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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- The existent Bluetooth Core Specification is Bluetooth 6.2.
- It's up to manufacturers to integrate the latest Bluetooth features into products.
- Although Channel Sounding adoption is slow, Auracast adoption is gaining momentum.
I've attended 2 CES shows truthful far, and undoubtedly, the astir informative gathering I've had is with the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). Bluetooth is ubiquitous, but speech from connecting america to our devices wirelessly, the exertion feels obscure and cryptic.
Also: What is Bluetooth 6.0? Why the newest audio connectivity modular is worthy getting excited about
I talked with the Bluetooth squad astir each things Channel Sounding, Bluetooth 6.0, and Auracast, and the largest takeaway mightiness astonishment you: We're reasoning astir Bluetooth each wrong. Here's why.
Bluetooth 6.2 is here, truthful wherever are each the caller features?
The Bluetooth SIG precocious published Bluetooth 6.2. Key features see Shorter Connection Intervals, which alteration ultra-low latency for wireless peripheral devices, and Channel Sounding Resilience, which enhances information successful wireless cardinal applications.
However, galore devices, particularly peripherals specified arsenic headphones, earbuds, smartwatches, and gaming mice and keyboards, don't execute arsenic good implicit a Bluetooth transportation arsenic you'd expect. The Bluetooth SIG often announces promising features, but they're not successful your devices. Why? Manufacturers.
Also: Your Android telephone conscionable got a large Bluetooth upgrade for escaped - however it works
The Bluetooth squad told maine that implementing the latest Bluetooth features wrong a Bluetooth Core Specification is simply a determination made wholly by manufacturers, adjacent if a instrumentality contains the latest Bluetooth version. Therefore, you shouldn't let a device's Bluetooth mentation to transportation excessively overmuch weight, due to the fact that there's a accidental the shaper volition omit the champion features.
Channel Sounding was each the rage. Where is it?
Bluetooth Channel Sounding was a standout diagnostic successful Bluetooth 6.0, demonstrating that the Bluetooth SIG had developed a exertion to democratize Find My Device capabilities. Yet, respective Bluetooth 6.0 devices are present connected the market, and nary of them advertise Channel Sounding successful a Find My Device context.
As mentioned above, the determination to see Channel Sounding is astatine the discretion of manufacturers, careless of the reason. However, applications of Channel Sounding are emerging successful the Bluetooth tracker and smart fastener industries.
At CES 2026, Motorola's Moto Tag 2 demonstrated however Channel Sounding, for faster instrumentality find and unafraid connections, and Ultra-Wideband (UWB), for precise determination tracking, tin enactment unneurotic to fortify the tag's determination and information features.
The Bauer Products NE-CS astute RV lock, besides announced astatine CES 2026, incorporates Channel Sounding. The Bluetooth exertion offers improved region consciousness betwixt the fastener and the cardinal device, arsenic good arsenic enhanced information to forestall interference and vulnerabilities.
Also: I replaced my deadbolt with this Apple HomeKey astute fastener - and it's an iPhone user's dream
At the show, Bauer demonstrated however a Google Pixel 10 smartphone with Bluetooth 6.0 compatibility tin unlock the NE-CS astute fastener via Bluetooth.
However, envisioning a satellite wherever each your Bluetooth devices are consolidated into a single, ample Find My Device ecosystem whitethorn beryllium far-fetched, astatine slightest for the adjacent respective years. Consider this: Bluetooth Auracast was announced successful 2022, with wide adoption gaining the astir traction successful 2025, with much anticipated successful 2026. Channel Sounding has a mode to go.
You should absorption connected Auracast for now
Consumer audio enthusiasts should stay excited astir Auracast, a large Bluetooth diagnostic that enables audio to beryllium broadcast from 1 instrumentality to an unlimited fig of receivers. If you've purchased headphones oregon earbuds wrong the past 3 years, these devices mightiness already incorporate the hardware indispensable to beryllium compatible with Auracast, adjacent via an over-the-air bundle update.
Also: Your Sony headphones conscionable got a utile Bluetooth upgrade with the latest bundle patch
Newer audio devices are being introduced to the marketplace with Auracast, allowing consumers to entree a scope of broadcasting features. Because smartphones, headphones, earbuds, and proceeding immunodeficiency each enactment Bluetooth, consumers tin usage its standardized audio broadcasting exertion to bypass marque lock-in. Auracast's features see broadcasting audio from a listening device, specified arsenic a smartphone, to respective Bluetooth speakers.
Other applications of Auracast see privately connecting proceeding devices to nationalist broadcasts, specified arsenic PA announcements successful airports oregon bid stations; connecting earbuds oregon headphones to a TV successful a sports bar; oregon sharing audio from your smartphone with a adjacent friend's headphones oregon earbuds.
Also: I switched to a Bluetooth Auracast receiver for my location theatre setup - and person nary regrets
Applications of Auracast are besides extending to location theater. For example, Sennheiser's BTA1 receiver connects to a TV and tin broadcast its audio to an infinite fig of Auracast-enabled receivers, opening listening opportunities to Bluetooth speakers, headphones, proceeding aids, and earbuds successful your home. I spot this mentation of Auracast arsenic astir utile to radical with proceeding loss, radical who privation a manufacturer-agnostic solution for at-home backstage listening, and radical who privation to make a acceptable of rear speakers from Bluetooth speakers.
Google and Android person been notable adopters of Auracast successful smartphones, with respective Android phones susceptible of acting arsenic Auracast transmitters, sharing audio with others, oregon serving arsenic assistants, acting arsenic a middleman betwixt a receiver and a transmitter.
Several Bluetooth speakers, earbuds, headphones, and proceeding immunodeficiency are compatible with oregon tin beryllium updated to beryllium compatible with Auracast. More brands are expected to follow the exertion this year.
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