Bluetooth technology, which appeared in the 90s, offered unique functions in comparison with Wi-Fi, which solved the problem of wireless communication over short distances, turned out to be very convenient and sufficiently protected.
Currently, the Bluetooth wireless interface, which is getting better and better every year, is an integral part of the Android devices of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco, as well as other brands, ensuring their clear synchronization with numerous wireless accessories.
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What’s new in Bluetooth 6.1?
The Bluetooth SIG agency has updated the specifications of the Bluetooth standard and announced key changes for the updated version of Bluetooth 6.1. Although there are no radically new functions, SIG talked about two fairly significant changes promising improved energy efficiency and increased security.
As specified, devices with Bluetooth 6.1 module will add additional randomness to the algorithm for calculating the time of address change, which implies more complex identification of devices for third parties and their improved protection.
“The randomization of address change times makes it much more difficult for third parties to track or correlate device activity over time,” SIG said in the announcement.
This functionality was added as part of the implementation of Bluetooth Randomized RPA (Allowed Private address) technology, which is also expected to lead to an increase in the energy efficiency of the wireless module and, accordingly, the entire device.
When will smartphones with Bluetooth 6.1 be available?
The fact that Xiaomi, as well as other manufacturers, will begin to integrate Bluetooth 6.1 support into their devices in the very near future is clearly not worth counting on. Moreover, SIG itself does not recommend using new features, suggesting focusing on already proven solutions.
As a result, the first Android devices equipped with Bluetooth 6.1 modules will appear on the shelves in a few months at best, since the introduction of Bluetooth 6.1 is required not only from manufacturers, but also from chipmakers producing processors for mobile devices.
However, it may take years to implement support for the new specification. The first wave of Bluetooth 6.1 chips should not be expected until 2026.
Conclusions
The above-mentioned improvements in the new version of Bluetooth related to safety and energy efficiency indicate that this standard continues to develop quite actively, keeping up with the growing needs of wireless technologies and at the same time improving user safety.
Recall that in September 2024, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group approved specifications for the Bluetooth 6.0 version, which received a number of improvements to the wireless protocol that will allow the network to track devices more accurately, as well as a number of other improvements.