What is this MFi hearing aid nonsense?

[motrek]

A friend of mine was trying to pair his hearing aids to his Apple TV.

The hearing aids claim to support Bluetooth, but it turns out that it's some kind of "MFi (Made For iPhone) Hearing Devices" Bluetooth nonsense and they can't work with just regular Bluetooth for some reason.

Does anybody know why:

1) Apple made this seemingly-proprietary version of Bluetooth just for hearing aids (?!?!), and

2) Why don't iOS devices like the Apple TV support it?!

I hope there are reasonable explanations because right now it all seems pretty stupid to me. Thanks in advance.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Some info I've found that may or may not answer all your questions.

About Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) requirements for iPhone - Apple Support

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted hearing-aid compatibility (HAC) requirements for digital wireless phones. Learn about hearing-aid compatibility under FCC rules for iPhone devices and learn about using iPhone with hearing aids.

support.apple.com

Which Hearing Aids Are Compatible With iPhone? - Caring.com

There are many hearing aids that are compatible with an iPhone, but you might need an app.

www.caring.com