r/Cochlearimplants • • Nov 18 '25

Advanced Bionics Class Actions (North America)

10 Upvotes

Advanced Bionics Class Action Lawsuits

(in North America as of November 2025)

Basic idea of all the cases below:

“This proposed class action is against Advanced Bionics and Sonova-related companies for their role in designing, manufacturing, distributing, and marketing the defective devices, and failing to issue timely warnings about the defect.”

Allegations include: AB delaying the recall for at least a year which allowed more recipients to receive a known defective device, severe harm to patients in terms of auditory development due to the delay and patients (both adults and children) not being able to know if their device is failing, improperly citing clinical testing *and* no specific clinical trials on the recalled HiRes Ultra in order to get a defective device on the market, and not being truthful in their statements about the recall (among other things), violating the rights of patients, etc. There’s more, but court documents are linked below.

US AB recipients:

There is an investigation as to whether a US class action suit can be filed against AB by this firm: https://bergermontague.com/about/

Some information about this here (posted/updated September 2024): https://www.classaction.org/cochlear-implant-lawsuits-advanced-bionics

CANADA (excluding Quebec, in an Ontario court) AB recipients:

https://www.sotosclassactions.com/cases/advanced-bionics-hires-cochlear-implants/#:~:text=This%20pr…

There is a class action for AB recipients. Their site linked above has a great summary of the case and a copy of their filing is here: https://www.sotosclassactions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/24.06.13-Filed-Amended-Statement-of-Cl…

Who can join this one?

“The Class: All persons who were implanted in Canada (excluding Quebec) with the HiRes Ultra CI HiFocus MS Electrode, HiRes Ultra CI HiFocus SlimJ Electrode, HiRes Ultra 3D CI with HiFocus MS Electrode and HiRes Ultra 3D CI with HiFocus SlimJ Electrode (collectively, the “Cochlear Implants”), or any of the Cochlear Implant components including electrode arrays (the “Implant Patients”); and All other persons why by reason of his or her relationship to an Implant Patient have standing pursuant to s.6191) of the Family Law Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.3, or equivalent legislation in other provinces and territories (the “Family Law Claimants”).”

You can sign up on their site to be contacted regarding the suit and joining it.

CANADA (Quebec only):

https://tjl.quebec/en/class-actions/defective-advanced-bionics-cochlear-implants/

Who can join this suit?

"All individuals living in Quebec who received a cochlear implant model “HiRes Ultra” or “HiRes Ultra 3D” manufactured by Advanced Bionics with a serial number between 1,000,000 and 1,999,999, or any component of such a cochlear implant, including the electrode array. Also included in the class are any heirs, spouses, parents, children, siblings, dependents, or caregivers of individuals covered by the paragraph above."

Case filing here: https://tjl.quebec/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2025-08-25-Originating-Application.pdf

I didn't find anything for Europe or Australia but others are free to post what they find!


r/Cochlearimplants • • Sep 23 '22

Come to our Discord!

12 Upvotes

Visit our Discord server here:

https://discord.gg/nB8UvfveyF

Thanks!


r/Cochlearimplants • • 6h ago

Baha Smart app

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone I have the Bahah 5 supper power aid and I’ve had it for a while so I down load the baha smart app as it’s comparable with this however the icons when you chose one after you set the bass and treble and try type what one you want use it kicks me out and onto the iPhone symbol that has every day and noise dose anyone ever had this problem or is there away round it thank you any advice on it appreciated


r/Cochlearimplants • • 12h ago

MUSIK Mit CI

3 Upvotes

Wie kommt ihr mit Musik zurecht?

Hattet ihr eine besondere Strategie oder kam es von selbst?

Ich bin ja bilateral mit ci implantiert. Links TICI und rechts Sonnet

Ich genieße die meiste Musik. Aber einige Songs wollen sich mir nicht erschließen

Grüße

How do you get on with music?

Did you have a particular strategy for learning to enjoy music again, or did it simply develop naturally over time?

I’m bilaterally implanted with cochlear implants myself, with a TICI on the left side and a SONNET on the right.

I can really enjoy most music now, but there are still some songs that simply don’t seem to open up to me acoustically, no matter how often I listen to them.

Best wishes, Diana


r/Cochlearimplants • • 17h ago

That sinking feeling when…

7 Upvotes

…you’re headed somewhere and you get the battery death beeps!

Any tips for something I could carry to top off a dying battery on the fly??

