The next generation of Bluetooth could make it easier to find lost technology. On Tuesday, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced the launch of Bluetooth 6.0which includes a new precision tracking feature that could improve Find My networks from companies like Apple, Google and Tile.
Bluetooth is the protocol that controls wireless communication between devices. The Bluetooth SIG, which oversees the standard, periodically releases updates with new features. The last major Bluetooth update took place in 2016.
Bluetooth 6.0 introduces a feature called channel soundingwhich can determine the distance between two devices with “centimeter-level accuracy,” according to the Bluetooth SIG. To do this, it uses a phase-based distance measurement system to send radio signals between two devices (e.g., your iPhone and your AirTag) at different frequencies, allowing it to calculate the distance between them. Developers will soon be able to incorporate this into Find My devices, making location tracking more accurate.
Additionally, Bluetooth 6.0’s channel-sensing system is supposed to address some of the security issues that arise with digital keys used to unlock your car or hotel room. With more accurate tracking information, developers can ensure that a device is only unlocked when a digital key is within a specific range. This could help prevent man-in-the-middle attacks, where a malicious actor intercepts communications between your phone and the lock, potentially allowing them to gain access to your vehicle.
The Bluetooth SIG says there are other ways developers can use Channel Sounding to improve the user experience, including making mice, keyboards, game controllers and other Bluetooth devices “automatically switch between active and inactive states based on their distance from a smartphone, tablet or laptop.”
It'll likely be a while before devices adopt Bluetooth 6.0, but it looks like it could bring some notable improvements to the way we find and switch between wireless devices.