Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced the release of the Bluetooth Core Specification version 6.0, which introduces new features and other enhancements. A key highlight of this update is the Channel Sounding, a feature designed to provide precise distance awareness for Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Channel Sounding is backed by a hefty security framework. As per the company’s official description, Channel Sounding is supposed to improve the “Find My” solutions, allowing users to accurately pinpoint the precise location of Bluetooth 6.0-enabled accessories.
In addition to Channel Sounding, version 6.0 also includes other enhancements in data packet transmission and delivery efficiency. One of which is the Low Energy Extended Advertising feature and it supports a series of related packets being transmitted on both primary and secondary radio channels. Another is the Decision-Based Advertising feature, it allows a scanning device to use content out of a packet received on a primary advertising channel to decide if it should scan for related packets on secondary channels.
A few other features we should mention are the Monitoring Advertisers feature, which aims to conserve energy when the device’s range is uncertain, as well as the Isochronous Adaptation Layer feature, which will reduce latency and increase reliability in applications requiring sensitive data transmission, such as audio peripherals.
Despite these updates, SIG has not provided a timeline for when these new features will be integrated into consumer devices. It’s possible that it may take a few years before these upgrades become widely available for certain products.
