Google Rolling Out 'Fast Pair' Bluetooth for Android Devices
Oct 31, 2017, 11:19 AM by Eric M. Zeman
Google today announced a new feature headed to Android phones that should ease Bluetooth pairing pains. The tool, called Fast Pair, makes discovering and pairing with nearby Bluetooth devices much simpler. Google says Fast Pair is being made available to devices running at least Google Play Services 11.7 and Android 6 Marshmallow (and up). Fast Pair relies on Bluetooth Low Energy. Accessories will need to adopt the technology in order for Fast Pair to work properly. Devices with BLE on board will, when put in pairing mode, send information regarding the device identity to nearby Bluetooth devices. The Android phone will see the BLE broadcast and send information back to Google's servers to learn the product name, find the product companion app, and verify the product image. Google then pushes a notification with a "tap to pair" feature complete with the product details. Users need only accept the notification to complete pairing automatically. Google says people will be able to test Fast Pair with Google Pixel Buds or Libratone's Q Adapt On-Ear headphones. Plantronics' Voyager 8200 series wireless headsets will also soon support Fast Pair. Fast Pair is being made available to Android devices over time.
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