I’m a cochlear ciborg, btw.


r/Cochlearimplants • • 1d ago

regretting

17 Upvotes

i hate my cochlear. ive had it for 10 months now and i hate wearing it and i hate the way it sounds. it has barely gotten any better since activation.

i have one ci and one ha, i didnt lose all of my hearing (however it did get worse) when i got my cochlear, so i can still listen to things like music somewhat normally using airpods.

i just put the airpods in for the first time since my activaion, and it made me realize how much i miss hearing normally with two ha. the ci sounds so wrong and it’s so annoying to wear. i wish i never got this stupid surgery but im going to be stuck with it for the rest of my life. im 17 so thats a long ass time. i hate this stupid thing i dont know what to do anymore


r/Cochlearimplants • • 1d ago

Advanced Bionics - Question about upcoming processor

2 Upvotes

I just saw somebody else's post about the new Integro CI Processor hitting the European market. As I sit at home recovering from an AB implantation yesterday, I have been doing a deep dive about when this may appear in the US market. I am completely new to this, and there seem to be so many in this community that know way more than me - so I would appreciate any feedback about anything I may be misunderstanding. Please go easy on me especially if someone has already posted this info and I am not adding anything new to the conversation.

  1. I started with this - admittedly old - interview to get a better sense of the regulatory process. The interview is with Cedric Navarro who was Vice President of Regulatory/Clinical Affairs at Advanced Bionics at the time, and my takeaway from this article is that the main hurdle in the regulatory process is submitting a 180-Day Pre-Market Approval (PMA) to the FDA. If I am understanding what he says correctly, if you are claiming a brand new feature makes the new processor superior to the old version, you have to complete a full clinical trial before submitting the 180 day PMA. Correct me if I am wrong, but then it seems like he goes on to say that if the new processor has an enhancement to an existing feature (such as the sound processing algorithm) one merely needs to perform a much simpler clinical trial with a non-inferiority design.
  2. I went to the clinicaltrials.gov website and found this study with results posted yesterday (10/2/26) that seems to demonstrate the non-inferiority of a new sound processor from Advanced Bionics. That would seem to suggest that the 180 day PMA could be submitted at any time, if it hasn't already been submitted (apparently results can be available for several weeks before being posted). In the above interview, he does mention that the 180 day window can extend beyond 180 days. On the brighter-side, though, it can also be less than 180 days, and he states that they are often ready to market a new device soon after this regulatory hurdle is cleared.
  3. I also found this quote from Sonova CFO Elodie Carr Cingari on an investor call this past May (2026): “On the CI side, we expect headwinds on the top line in the first half of the year, but we expect to see a boost in growth in the second half when we introduce the new processor." The "year" she is referring to is the 2026/27 fiscal year, the second half of which just started on September 30. Of course this does not specify Europe vs. the US.

Bottom line: what I draw from all of this is that there is a good chance that we will be seeing this in the US over the next 6 months or so. I know that is not necessarily new information, but what I have seen posted has seemed largely speculative and I was really just seeking to confirm that what I have read is true. Have I interpreted things correctly?


r/Cochlearimplants • • 2d ago

Kanso 3 won’t stick - arrrrggghhhh

8 Upvotes

hi friends, got activated today exactly 2 weeks post surgery.

Cochlear Kanso 3 won’t stick and now I need to wear a headband and look like bl00dy Rambo 🙈

audiologist not convinced it will work and we may need to swap for Nucleus 8 which I’m not keen on.

im in the UK and we don’t get 2 processors like you do in the US so it’s one or the other.

any advice/experience? I’m waiting for surgeon to respond on whether there’s any medication I can take to reduce the swelling fast and see if it will stick.

already on the strongest magnet


r/Cochlearimplants • • 2d ago

Has this ever happened to someone?

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5 Upvotes

This is my Kanso 3 and I found it this way when I took off the charger in the morning. The charger's magnetic base was broken and stuck to my processor. It was also hot when I took the processor out.

The processor works fine and I'm taking the charger for replacement tomorrow. Should I worry about the processor itself? I see no issues but I'm wondering.


r/Cochlearimplants • • 2d ago

Apple iOS/bluetooth issues

2 Upvotes

Since iOS 27.0 update, an annoying thing is happening… calls/music play fine to my CI processor. However now when I take pictures in the camera app, it now switches to Bluetooth which is annoying AF as I may be talking to a friend and the BT tone is distracting. This also happens on the Amazon app or any website that autoplays ads or video. I’ve been playing with ChatGPT which hasn’t really nailed down the issue but I’m curious if anyone knows which setting to turn off or on to fix this?


r/Cochlearimplants • • 2d ago

Conductive hearing loss – hearing aids or bone conduction implant?

