Phonak's Eon Sphere joins broadcasts by QR code only on iPhone, and Infinio owners now wait until 2027

Phonak's Audéo Eon, launched in the US on 24 August and in Australia in September, is the first Phonak hearing aid with working Auracast. It arrived last of the six majors and it works on day one, which deserves credit. Two caveats have surfaced since.

QR only on iPhone

Audiologist and YouTuber Cliff Olson pointed out on 23 September that the myPhonak app on an iPhone offers no list of nearby broadcasts. It joins by scanning a QR code, and nothing else. On Android the app shows a list as well.

For a venue that posts QR codes, this is no problem. For a venue that does not, or for a friend's TV, an iPhone-carrying Eon wearer has to ask for the code. ReSound, Oticon and Starkey all show a list in their apps on both platforms. Phonak has not said whether a list is coming to iOS.

Infinio: 2027, maybe

The bigger grievance is the one on every hearing forum. Phonak's Audéo Infinio and Infinio Sphere, launched in August 2024, were sold as Auracast-ready. Two years on, nothing has been switched on. Owners who asked Phonak this month were told the feature will come in "next year's" firmware, 2027, and will be broadcast-receive only. There is no month, and the forum thread titled "Has Phonak abandoned Auracast?" is on its second page.

We list the Infinio as Firmware pending and we will record the date it ships against the date promised, as we do for every "ready" product. The Signia Pure Charge&Go MaX, launched the same week as the Eon, has a firmer date: March 2027.

The state of the six

With Eon, every major hearing-aid maker now has a shipping Auracast product: GN since 2023, Demant and Starkey by firmware over the last year, Widex from Android only, Signia and Phonak with a firmware date on their older ranges. The full list, by status, is on the hearing page.