If you have Bluetooth hearing aids, you might know that Apple’s specially designed Made For iPhone (MFI) protocol only enables pairing to iPhones, iPod Touch, and iPad tablets. Mac is left out.
For Mac users like me, that means using an accessory mic or switching between my Airpods and hearing aids during the workday.
According to Apple, this frustrating back and forth will be over soon.
What We Know
Last week Apple announced a suite of accessibility improvements for its devices, including the ability for Made-for-iPhone (MFi) hearing aids to pair directly with Mac computers. Big win for hearing aid wearers.
The move will allow users to stream audio from their Mac to their hearing aids, including music, podcasts, Siri, and video. The new feature will be available on some Mac devices with an M1 chip and all Mac devices with an M2 chip.
When will MFI for Mac be available?
The short answer is that we don’t know. Apple devoted only one bullet point in their overall accessibility announcement to the new MFI capabilities.
We can assume MFI for Mac will roll out in the next few months, and we’ll be sure to do a complete setup tutorial as soon as the new feature rolls out.
This update can’t come soon enough. 👀