Why Bluetooth Is a Future-Proof Technology

Bluetooth is an ideal, proven global standard for the ‘Connected Everything’: from the smartphone, to the smart home, to even the metaverse. Let's dive into what makes Bluetooth so interesting and unique when compared to other technologies.

Introduction to Bluetooth

Even those people who are not specifically tech-savvy know that their smartphone, iPad, and PC have a feature called ‘Bluetooth’. In fact: every single smartphone comes with it on board. Today, it is impossible to find a smartphone without Bluetooth technology. The reason is simple. Some time ago, Google required all handset manufacturers who wanted to use Google apps on their phones to comply with their Android Compatibility Definition. Therefore, all manufacturers had to support 3G, GPS and Bluetooth.

The iPhone as well comes with Bluetooth on board since its first generation.

Today, it is unthinkable to have a phone which does not support Bluetooth. Your AirPods or your wireless headphones are using Bluetooth technology to stream music from our phone to the headphones. When you get into your car, your phone automatically connects with it via Bluetooth. No matter whether you use an Apple Watch, Fitbit, or Garmin, your smartwatch synchronizes with your phone via Bluetooth LE.

No matter whether you use an Apple Watch, Bose headphones, or MESHLE flex controller: ‘everything is better with Bluetooth’

“100% of all smartphones rely on Bluetooth technology today” – Bluetooth SIG

Bluetooth was introduced in May 1998 – which is more than 23 years ago. This makes it only eight months younger than the popular Wi-Fi, which was introduced in September 1997.

In 2019 and 2020 respectively, 5 billion devices have been shipped with Bluetooth technology. This includes platform devices such as phones, tablets, and PCs but also peripheral devices such as headphones, wearables, or smart home devices.

According to Bluetooth SIG and ABI Research, in 2025 annual shipments will exceed six billion devices. This anticipated growth comes from peripheral devices such as wireless headphones, smart home devices, and sensors. By 2025 70% of all Bluetooth enabled device shipments will be peripheral devices.

“By 2025, annual Bluetooth enabled device shipments will exceed six billion [per year]” – ABI Research

Application Areas

The great thing about Bluetooth is, that it is not a single-use-case technology. Other wireless protocols are often useful for only one or two use cases: Zigbee – for example – is primarily utilized in building automation and in wireless sensor networks. With the recent introduction of Mesh, Bluetooth evolved into an ideal technology for building automation as well, which is, however, used in many more use-cases beyond that. Bluetooth's applications range from IoT to wearables, medical, consumer electronics, smartphones, indoor-positioning and more. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG) – the organization which oversees and licenses Bluetooth technology – sorts the application areas into four specific solution areas:

Audio Streaming

As mentioned earlier, your AirPods or wireless Bose headphones use Bluetooth to stream your music in high definition from your smartphone. Audio streaming was one of Bluetooth's first and as of 2020, it is Bluetooth's largest application area. In 2020, a total of 1.1 billion audio streaming devices have been shipped.

Even though audio streaming was one of Bluetooth's first real-world use cases, it is still an ever developing standard for audio streaming. Let's mention a few innovations which Bluetooth introduced lately:

• LE Audio is a technology of Bluetooth with reduced power consumption while still supporting high-quality codecs and multi-stream audio.
• Multi-Stream is a feature which allows you to share music with friends by streaming audio from one device to multiple headphones or speakers.
• Audio Sharing will – for example – enable public spaces such as airports to stream public announcements directly to Bluetooth hearing assistance devices or Bluetooth headphones. An innovation for hearing-impaired people.

Data Transfer

Bluetooth is perfect for audio streaming, but it does not stop there. Your smartwatch – whether it is an Apple Watch or a Fitbit – is also using Bluetooth to transfer and synchronize data between your phone and the watch. In fact, 13 billion Bluetooth IoT devices will be in use in 2021 making it the leading technology for IoT. This includes wearables such as a smartwatch but also remote controls, PC accessories and a wide range of consumer electronics such as a smart toothbrush. Bluetooth will play a major role in the future of ‘Connected Everything’ with an estimated 1.46 billion shipments of IoT devices in 2025.

Bluetooth is the most important and relied upon technology for fitness trackers and telehealth wearables. It will enable more and more people to continuously monitor their vital signs and activity levels. In the future, wearables will be more than only smartwatches or fitness trackers. Just a few weeks ago, Facebook and Microsoft announced their intentions to focus on the metaverse. For this to work, smart AR glasses and VR headsets will be using Bluetooth to connect to your environment and your smartphone. Bluetooth will also be a crucial technology for smart industrial manufacturing, warehousing, and asset tracking.

Location Services

Bluetooth is also a great technology for locating other devices and measuring distances. Earlier in 2021, Apple introduced the AirTag. The AirTag is a Bluetooth LE powered device which makes it easy to locate lost items such as your keys. However, the majority of use cases are outside the consumer market. Bluetooth SIG is looking forward to a large growth in the indoor navigation niche. For example, to help you find products in the retail store faster. Bluetooth's location services also allow you to use your smartphone as a secure digital key to unlock the door of a car sharing vehicle, your office building, or smart home.

Device Networks

Smart home and commercial lighting use cases are driving an exceptional growth to the Bluetooth Device Networks devices. From 2021 to 2025 the annual shipment of these devices is estimated to grow by 4.4x annually. In 2021, this category is consisting of smart appliances (35%), smart lighting (27%), sensors (19%), smart blinds (4%), thermostats (3%), and also door locks (2%).