Jacoti, a hearing technology company, has continued its focus on consumer-driven assistive hearing solutions with the U.S. release of the Jacoti ListenApp, the first FDA registered and CE certified medical device hearing aid application for smartphones.
ListenApp converts a user’s iPhone into a full-fledged hearing support system by functioning as both a hearing aid and audio processor. Users simply upload their personal audiogram provided by an audiologist, which is then used to apply advanced audiological fitting algorithms to sound that passes through the iPhone to an assistive listening device (such as a hearing aid). This process is carried out separately for the left and right ear with minimal latency to ensure optimal, individualized sound quality. Jacoti plans to add expanded functionality later in the year that lets users customize these algorithms for themselves.
In addition to sourcing live sound through the device’s built-in microphone, ListenApp uses Apple’s Inter-App audio technology to process audio from external applications. The company offers a music player called Jacoti Music and an assistive listening device called Jacoti Lola that are constructed specifically to operate flawlessly with ListenApp. Lola is a software-based solution that grabs audio from speakers and broadcasts it over a standard Wi-Fi network to deliver a crystal-clear copy to users’ hearing aids with almost no latency. By integrating out-of-the-box with third party sound systems and applications in addition to generalized computer audio, Lola sessions never need configuration yet offer users a revolutionary comprehensive listening experience.
“At Jacoti we believe that hearing loss is both a medical condition and a consumer challenge. Therefore, it needs consumer-driven and consumer-oriented solutions,” said Jacoti CEO Jacques Kinsbergen. “Jacoti ListenApp for iOS, which provides high quality hearing assistance to iPhone users with hearing loss, meets these needs.”
Hearing challenges affect nearly 20 percent of the world’s population, yet the vast majority of cases are left untreated or unsuitably treated. Jacoti aims to rectify this deficiency by developing solutions that are accessible and flexible enough to integrate seamlessly yet effectively with daily activities. Children with hearing loss are especially vulnerable to suffering developmental, learning and social problems, making software-based solutions such as Jacoti ListenApp the ideal complement to hearing aids within the limits of modern technology.
Edited by
Dominick Sorrentino
