Bluetooth is such a elementary a part of how so many people use cellular {hardware} that it is too simple to take as a right, however a ton of labor goes into ensuring all these disparate gadgets are capable of seamlessly talk with one another. On the coronary heart of that’s the Bluetooth “stack,” the software program working on our telephones or computer systems that implements the requirements wanted for the Bluetooth protocol. Final week, we noticed Android 13 make its formal debut, and whereas it went unnoticed on the time, it seems that Google’s newest launch lastly begins to implement a long-in-development new Bluetooth stack.
Transferring to a brand new Bluetooth stack is a sophisticated course of, as there’s a lot compatibility oversight that should happen — we noticed simply what can go incorrect when Google tried bringing a brand new stack to Chrome. Android’s been utilizing its Fluoride stack for mainly ever now, however ever since Android 11 we have been getting whiffs of a brand new stack in improvement, referred to as Gabeldorsche. With at this time’s launch of Android Automotive 13, Gabeldorsche is formally stay — and it seems, not only for automobiles.
Mishaal Rahman has been keeping track of Gabeldorsche all through Android 13 improvement, and manner again throughout early Beta releases, there was a developer possibility current to manually allow the brand new stack. However that possibility vanished once we acquired Beta 2 — although the “why” behind that change wasn’t clear on the time. Was Google placing Gabeldorsche on ice as soon as once more? Or was it able to be baked proper in?
Because it seems, the reality is one thing nearer to the latter, and the secure launch of Android 13 (the one it’s possible you’ll already be working in your Pixel cellphone) takes benefit of elements of Gabeldorsche, like the flexibility to scan for brand new gadgets. Whereas Google hasn’t switched full-on over to this new stack for all Bluetooth performance, that will nonetheless be a transfer the corporate is working in the direction of — however once we may hope to see one thing like that, and what particularly is holding up Google’s progress stays unclear.
Proper now, none of that is going to have any affect on you as an Android person; your Bluetooth headphones ought to go proper on working simply tremendous if you improve to 13. However an eventual shift to Gabeldorsche makes loads of sense, and assuming we do not hit any compatibility hiccups alongside the best way, the brand new stack guarantees to be safer and dependable than ever.
https://www.androidpolice.com/android-gabeldorsche-bluetooth-stack/