Google Trial Features That Can Measur Connected Bluetooth Devices

Google will provide upgrades to Bluetooth to make it even more useful. (photo: Twitter @MishaalRahman)

JAKARTA - There's a lot Bluetooth can do, from using wireless mice to connecting earphones to listening to music. However, that doesn't mean Bluetooth has no limits, one of which is location data.

Now, it looks like Google will provide an upgrade to Bluetooth to make it even more useful, as the company is reportedly working on a new Bluetooth Distance Measurement API.

This feature was first seen by Esper's Senior Technical Editor, Moheal Rahman, who revealed it via his Twitter account, and Google has added a code for that to AOSP.

Android is adding an API to measure the distance between devices using Bluetooth RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator). This won't be a super precise way to measure distance, but it should be good enough for features like "Watch Unlock."https://t.co/i52UfNjUzy

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) January 17, 2023

While not very precise with the distance measurement, this tool should be able to tell if a phone is more or less than 1 meter from a connected Bluetooth device.

The new API will use a Bluetooth RSSI, or a Received Signal Strength Indicator to measure the distance between the phone and the connected device.

Launching Android Police, Friday, January 20, so while this may not be able to direct mobile phone users in the right direction from their missing headphones, this feature can definitely notify users as they get closer to the device they are looking for.

It should be noted, this feature will not work like Apple AirTags which directs users in the correct direction of lost Bluetooth accessories.

Bluetooth Distance Measurement will only notify if the user is getting closer or not to the device. Regarding the arrival of this feature, it is likely that you will have to wait until Android 14 arrives.