Bluetooth 6.0 adds device tracking and lower latency, but headphones lag behind

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) released Bluetooth 6.0 in Sept. 2024, introducing features intended to enable universal device tracking, lower latency and more efficient wireless connections, although ZDNET says headphones and earbuds have not yet widely adopted the new standard.

ZDNET highlighted connection-efficiency changes such as Decision-Based Advertising Filtering and Monitoring Advertisers, which alter how devices "advertise" their presence by sending smaller, low-power signals for faster discovery and reconnection. The article says devices must both support Bluetooth 6.0+ to benefit, and notes that many smartphones released in 2025, including the Google Pixel 10 lineup and Apple iPhone 17 family, already include Bluetooth 6.

On latency, Bluetooth 6 improves the Isochronous Adaptation Layer (ISOAL), which ZDNET says optimizes transmission of real-time data to enable faster transmission speeds and larger data transfers; the outlet suggests this could reduce audio/video delay for mobile gaming, AR/VR and other applications.

For locating devices, Bluetooth Channel Sounding uses Phase-based Ranging (PBR) and Round-trip Time (RTT) over Bluetooth Low Energy to offer centimeter-level tracking and, ZDNET reports, could decrease the need for ultra-wideband (UWB) chips.

Key Topics

Tech, Bluetooth Sig, Channel Sounding, Phase-based Ranging, Isoal