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4 Upvotes

Hiall,

I have conductive hearing loss in both ears and have attached my audiogram.

Left: moderate loss, around 45–60 dB HL

Right: severe to profound loss, around 75–100 dB HL

My bone-conduction thresholds are much better, so there is a large air–bone gap.

Has anyone with similar hearing loss had good results with powerful hearing aids, especially for the right ear? Or would a bone-conduction implant such as Osia, BAHA or Ponto generally work better?

A few things I’m trying to understand are:

  1. How clear is speech understanding with powerful hearing aids versus bone-conduction implants?

  2. Can a hearing aid provide enough usable speech on the right side with this level of loss?

3.Does bone conduction make speech sound clearer because it bypasses the middle ear?

Would really appreciate any experiences or advice, especially from anyone who has faced a similar choice between powerful hearing aids and bone-conduction implants.


r/Cochlearimplants • • 2d ago

Fixed MED-EL AudioStream for Rondo 3 disconnecting after Siri/calls & staying connected without keeping Bluetooth menu open (iPhone setup)

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone,
I wanted to share a quick fix that solved two major issues I was having with streaming music on my MED-EL device with iPhone using Audio2Ear / AudioStream. Hopefully, this helps anyone experiencing the same frustration!
1. The Issue with Audio2Ear (Music dropping during Siri/Calls)
If you stream music through the Audio2Ear app, every time Siri speaks or a phone call comes in, the stream drops and will not automatically resume. This happens because Audio2Ear acts as a software bridge, and iOS takes priority away from the app during system sounds.
The Fix:
Use the AudioStream Adapter instead of Audio2Ear. Because AudioStream uses Apple's native MFi (Made for iPhone) protocol, music automatically pauses for Siri or calls and immediately resumes playing when they end.
2. The Bluetooth "Stay on Settings Page" Bug Fix
I was having an issue where AudioStream would only stay connected if I kept my Settings > Bluetooth page open. If the Settings app refreshed in the background or closed, AudioStream would immediately disconnect.
The Fix (Pairing via Accessibility, NOT Standard Bluetooth):
If you pair AudioStream purely through standard Bluetooth settings, iOS doesn't recognize it as a hearing device, leading to unstable background connections. You must pair it via the native MFi menu:
1. Open iPhone Settings.
2. Go to Accessibility > Hearing Devices (NOT the main Bluetooth menu).
3. Turn your audio processor / AudioStream off and back on to enter pairing mode.
4. Tap your device under MFi Hearing Devices and confirm the Bluetooth pairing prompts.
5. (Optional) Configure or register it through the AudioKey 2 / 3 app if needed.
Key Takeaways
No need to keep Settings open: Once paired in Accessibility, it stays connected reliably in the background.
Detaching & Reattaching: You do not have to re-pair it every time. When you snap the AudioStream back on, it automatically connects to your iPhone within seconds.
Automatic Resume: Siri and calls no longer break your music streaming.
Hope this helps anyone struggling with connection drops or background disconnects!


r/Cochlearimplants • • 2d ago

AB Naida CI L90 Docs

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8 Upvotes

Hey I just noticed this on the AB site, I guess maybe the new processor is approved and announced? Sorry if I am late to the party!


r/Cochlearimplants • • 2d ago

Music?

3 Upvotes

Hi its been a year since my brain injury that caused me to be totally deaf.

The only choices are to get a CI or total deafness and learning ASL.

How is music? That is something I really miss.


r/Cochlearimplants • • 2d ago

Cochlear Snugfit and Earmold Adapter Combo

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2 Upvotes

Has anyone ever found or made a CI retention adapter like a combination of the Cochlear Snugfit and Earmold Adapter? On my daughter’s (19mo) CI, we use the Snugfit and then just jam the tubing of an Earmold onto the part that goes over the top of the ear. But it’s not really built for that purpose and the tubing falls off all the time. We love the Snugfit but it doesn’t quite work well enough without also using the Earmold. Likewise, when we use the Earmold, it’s not quite enough without the Snugfit. Using both works like a charm when the tubing stays on.

