A big Bluetooth upgrade will soon boost your privacy and battery life on iPhone or Android here's what's coming

Date:
Mon, 12 May 2025 10:34:22 +0000

Description:
Bluetooth 6.1 has been revealed with improvements to privacy and battery
life, and it could come soon.

FULL STORY ======================================================================The Bluetooth 6.1 update has just been announced It should improve device privacy and battery life It might come to iPhones and Android devices as soon as this year

Your next phone could come with a new Bluetooth feature that could make it harder to track you and boost your battery life at the same time, in a double win for any of the best phones that incorporate it. And while we dont know
its exact release date, theres a chance we could even see it this year.

The feature in question from the new Bluetooth 6.1 protocol is called Randomized RPA Updates, and its just been announced as part of the Bluetooth upgrade. In this instance, RPA stands for resolvable private address, and its this part that will have an impact on your privacy.

Thats because under Bluetooth 6.0 , devices will change their identifier addresses on a set timer, and this predictable process makes them easier to track. With Bluetooth 6.1s Randomized RPA Updates feature, those address changes will happen randomly, with an interval of between eight and 15
minutes (although this can be customized anywhere from every second to every hour). That eliminates the update pattern, making your device far harder to track and exploit.

This change also affects battery life, as the process can be handled by your phones Bluetooth chip rather than its CPU. Lower load on your devices processor should translate to better efficiency, which in turn means slower battery drain. When will we see these changes? (Image credit: Brett Jordan / Pexels)

Bluetooth 6.1 has only just been revealed as part of the protocol's new bi-annual release schedule, but theres a chance we might see it in new
devices as soon as this year.

Apple, for example, has a decent record for adopting new technologies in its products, so theres a possibility we could see Bluetooth 6.0 or perhaps even Bluetooth 6.1 in its iPhone 17 range.

Still, 2026 feels like a more likely date for Bluetooth 6.1 to debut in phones, both of the Apple and Android variety. Usually with new Bluetooth tech, its better not to expect it too soon.

When it does arrive, though, it should bring benefits to both your privacy
and your phones battery life and thats a double bonus for us to look forward to. You might also like Bluetooth 6.0 has officially launched here's what
the upgraded standard can do The best phone 2025: we've tested and ranked the top phones you can buy in the US I can't wait for Bluetooth 6.0 to bring
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/a-big-bluetooth-upgrade-will-soon-boost-your- privacy-and-battery-life-on-iphone-or-android-heres-whats-coming


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