Happy New Year! Aurahear.co.uk makes exciting plans for 2026
If there is one word to sum up aurahear.co.uk’s experiences of Auracast Bluetooth across 2025 it is wow.
Being able to hear in unexpected places that people take for granted is still a novel experience. And it really shouldn’t be, but it is.
Our journey came later than others, so we missed the incredible demonstration event at Sydney Opera House in Australia – how we wish we’d been there. But we have more than made up for it with visits to the wonderful team at Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, and Contact Manchester, being able to report on their work on aurahear.co.uk
These two venues take accessibility very seriously, so it is no wonder they are at the forefront of Auracast installations. And because they have chosen to install professional grade systems, they offer backwards compatibility with those who have Telecoils in their hearing aids.
Auracast’s party trick is its portability.
St Paul’s Cathedral was the first venue where I experienced this first hand: a guided tour using ReSound’s Multi mic+ and Samsung’s S25. A sublime day that moved me to tears.
Similarly, a street tour of East London to learn the story of Jack The Ripper was a similarly joyous moment, while a trial at Bristol Temple Meads showcased how Auracast can help deaf railway passengers get their train.
A visit to EUHA in Nuremberg showed how seriously hearing aid companies are taking Auracast: Starkey, GN, and Oticon all proudly demonstrated their latest technology, while Bettear let users try out Auracast for themselves with dual stream sessions: delegates could tune in to lectures in German or English. Ironically, apart from the Auracast lecture itself.
Add in being able to try a range of gadgets including the FlooGoo, the EARISMax headphones, and the Homespot transmitters, and it has been a really busy year.
But there is more.
How aurahear.co.uk will be retooled this year
Over the next few weeks, we will start to retool this website to make it even more useful for different audiences.
Being able to speak at the AIHHP Hearing Expo conference in November was a real eye-opener as I could understand more about how audiologists see Auracast, while a conversation with people at church revealed they lacked basic knowledge about their hearing aids: they don’t know if they have Telecoils or how to switch them on if they did.
And there’s a third strand – venues.
It is really hard to explain the benefits of Auracast when it can’t be seen – it has to be experienced to be fully understood. And even then, the vast majority of people who need it require Auracast enabled hearing aids to really understand it.
So why would a venue, such as a football stadium, want to go the extra mile and install an Auracast system when the benefits right now are negible?
The flip side is Auracast take-up is expected to be rapid as we head to 2030, and tech comes with it as standard. That we can’t wait for, but wait we must.
The new sections coming to Aurahear.co.uk
To help with this 2030 vision, we will create new sections on Aurahear.co.uk to help not just people in the UK, but across the world. Some of this will be aided by the many wonderful people we have connected with over the course of this year, as we try and understand how healthcare systems work in their respective countries (not everyone has an NHS). It won’t be perfect, but it will help relay what is happening.
Auracast for the users
So, a dedicated section for users: those will be use Auracast in their daily lives. We’ll explain what Auracast is, how it benefits them, what to look out for, and how to connect to it. All the basics, including some of the low-cost solutions that we love (expect more praise for the FlooGoo!) And we’ll explore what is available on the NHS, here in the UK.
Auracast for the venues
For venues, we will explain why we think they should be installing Auracast, and what is possible to put in place. We’ll look at their requirements under the law, and the different solutions for places such as theatres, cinemas, pubs, places of worship, and stadiums.
Auracast for audiologists
And for Audiologists, we’ll help as much we can with advice on why it’s important to fit Auracast-enabled hearing aids now, what difference it makes to clients, and showcase ways to demo the technology to prospective clients.
And Auracast for all
We will continue to focus on news and new developments, review kit, and offer thought pieces, ensuring that we have the best possible website for everything Auracast. And, because we are independent, you can be assured that we will offer impartial comment and reviews.
Phil Creighton, who runs this site, calls himself an Auracast Evangelist, and is available to speak to groups, write features, and explain what is possible and what the benefits are. To invite him, you can use this contact form.
We are excited about what is around the corner: next week, the CES show takes place in Las Vegas and we will be focusing on the new developments before starting work on the new website.
This year has been amazing, 2026 will be even better.
We wish you a very Happy New Year.
