I have been awake ...

...all night trying to come up with a temporary solution to my problem I have mentioned the last couple of days. Following ideas and links from other Cochlear users.

All week I’ve had intrusive sounds (at an abnormally high volume and no means of reducing this volume) directly plonked into my neural pathways inside my head from this new Apple IOS update which now puts all notifications and alerts and trills and chirps and phone (all spam) ringing etc on the iPhone directly into the Cochlear Speech Processor. This is even when Bluetooth is turned off and notifications are turned off. And the phone ringing doesn't even have a cancel button now the ringing connects directly like Big Ben chiming inside my skull. 

Why did Apple in their wisdom, decide all deaf people would love to have all this channelled directly to inside the brain?

On the Apple forum there were many people demented with this particular problem, and also with all the other problems I’ve had with this iOS  update which all relate to the Cochlear Speech Processor. These problems in total make the iPhone virtually unusable. These Cochlear  problems are in addition to all the other bugs and problems every other user has with this iOS update.

I went onto the Cochlear site, but they say, all Cochlear users and Baha users to contact Apple with all these problems. Which to be honest I find a bit of a cop out. Cochlear have given us this technology, and they make a big deal on their site of working with closely with Apple, but as soon as there are problems like this we are left to our own devices to fight it.

Cochlear users are coming up with with their own sticking plaster patches to keep them going, and also their sanity, desperately hoping that Apple comes up with an answer. And at the moment Apple doesn't have a clue how to correct this or make it better. Some of Forum users solutions are incredibly complicated, and I would sooner take a hammer first to the Cochlear  Speech Processor than go through these incredibly complicated ideas they have worked out, and have to reset their devices with their solutions on a several times daily basis. 

My own solution for the moment, my own patch to solve this problem? I am not going through what the other people suggest on the forum because it is so time-consuming and frustrating. I do need my phone on a continual daily basis especially being deaf and for contacting people and ease of people contacting me, and also for the controls of the Cochlear app (which doesn't work now) for my Speech Processor during the day, and other stuff etc, but my phone (and iPad) are going off for the moment (as they did yesterday), and only turned on during the day when I need to use it for something and then it is going off again. 

I love my iPhone and iPad, or rather I did. I am very invested in Apple for my stuff and to control my Speech Processor, but Apple is not delivering. I can’t afford to go over to a Google phone. But I will have to consider it if this situation doesn’t improve. Or else do what I have done yesterday as a permanent daily measure, by having it all off most of the time. That is not a viable option.

I was looking online at a Samsung Galaxy Note 10. Not looking at price yet. It depends on how long I can hold out with having my iPhone off most of the time, and how much having it off impacts or complicates my daily communication life. And depends how quickly when and if Apple fixes these problems impacting adversely on the Cochlear Speech Processor. Apple is isolating me again from the world because of my deafness. 

Just googled. Galaxy is not compatible with Nucleus 7  Speech Processor :(

I need ASHA (Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids) enabled within the Android device, for something which is not available yet with Android and the Nucleus 7, but should be soon, and my Nucleus 7 then could be upgraded to Custom Sound 5.2, and this would then provide full compatibility with an Android Device and my Nucleus 7.

Right, an email to to my Cochlear Audiologist to request this...and see what transpires. If it is a possible, then the appropriate Android device may be an option. If not, then I will have to struggle as I am for the moment.