Thanks to the Android Open Source Project it is easy to keep track of
new and upcoming features. Some of the features make it to the next
stable Android release, while others gather dust, only to be
reimplemented years later. Today, XDA Developers spotted one that adds
support for Bluetooth hearing aids. According to a series of code
commits, the Google Pixel and Pixel 2 smartphones will natively support
connecting to Bluetooth hearing aids. Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids
allow people with hearing disabilities to listen to their surrounding
and make phone calls or listen to music, all via the same device.
It is not only going to allow them to listen to everything in their
surroundings but also place phone calls or listen to music.
Additionally, in the future bluetooth hearing aids could be connected to
smart assistants as well, which will expand their functionality
greatly.
It is unlikely that we’ll see the feature go live on Android P Developer
preview 2, considering how close we are to Google I/O. We can expect to
see it in action in the third developer preview, and maybe even the
stable release. The only downside to it is the fact that it is limited
to Pixel devices, but it is only inevitable that the functionality will
be rolled out to other devices. Currently, people with hearing
difficulties have to rely on iPhones, and it would be nice for them to
have some Android devices to choose from.
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