Google Pixel Watch 3 gets support for Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding

According to Google's data sheet, the Google Pixel Watch 3 only supports Bluetooth 5.3. Android Authority has just reported that this will change with the update to Wear OS 5.1, as the Pixel Watch 3 will now support at least one feature that was introduced alongside Bluetooth 6.0: Channel Sounding. This feature allows users to determine the distance between two Bluetooth devices relatively precisely – at least a location accuracy of half a meter is said to be possible.

In practice, this has two main advantages. Firstly, devices can be automatically paired more reliably when they are nearby. Secondly, trackers in the vicinity can be located more precisely, as not only a sound is played, but the approximate distance to the respective tracker can also be displayed, making it relatively easy to determine the direction. Although tracking via Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding is not quite as precise as with an ultra-wideband (UWB) chip, the standard has the major advantage that no additional hardware is required.

While the Google Pixel Watch 3 has a UWB chip, this is not the case for most smartphones, smartwatches and Google "Find Hub" trackers, with the exception of the Motorola Moto Tag. Google has not yet officially confirmed whether the Pixel Watch 3 will support the full Bluetooth 6.0 standard after the update, or whether it will only adopt selected features. However, the update shows that Google is planning to use channel sounding to better position Android trackers against the Apple AirTag in future.

Editor of the original article: Hannes Brecher - Senior Tech Writer - 18062 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2018

Since 2009 I have written for different publications with a focus on consumer electronics. I joined the Notebookcheck news team in 2018 and have combined my many years of experience with laptops and smartphones with my lifelong passion for technology to create informative content for our readers about new developments in this sphere. In addition, my design background as an art director at an ad agency has allowed me to have deeper insights into the peculiarities of this industry.

Translator: Jacob Fisher - Translator - 1844 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2022

Growing up in regional Australia, I first became acquainted with computers in my early teens after a broken leg from a football (soccer) match temporarily condemned me to a predominately indoor lifestyle. Soon afterwards I was building my own systems. Now I live in Germany, having moved here in 2014, where I study philosophy and anthropology. I am particularly fascinated by how computer technology has fundamentally and dramatically reshaped human culture, and how it continues to do so.