Driven by a shared commitment to advancing hearing health, Starkey and MED-EL are introducing DualSync, a bimodal streaming partnership enabling Apple technology to seamlessly stream to compatible Starkey hearing aids and MED-EL cochlear implants.

This partnership combines the strength of Starkey’s hearing aids with the innovation behind MED-EL’s cochlear implants, creating a seamless and unified wireless audio experience for the hard-of-hearing who rely on both technologies.

“Hearing loss takes many forms and, in some cases, multiple technologies are required for the best outcome of the patient,” Starkey President/CEO Brandon Sawalich said. “Two global tech leaders are combining innovations to connect more people back to the things they love most. Partnering with MED-EL reflects our shared commitment to delivering excellence without exception.”

Beginning July 1, Starkey Edge AI and Genesis AI hearing aids and MED-EL SONNET 3, SONNET 2, SONNET, and RONDO 3 audio processors will be compatible for bimodal streaming. The solution is designed to support a growing ecosystem of devices and will be compatible with future innovations from both companies. DualSync technology provides seamless audio connectivity and synchronized sound from compatible smartphones and media devices, empowering users with more natural, connected hearing.

Related: MED-EL, Starkey Team Up on New Bluetooth Listening Experience

“By uniting two technologies, we are delivering a global solution that gives bimodal users effortless connectivity, clearer sound, and greater control in their daily lives,” MED-EL Co-Founder/CEO Dr. Ingeborg Hochmair stated. “Our shared goal is simple: to make it easier for people everywhere to hear, communicate, and engage with the world using the most advanced technology available.”

Starkey is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn. Founded by Bill Austin in 1967, Starkey is known for its innovative design, development, and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. The only American-owned provider of hearing technologies, Starkey employs more than 5,000 workers, operates 29 facilities, and conducts business in over 100 markets worldwide.

MED-EL Medical Electronics, a provider of implantable hearing solutions, was co-founded by industry pioneers Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair. The pair’s groundbreaking research led to the development of the world’s first micro-electronic multi-channel cochlear implant (CI), which was successfully implanted in 1977 and was the basis for modern CI technology. To date, the Austrian-based, privately owned business has more than 2,900 employees from roughly 90 nations and 30 locations worldwide. The company offers a wide range of implantable and non-implantable solutions to treat all types of hearing loss; MED-EL’s hearing solutions include cochlear and middle ear implant systems, a combined electric acoustic stimulation hearing implant system, as well as surgical and non-surgical bone conduction devices.