Bluetooth 6.0 launched on September 3rd, and the big improvement that users will see is how devices find each other. One of the prominent features in the latest release is “Channel Sounding”, which makes devices that are running on Bluetooth offer revolutionary tracking and location capabilities. This feature enables “true distance awareness” at centimeter-level accuracy, hence making finding lost items easier over much longer distances.
How does Channel Sounding benefit device tracking?
The Bluetooth organization states that this will enable location-based services with greater precision and bring benefits to billions of devices in the future
Apple’s Precision Finding feature
Apple currently uses Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology via its Precision Finding feature on the Find My app, enabled on the iPhone 11 onwards to help users locate specific accessories like AirTags and second-gen AirPods Pro charging cases with an unprecedented degree of accuracy. However, Bluetooth 6.0 provides Apple with an added opportunity to further develop this service.
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Potential combination of Bluetooth 6.0 and UWB
Combining Bluetooth 6.0 with UWB technology can significantly enhance device accuracy and location ease for Apple. Actually, this update opens the way to near-Precision Finding levels of accuracy on devices without UWB chips-such as the Apple TV Siri Remote. This could even extend further into third-party accessories.
When will Bluetooth 6.0 devices be available?
Although the exact date when devices supporting Bluetooth 6.0 will hit the market is anyone’s guess, the specifications have been made available to manufacturers of hardware. Bearing in mind that development and production time is taken into consideration, one can feel sure that Apple devices with this new version may appear sometime next year.
Therefore, Bluetooth 6.0 might dramatically change how we look for and use devices in the future but will become more specific with the emergence of different compatible products.