Bluetooth

Nintendo has finally introduced Bluetooth audio support on the Switch hardware. A new software update was released, enabling players to now use Bluetooth headphones like AirPods on their Switch rather than have to use those with a 3.5mm jack. Announced last night via Twitter, Nintendo stated that the software update is now available to all...

COVID-19 contact tracing will soon make its way to wearable devices thanks to an upcoming Bluetooth update. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has unveiled plans for a specification that would bring the Exposure Notification System from Apple and Google to Bluetooth wearables. The spec would maintain the privacy and security of the existing approach, but wouldn't require...

Security researchers have discovered a new vulnerability in the Bluetooth wireless protocol, which is used to interconnect modern devices like smartphones, laptops, IoT devices, and other smart devices. In an official statement, the researchers stated that the vulnerability is dubbed BIAS (Bluetooth Impersonation Attacks) and the attacking device needs to be within wireless range of a...

Security researchers have recently highlighted a new flaw in Bluetooth protocol that impacts Windows 10, iOS, and macOS machines, and puts them at risk of being spied on despite all the native OS protections in place, ZDNet is reporting. According to Boston University researchers David Starobinski and Johannes Becker, except for Android, all modern smartphones and devices,...

According to a report from Japanese site Mac Otakara, Apple may include Dual Bluetooth audio in a future iPhone. Dual Bluetooth audio would allow more than one audio connection to an iPhone via Bluetooth, which would be helpful if you wanted to connect two sets of AirPods or other wireless headphones to an iPhone. An...

Google has announced it's expanding the abilities of its Fast Pair Bluetooth connectivity feature. [caption id="attachment_273522" align="aligncenter" width="640"] 9to5Google[/caption] Almost a year ago, Google introduced an improved new Bluetooth connectivity service called Fast Pair. It used Google's Nearby technology on your phone to detect nearby Bluetooth devices that might want to be paired before letting you quickly pair them. Starting...

With iOS 11, Apple has brought numerous improvements to HomeKit, which is the company's standard for controlling smart home accessories. iOS 11 is able to process the status change of a Bluetooth accessory much faster than before, without the need up updating any of your smart home hardware. HomeKit with iOS 11 also brings the...

Apple is leading the way in terms of hearing impaired accessibility with their devices, as the tech giant has teamed up with Cochlear to create a new implant that allows the hearing impaired to hear audio from their compatible Apple devices. Now, a new story from Wired has revealed the lengths that the two companies went...

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has today announced that Bluetooth technology now supports mesh networking, which has been optimized for creating large-scale device networks. The new capacity is ideal for creating automated, sensor networks and other IoT solutions, where up to thousands of devices can reliably and securely communicate with one another. “By adding support for...

Following an update to MacOS Sierra, a wide number of users have been facing difficulty using their Bluetooth mice and keyboards, including some Apple-made keyboards and mice. According to ZDNet, the most commonly reported problem is that keys are suddenly repeated over and over, while pasting text also repeats itself endlessly. Some mice suddenly stop responding, and eventually get "Connection...

In order to address its urban traffic problem, the city of Montréal in Quebec is using Bluetooth signal detectors to monitor and analyze traffic patterns in real-time. According to Radio-Canada (via Tech Crunch), the city has installed over a hundred detectors in the past couple of months, which monitor traffic patterns daily instead of just once a year during an annual traffic...

Jaap Haartsen, who invented the Bluetooth standard in 1994 while working at Ericsson, and was also recently inducted into the Consumer Technology Association Hall of Fame, has talked about the development of the standard and the future of wireless technology in an exclusive interview with Engadget. He is currently serving as a wireless expert at Plantronics, a company known...