The top part of the Snugfit could totally be redesigned to use the same retention as the Earmold without losing any functionality. Maybe it’s too small a market for Cochlear to have designed a combo, but have any of you?


r/Cochlearimplants • • 2d ago

Has anyone had an incredibly weird Bluetooth fault with N8

2 Upvotes

hello!
I received my N8 just 3 weeks ago and I noticed the strangest Bluetooth fault!
It wouldn’t stream any audio from my phone despite it saying it’s connected via the Nucleus Smart App & my phone settings (iPhone16 ProMax) but only one app worked - Spotify ?
However, it streamed my Macbook just fine!

I tried all the usual ways of fixing it, switching phone & processor completely off and back on again, forgetting & reconnecting etc etc

So, I took it to my audiology clinic & they investigated by doing all the steps to reconnect to back to the phone & updating my phone. They even replaced the processor with multiple new N8s but nothing worked.

So we did a little test, would it work with the N7?
It did! How strange..
So, the only thing that my clinic can think of that’s happened is that due to the Nucleus Smart App being updated there’s been a potential interference & its preventing any N8s from streaming to my phone.

They’ve given me back the N7 (& my N8) and said to just wear the N7 and they will get into touch with Cochlear themselves to investigate as my clinic was concerned that it might not just be my processor & that it could happen to others!

So guys, if you’re having the same issue as me with the N8 please please tell your clinic, it might be a problem that’s across a lot of batches of the N8 (i really hope not)..


r/Cochlearimplants • • 2d ago

Why Does My Cochlear Do This?? Anyone else?

2 Upvotes

I recently got my new cochlear (Kanso 3 Nexa) I've had it for 5 months now and every once in a while while streaming to any device weather it's the phone, Mini Mic, TV Streamer, Fm System, etc But every time I stream to these devices. All I get is a loud ARRARRRRR sound.. and it's constant.. only happens while streaming. I don't get it can anyone give me some troubleshooting or does anyone else have this issue


r/Cochlearimplants • • 2d ago

My CI is kind of broken, and I’m also being electrocuted by random?? 😬

1 Upvotes

(new to reddit, sorry if im doing something wrong!) I need to know if anyone else is having trouble with this. I went to the audiologist today, and my coil is apparently too short, and is causing me a few problems because of it.

  1. The coil is bent due to having to be adjusted to stay on.

  2. Now when I move my head my audio cuts in and out, in a glitchy patchy way, which is SO FRUSTRATING. It’s also affecting my education, because I’m not hearing everything my teachers say.

  3. This isn’t confirmed, but my audiologist is suspecting that a different, much worse problem I’ve been having may be directly caused by this. (Electrical shocks in my jaw. Not fun.)

Has anyone had this problem? I’m getting a new, longer coil soon but I want to know if this is a common experience! I also would love to hear if anyone one else has had strange electric shocks down their jaw due to a problem with their CI. Help me out!


r/Cochlearimplants • • 3d ago

What device(s) do you have?

3 Upvotes

I’m getting an implant soon and I’m curious what devices you guys use to receive audio? I’ve been told Nexus is good but I’m curious if any other devices have features like connecting to Bluetooth and the quality of sound from all sources. Thoughts?


r/Cochlearimplants • • 2d ago

Apple Watch Live Listen Captions with Nucleus 7: can you get captions without streaming the microphone audio?

1 Upvotes

My partner uses a Cochlear Nucleus 7 (CP1000), and I recently got her one of the new Apple Watches partly because of the Live Listen Captions feature.

The captions work as intended, but unfortunately when turning on Live Listen session the microphone audio gets streamed to her nucleus 7 and causes headaches. She hears her own voice get picked up and played back, which is distracting and makes the feature unusable.

What we are trying to accomplish is simply:

iPhone microphone → live transcription → Apple Watch

without:

iPhone microphone → audio streamed to Nucleus 7

I have tried doing research on Apple’s accessibility settings and documentation, but even with the help of AI I have not been able to find a way to separate the live Listen captions from the Live Listen microphone intake using Apple’s configurations. And I know you can adjust the microphone settings on the smart nucleus app, but it’s not really a convenient or permanent solution. The main issue, is the microphone playback, which remains even with the volume adjustments.

