Bluetooth 6.0, released in late 2024, is being described as one of the most significant upgrades to wireless audio technology in recent years. The new standard promises faster connections, lower latency, better battery efficiency, and highly accurate device tracking. However, despite its potential, most headphones and earbuds have yet to adopt it.
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) officially introduced Bluetooth 6.0 in September 2024. While several smartphones released in 2025 already support the new standard, audio devices are still largely running on Bluetooth 5.3 or 5.4, slowing wider adoption.
Bluetooth technology affects far more than just wireless connectivity. Each version influences audio quality, compression, latency, and connection stability. As wireless audio expands into gaming, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR), these improvements are becoming increasingly important.
Bluetooth 6.0 improves how devices discover and reconnect with each other. Pairing is quicker, and reconnections are more stable, especially for users who rely on multipoint connections across phones, laptops, and tablets.
New features, such as Decision-Based Advertising Filtering, help devices reconnect faster while reducing interference and power usage.
Bluetooth 6 introduces smarter “advertising” methods, allowing headphones and earbuds to broadcast low-energy signals. This enables quicker pairing while preserving battery life. To benefit, both the smartphone and the audio device must support Bluetooth 6.
Many flagship smartphones released in 2025, including Google’s Pixel 10 lineup and Apple’s iPhone 17 series, already support Bluetooth 6. However, most major headphone brands have not yet upgraded their products. Widespread adoption in audio devices is expected in 2026.
Bluetooth 6 further improves audio-video synchronization by enhancing the Isochronous Adaptation Layer (ISOAL), which handles real-time data transmission. This allows faster audio delivery and supports larger data transfers.
For gamers, this could reduce or even eliminate the need for wired headphones during mobile and single-player gaming. The improvements are also critical for immersive AR and VR experiences.
One of Bluetooth 6’s standout features is Channel Sounding, which enables centimeter-level device tracking without requiring ultra-wideband (UWB) chips. This is achieved using Phase-based Ranging and Round-trip Time technology over Bluetooth Low Energy.
This could allow cross-brand tracking, meaning a phone from one company could locate earbuds from another, as long as both support Bluetooth 6.
Despite smartphones adopting Bluetooth 6, many popular audio products have not. For example, while the iPhone 17 supports Bluetooth 6, the AirPods Pro 3 still use Bluetooth 5.4.
Apple continues to rely on proprietary technologies, while Google has pushed broader Bluetooth adoption, especially through Auracast. Auracast allows users to broadcast audio to multiple nearby devices and is expanding across Android phones, headphones, earbuds, and hearing aids.
Bluetooth 6 has the potential to transform wireless audio, gaming, and device tracking. However, consumers may need to wait until 2026 for headphones and earbuds to fully catch up with the new standard.
Until then, smartphones will continue leading the transition, while audio hardware slowly follows.
