Mimi Hearing Test 4+

I have been followed by a professional audiologist for several years. My last audio gram was 6 months ago. While it was “mild-to-moderate” hearing loss that was stable since the previous audiogram 2 years prior, I decided to be fitted with hearing aids because of difficulty hearing conversations in certain settings. During the free trial period, I found that the $6,000 HAs amplified ALL the sound, even with <conversation mode> turned on. Overall, my hearing functionality did not improve much. And the over-the-ear style was a nuisance when masking and unmasking. I found that I was only using them in the evening around home.

I have returned the expensive HAs and am trying out a set of Apple AirPods Pro ($180) which are programmable using Mimi. The Mimi audiogram seems to match the professional audiogram quite closely. I’m hoping that uploading to the Apple I-Phone AirPod app gives me the results I am looking for!

I did the test twice out of curiosity. I have known hearing loss and tinnitus, a unfortunate family inheritance, and have been wearing hearing aids full time for about 12 years. I did one test with on the ear headphones, another with wired Apple earbuds. Not exactly the same, but the outcome was the same and consistent enough with results of professional hearing tests that I can recommend this app for screening purposes. Since unaided hearing loss is a factor in some many areas, including social isolation, loss of the ability to distinguish words, and even dementia, I recommend that anyone suspecting hearing loss follow up. Addressing the problem is far better than suffering and the level of daily energy it takes to function when you do not hear well. Modern hearing aids are marvels of technology and improve all the time. My only issue was understanding the very clear instructions on “the button”, holding while hearing a sound and releasing when it stops, and the portrait only orientation on the ipad. My phone does not have a 3.5 connector, so had to use the ipad. Linking to Apple Health had to be done on the phone, and required an account with Mimi, but eventually I was able to link it, and see the results in Health.

[UPDATE: Another reviewer found a workaround. I deleted my hearing ID (there’s a “x Delete Hearing ID” label to tap in the app), and it started to work again. I’ve upped my rating by 1 star, though I’m not sure it’s deserved — that’s a pretty bad bug, and a non-obvious & data-destroying workaround.]

I had tried it some months ago on non-calibrated headphones, and now that I have AirPods Pro, I was curious to try it again. It didn’t recognize the AirPods, so I chose the non-calibrated option. After going all the way through the test, the app tells me something went wrong. Just “something.” No useful error message. It asks if I’m connected to the Internet. Yes. Yes I am. I’ve tried several times, always with the same result. I deleted the app and re-installed it, but that didn’t change anything. Update: The new version 5.3.0, according to the release notes, “significantly reduced the probability of an unexpected error.” Well, maybe, but it’s still a frustrating and useless app for me. It still doesn’t see my AirPods Pro as being calibrated, even though the app description explicitly lists that exact model. Worse, after going through the whole test, I still get that vague “something went wrong“ message, and no results.