Bluetooth has been around for so long that we take it for granted. Those of us who were old enough to see Zimbabwe tumble in the 2000s remember Bluetooth as a file sharing standard.
These young guns won’t know just how many illegally downloaded mp3s were shared via Bluetooth. Then better faster options came about and those illegally downloaded mp3s found transport in ShareIt and its competitors.
However, since then Bluetooth speakers and headsets have only grown in popularity. Good old BT has served us quietly in the background and we haven’t even noticed that its all grown up now.
Bluetooth 6.0
This is the latest Bluetooth Core Specification. It brings a few improvements that you might appreciate.
Location-tracking
The feature that has captured the most attention comes from what they call Channel Sounding. It helps Bluetooth devices measure distance more accurately. It can improve location-tracking tools like “Find My,” making it faster to find lost items.
You may have heard about Apple using ultra-wide band technology to locate items to their exact positions. Well, Bluetooth 6.0 will provide the same kind of accurate tracking.
Two devices that support the feature will be able to better identify the distance between them, across a wide area and down to a centimeter.
So, if it’s that pesky little earbud that’s grown wings again, with Bluetooth Channel Sounding, a “Find My” app could not only tell you that the earbud is somewhere in your living room.
It could also indicate its relative distance and direction, potentially even guiding you to its exact location with greater accuracy.
The specs say this Channel Sounding should also work across long distances. Can you imagine?
Efficiency
Then there’s what they call decision-based advertising filtering. It improves efficiency by filtering out unnecessary Bluetooth signals, reducing scanning time.
Bluetooth 6.0 devices are more selective about the data they receive and process. This means less unnecessary activity, which conserves battery life.
Here are some of Bluetooth 6.0 improvements that will make a difference:
- Monitoring Advertisers: It helps devices know when other Bluetooth devices move in or out of range, improving connection reliability.
- ISOAL Enhancement: This reduces delays when sending large amounts of data, especially in time-sensitive cases like streaming or real-time communications.
- Extended Feature Set: Devices can now share more information about what Bluetooth functions they support, enhancing compatibility.
- Frame Space Update: It allows devices to adjust the time between data transmissions, improving performance based on specific needs.
You know how you can already connect two devices to the same phone using Bluetooth 5.2 (multi-stream audio)? The experience will improve with Bluetooth 6.0 because it reduces latency, increases power efficiency, and enhances audio quality.
All in all, it looks like Buletooth 6.0 is a decent upgrade. We will have to wait to see the first devices that use the new standard. Unfortunately, not all 6.0 devices will support the channel sounding that enables precise location tracking.
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