System and method for pairing a hearing device and an appliance

A method for controlling a pairing operation of a hearing device, having a transceiver, with a one of a plurality of audio source devices each adapted to provide audio data to the hearing device via use of the transceiver and a common communications protocol, comprising:

• receiving from each of the plurality of audio source devices an appliance identifying data that functions to identify at least a device type or a brand for each of the plurality of audio source appliances;
• using the appliance identifying data that functions to identity at least the device type or the brand for each of the plurality of audio source appliances to automatically associate a pairing priority level with each of the plurality of audio source appliances;
• determining by the hearing device that the hearing device is capable of being paired with at least two of the plurality of audio source appliances;
• automatically selecting by the hearing device a one of the at least two of the plurality of audio source appliances for pairing with the hearing device as a function of at least the pairing priority level that has been associated with the at least two of the plurality of audio source appliances;
• and
• automatically causing the hearing device to pair itself only with the selected one of the at least two of the plurality of audio source appliances whereupon the transceiver of the hearing device will have a communicative data connection for receiving audio data only from the selected one of the at least two of the plurality of audio source appliances;
• wherein a memory of the hearing device stores the priority pairing level that has been associated with at least the at least two of the plurality of audio source appliances.