The latest protocol for Bluetooth, version 6.0, was released earlier this week, and includes a new feature that could make Apple’s Find My App even more precise across various devices.
Bluetooth 6.0 introduces “Channel Sounding,” a feature that will bring “true distance awareness” to billions of future Bluetooth devices and accessories. The organization behind Bluetooth promises that this technology will achieve “centimeter-level accuracy over considerable distances,” making it easier and quicker for users to locate lost items.
Apple currently offers a Precision Finding feature in its Find My app that utilizes its Ultra Wideband technology and helps users pinpoint the location of given accessories. The feature has been available since the iPhone 11, and can help find an AirTag or a second-generation AirPods Pro charging case.
The combination of the Bluetooth 6.0 and Ultra Wideband technologies could help improve Precision Finding. The new Bluetooth 6.0 protocol may also boost the location process for devices that are not equipped with Ultra Wideband chips, such as the Apple TV’s Siri Remote and devices released by other companies.
It’s unknown when the first devices equipped with Bluetooth 6.0 will be released, and given that the specification only recently became available to hardware manufacturers and developers, the first Apple devices with support are likely at least a year away.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via MacRumors and bluetooth.com