What to know
- The new version of the Bluetooth Core Specification – Bluetooth 6.0 – has been announced by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG).
- The next-gen wireless communication protocol comes with a host of improvements, including lower latency and better power efficiency.
- Bluetooth Channel Sounding is the most notable of the new features, allowing for precision tracking that could help find devices, improve digital key security solutions, and better user experience for device peripherals.
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced the release of Bluetooth 6.0 – the next generation of the wireless communication protocol.
The new version include several new features and enhancements. But the most notable one is Bluetooth Channel Sounding, a feature that will improve Bluetooth tracking by determining the distance between devices at a level of precision hitherto unseen. This would greatly benefit device finding using Apple’s Find My and Google’s Find My Device, and developers will soon be able to incorporate the same into their devices and services.
The added security of Channel Sounding will also improve digital key solutions, allowing only authorized users access to secure areas. Precision tracking will ensure that devices unlock only when the digital key is within a specified range.
Developers will also be able to use Channel Sounding to improve PC and gaming peripherals like keyboards, mice, and game controllers so they can automatically become active or inactive depending on their distance from the main device.
Apart from the Channel Sounding feature, Bluetooth 6.0 arrives with several other under-the-hood improvements, including better power efficiency and reduced latency on compatible devices though they won’t be directly visible to users.
