New details about the specifications of the Bluetooth 6.1 wireless standard have appeared online. According to the document, it will improve the protection of gadgets from surveillance and reduce the consumption of their batteries. According to industry media, Apple devices will be among the first to “catch” the innovation.
According to Apple Insider, by 2026, Bluetooth 6.1 will introduce Randomized Resolvable Private Addresses (RPA). This will allow devices to randomly change their address every 8-15 minutes, making them harder to track. The feature will be powered by the Bluetooth controller rather than the SoC, which means lower power consumption for accessories like AirPods.
Bluetooth 6.1 support is expected to be included in the iPhone 17 series smartphones, scheduled to debut this fall, with mass adoption expected only in 2026. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is now working on a two-year update schedule. Thus, the Bluetooth 6.2 specification should be published by the end of this year.