GN Hearing and Google have today announced a new technology partnership that will make GN Hearing the first manufacturer to enable a full spectrum of direct audio streaming from Android devices to hearing aids.

“According to the World Health Organization, around 466 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss. This number is expected to increase to 900 million people by the year 2050. Google is working with GN Hearing to create a new open specification for hearing aid streaming support on future versions of Android devices,” states Seang Chau, Vice President of Engineering at Google.

Users will be able to connect and monitor their hearing aids, so they can get the full advantages of their Android devices without using an intermediate device for streaming to their hearing aids. This will allow more people to call friends; enjoy music and brilliant sound experiences.

“We are honored to partner with Google for this important development, which will enable direct streaming for even more hearing aid users through their Android devices. This is another example of how GN Hearing relentlessly strives to drive innovation forward by developing new products and solutions with unique benefits for hearing aid users and audiologists around the world”, says Anders Hedegaard, CEO, GN Hearing.

Google has published the new hearing aid specification for Android smartphones: Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) on Bluetooth Low Energy Connection-Oriented Channels. The first hearing aid manufacturer to be able to utilize the new specification is GN Hearing, and in time other hearing aid manufacturers can build native hearing aid support for Android.

Article originally appeared on Business Wire.