Android will also receive ultrawideband support
Sometimes when Apple embraces a new technology, the company shouts it from the rooftops. And sometimes it doesn’t mention that technique at all. That happened last year, for example, with the presentation of the iPhone 11. The slide with novelties suddenly said ‘Apple-designed U1 chip’, without any explanation and without the manufacturer having said anything about it.
The spec sheet only showed what it was: an ultrawideband chip. But why he was there is still unclear. Air tags? Could be, but they weren’t announced. AirDrop ? That was indeed in iOS 13.1, but how much does that add now? This is clearly a chip for the future and then it can mean a lot. This way it can serve as a car key .
And now ultra-wideband support is also coming to the other side of the smartphone market. It was recently announced that Google is also working on it for Android. So it’s high time to see what exactly such a chip does and what you could use it for.
What exactly is your
Ultrawideband can be traced back to old radio technology. It is roughly a kind of bluetooth, but works at a higher frequency in modern implementations. And because of that higher frequency, a chip with uwb support can more accurately determine how far away another device is by measuring the time it takes for the signal to bounce back.
Ultrawideband is a standard, at least in the form Google will use it. That standard has the catchy name 802.15.4z. As with any IEEE standard, there is again a partnership of companies pushing that standard and it is called the UWB Alliance . In addition to automaker Kia, we also find the names of Xiaomi and Oppo on the list of members.
Uwb operates on frequencies between approximately 6GHz and 8GHz. For comparison: WiFi and Bluetooth are at 2.4GHz, WiFi via 802.11n or 802.11ac can also work at 5GHz and 802.11ax since the Wi-Fi 6e expansion also at 6GHz. Networks for mobile internet such as 4G and 5G are at 0.7GHz to 2.6GHz, although mmWave frequencies are above those of uwb: 23GHz to 39GHz.
The implementation differs: the iPhone 11 and 12 work with the U1 chip, which operates at 6.5GHz and 8GHz , while the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Z Fold 2 operate at many frequencies between 6GHz and 8GHz, according to the FCC approval . Because indeed: with the Note 20 phones, the first models with Android with uwb chip have already appeared.
The chip to process those signals is currently still separate, although it is possible that it will be integrated into future SOCs.
Due to the high frequency and the low transmission power, uwb does not reach far: the range is less than that of bluetooth, for example. Moreover, it is difficult to penetrate objects and walls, although it should be possible with certain materials.
The phone – a uwb chip can be used in all kinds of devices, but let’s start with a smartphone – sends out a signal. Another device with uwb chip picks it up and sends it back. The exact timing allows software to determine how far along a device is. Because the signal comes from a certain direction, software can also determine where the device is located. The precision is around 10cm or less, making it much more accurate than bluetooth, which works much coarser.
This makes it ideal for finding other devices, but the bandwidth on the frequency for uwb is also large; maximum 500MHz. In comparison: if your smartphone can stack 20MHz a few times for 4G or 5G with carrier aggregation , you already have very fast mobile internet. Sending data is therefore also easy, just like sending commands.
What you can do with a uwb chip
Apple’s use of the U1 chip is very limited so far: the software determines which other recent iPhone is closest to put it at the top of the list for AirDrop. Moreover, AirTags have been rumored for over a year; small trackers that, for example, should be on a bunch of keys to find them. Such devices, such as Tile trackers, have so far worked via Bluetooth.
Samsung is clearer about future plans with uwb. The manufacturer wants to enable three functions thanks to the chip in the new smartphones. The first of these is already here: the Nearby Share sharing function uses uwb to share files with other compatible Samsung phones.
The second is SmartThings Find AR, a way to see where items are on screen, because they have a uwb chip on board and thus communicate with the phone; a tracker function. The third is a ‘digital key’, where the uwb chip serves as a key to a house or car.
The latter application is of course what phone manufacturers hope for. Until now, the smartphone has made many things that you could have had in your pocket superfluous: first a calculator and PDA, then the separate MP3 player and the navigation box in the car. Recently, the wallet has become less and less necessary due to mobile payments, thanks to NFC chips. And now the car key or house key from the pocket has to make way for the telephone.
It’s not that far yet. Of course, anyone can screw their own ‘smart lock’ on a house if they are available, but car manufacturers will not just want to replace the car key with a phone without a way to make money and allow manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung and Google to make car keys. to make.
Still, that’s where it’s going and it’s why Kia is in the UWB Alliance. The BMW 5 series can be unlocked with an iPhone in the foreseeable future . The technology is there, but the question remains whether it will break through on a large scale.
Uwb support in Android
Samsung said it is working with Google on uwb support on the Galaxy Note 20, but the technology is not yet standard in Android. It’s coming soon, according to recent commits . If there is an API, apps can start using the possibilities of such a chip after checking whether the chip is present.
The fact that Google is working on it now does not mean that it will immediately appear in Android 12 next year – Google has not yet announced anything about this. But it is clear that Google is also working on it, presumably at the direction of some of the largest manufacturers of Android phones.
Because Xiaomi is also working on uwb. The manufacturer has posted a video on Weibo of its primary application: controlling smart home devices. Because of the localization, the phone knows which device you are pointing at and you can control it.
This may not be the most futuristic prospect for uwb, because this is already possible with an infrared transmitter that has already been in numerous smartphones in recent years. But it’s right up the alley of Xiaomi, which makes hundreds of other different types of devices in addition to smartphones or has them made for release under its name. A requirement for such a chip is then easy to make.
With three of the biggest smartphone manufacturers working on it, the standard is here, Google putting it in Android and Apple using it on its iPhones, all signals are green for uwb to become the next bluetooth – a widely used technique for communication in a relatively short time. distances between devices. As always, it remains to be seen what exactly will remain of it when masses of people start using it. Only then will we know what uwb is really useful for.