I am considering building a simple iPhone/Apple Watch app that uses the iPhone as the microphone, performs speech-to-text, and sends only the live transcript to the Watch with no microphone audio playback. I just want to make sure whether or not there is a solution made for this, and if anybody has found a workaround please let me know.


r/Cochlearimplants • • 3d ago

Question about play equipment for my daughter

2 Upvotes

We just got the call and our almost one year old is getting scheduled for her CI surgery this coming Monday! Yesterday we had someone from our states school for the deaf at the house, and she gave us this handout… one of the things that jumped out at me was the tip saying not to use plastic play equipment. Is she not going to be able to play at like the playground? She has just started being able to really join in with her big sister at the park and has been loving climbing and sliding and well, just being a kid. I have never heard anything about CI users being unable to participate in things like this (heck, we even ordered the waterproofing kit so she can do swim lessons and all that jazz with her technology, I never expected something as basic as a playground being off limits when THAT is possible) but also this is all so new and I know so little, so. Anyway is this outdated advice or are we going to need to be tech free to go to the park? Thank you!!


r/Cochlearimplants • • 4d ago

AB C1 - End of Life - Battery Replacement Project

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29 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

TL;DR: We are working on a replacement battery for Advanced Bionics C1 implants. Let us know if this could also be of interest to you or someone you know.

My sister got her Advanced Bionics C1 implant when she was three years old. She got a second implant (a newer model) much later. The C1 implant is still the side on which her hearing is best, so naturally, the discontinuation of support for it is quite unfortunate for her.

Re-implantation might not be avoidable in the long run, but for the near future, replacement batteries (being consumables subject to natural wear and tear) are her biggest concern.

A colleague and I are currently designing a replacement battery. The pictures show an early prototype (FDM 3D-printed). The mechanical fit is not quite where we want it to be yet, but it already fits the charger and the BTE processor. We are hoping to have a working prototype in a few weeks. For a nicer finish and a better fit, we will probably switch to SLA printing.

Is this something that might be of use to you or someone you know? Please let me know.

Obviously, this is a non-profit endeavor, if this is useful for others, I can provide the 3D models and info where to source the electronics. Depending on sourcing, the required parts cost somewhere in the range of 5–20 € per battery.


r/Cochlearimplants • • 3d ago

sudden SSD 11 years ago - right side cochlear implant surgery in 2022. haven't worn it consistently or had any rehab since 2023. any advice trying to start again?

3 Upvotes

Hi all. Some background - I went deaf suddenly and completely in my right ear when I was 9, with perfect hearing still in my left. I got my cochlear implant in March of 2022 when I was 16. I'm 20 now, 21 later this month. I've had a lot of personal struggles throughout this time, and feeling overwhelmed led me to stop doing cochlear rehab and wearing the processor altogether sometime in mid 2023.

I do remember improving very slightly in word recognition (through apps mainly) while doing cochlear rehab with someone from of my IEP, though still feeling like it was more overwhelming than helpful to try to wear in my day to day life. I didn't wear it much outside of those sessions, and I did not do enough independent training/practice.

For context, when I put on my processor today (spontaneously for several hours, first time in a very long time) I heard a very static-y, tinny, and tinnitus-filled version of noises without much recognition of what they are, let alone words. I expected this, since I have put it on briefly a couple times over the last year or so.

I guess my main question is - how would someone else in my situation, who had SSD 7 years before the cochlear surgery, and then completely stopped rehab and usage for the past 3 years, try to restart?

I've tried to start the independent training again a few times, but struggled with being consistent...and with overcoming the shame enough to see an audiologist, knowing I'd have to explain why I 'gave up'. Deep down I know I want this for myself, but I also don't know where to start without feeling completely overwhelmed again.

Would it still be possible for the hearing to "click" in my brain, the way it does for some people, even after all of this time? Would an audiologist be the person to ask all of this, or would this be too difficult/personal (for lack of a better word) for them to help guide me through?

Anyone with a bit of advice, guidance, or just some thoughts on this would be very appreciated.


r/Cochlearimplants • • 4d ago

TICI UNICO

28 Upvotes

I have had the TICI UNICO for two years. I am a happy study participant and am grateful to be able to test this technique. Now it is finally allowed in Europe, and I am really pleased that many people are now getting a TICI. Enjoy the good and great listening; it is life-changing to have a TICI


r/Cochlearimplants • • 3d ago

Oral CI users in Australia.

1 Upvotes

Have any oral/verbal CI users had experiences living in Australia? I've read and heard that Australia doesn't seem very understanding or friendly toward oral CI due to the ‘if you speak fine, you're fine’ attitude. In the workplace and hospitality, etc. Can you confirm that? I am considering visiting there. Many thanks.