommon. I mean, it's it's incredible. But when something helps everyone, it gets adopted faster, which again is going to help us hearing care professionals reduce the stigma associated with hearing loss, associated with wearing hearing aids. That is incredible. This is a topic I've been wanting to really talk to you about for quite some time now. I wanted to do a little bit more research. I wanted to fully understand the case for oracast, why this is important. But everyone's talking about orcast today. I wanted to just bring you through the history. Look at how far we've come. I grew up in hearing healthcare. I've been around hearing aids since I was biting ankles practically. And this is so cool to see the evolution. I mean, you went from programming hearing aids with cables to then wireless programming, to then digital hearing aids, to then Bluetooth, to now Auracast. I am so excited for what we're about to see in the next five to ten years in hearing healthcare. So many people are going to be helped. So many people are going to be connected to their friends, to their family, to their loved ones. And my hat's off to the Bluetooth SIG team as it relates to Oracast. Incredible, incredible innovation. So here's the takeaway. Bluetooth transformed the personal hearing experience. Oracast has the potential to transform the public hearing experience. And if this happens, how we envision it to, we're not just improving hearing care, we are redefining accessibility. Super, super exciting. If you found this valuable, you know, please share it with a colleague, share it with a patient, or you know, share it with a friend. And start paying attention to Auracast. That's that's my challenge to you. Oracast is coming, it's coming fast, and it's going to help more people, I think, than we realize. So thank you again for tuning into the Hearing Matters podcast. I'm founder and host, Blaze Delfino. And until next time, hear life story.