Amazon Fire TV devices get two big hearing aid upgrades for family streaming

• Amazon’s flagship Fire TV Omni Mini LED TV series now supports dual audio.
• This feature will allow it to transmit sound to supported hearing aids and through the TV speakers.
• Some Amazon device packaging includes a raised QR code that provides access to setup instructions.

AmazonIt’s been a content-rich few months — including a new Kindle, Fire TV Stick updates, and the launch of Mini LED TVs — but now comes the launch of a new accessibility feature, the expansion of another feature, and a few product-packaging highlights. Accessibility.

With support for the Audio Streaming to Hearing Aids (ASHA) protocol, various Fire TV devices already support the ability to stream audio directly to hearing aids. Amazon’s latest move, though, is called “Dual Audio,” and is currently exclusive to the Fire TV Omni Mini LED TV range – with this, you can use ASHA to send audio to your hearing aids, and audio through your TV speakers.

This is the first time a Fire TV device can send audio as two streams. This way, if you wear hearing aids, you can watch TV with your family and enjoy a communal experience without any lag. It’s exciting to see the launch of the Fire TV Omni Mini LED TV line, but I do hope Amazon expands it to other Fire TV devices as well – whether it’s a Fire TV 4 Series model or a streaming stick.

A software update is required to enable this feature, which will begin rolling out to the Fire TV Omni Mini LED TV series “in the coming weeks.” Once installed, you will be able to turn on Dual Audio in Settings under Accessibility. You start the process by pairing a compatible hearing aid with your TV, which then allows you to receive audio through your hearing aid as well as through your TV speakers. After first-time setup, you can also use quick settings to turn this feature on and off.

More broadly, Amazon is expanding the types of hearing aids that can be paired with its Fire TV range of devices, in addition to the Fire TV Omni Mini LED TV range. Currently supported hearing aids via audio streaming protocols are Widex Moment Behind-The-Ear (BTE) and Receiver-In-Canal (RIC) hearing aids. All ASHA-enabled Fire TV devices (such as the Omni TV series, Fire TV Cube, and Series 2 and 4 Fire TV models) will support BTE and RIC hearing aids.

In addition to supporting more types of hearing aids and dual audio on the Fire TV Omni Mini LED TV series, Amazon is also adding raised QR codes with tactical markings to the packaging of some devices. QR codes have raised dots designed to help customers with low vision or who are blind easily access the Quick Setup Guide and other support documents. You will scan a QR code to access these; the raised QR code is located in the upper left corner of the Quick Start Guide on the back of the device inside the package.