Announcing Fast Pair - effortless Bluetooth pairing for Android

Posted by Ritesh Nayak M and Ronald Ho, Product Managers

Today we're announcing Fast Pair, a hassle-free process to pair your Bluetooth devices on all supported Android devices running Google Play services 11.7+ with compatibility back to Marshmallow (Android 6.0). Fast Pair makes discovery & pairing of Bluetooth devices easy and is currently rolling out to Android 6.0+ devices. You can try this out with Google Pixel Buds or Libratone's Q Adapt On-Ear, and soon on Plantronics Voyager 8200 series wireless headsets.

Ease of use, speed and security are the design principles driving the Fast Pair specification. Fast Pair uses BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) for advertising and discovery and uses classic Bluetooth for pairing. Here's what a Fast Pair flow looks like:

1. Turn on a Fast Pair-enabled device and put it in pairing mode.
   • Android scans for BLE broadcasts in close proximity of the user's phone and discovers a Fast Pair packet (provided Bluetooth and Location is turned on).
   • This packet is sent to our servers to get back the device's product image, product name and companion app (if there is one).
2. The user receives a high priority notification asking them to "Tap to pair" to the device. The notification contains the product name and image.
3. When the user taps on the notification, we use classic Bluetooth to establish a connection.
4. A success notification is shown which contains a link to download the companion app (if there is one).

Imagine doing all of this without ever fumbling with Bluetooth settings. Users get a seamless and secure pairing experience and confidence that they're connecting to the right product. Manufacturers get their brand, device name and companion app in front of the users.

Thanks to a couple of our partners who have been instrumental in prototyping and testing this spec, and whose feedback has been invaluable to the Fast Pair effort. If you are a Bluetooth accessory manufacturer and want to adopt Fast Pair for your device, please reach out to us.

Plantronics is an audio pioneer and a global leader in the communications industry. From Unified Communications and customer service ecosystems, to data analytics and Bluetooth headsets, Plantronics delivers high-quality communications solutions that customers count on today, while relentlessly innovating on behalf of their future. For more information visit plantronics.com

Libratone is on a mission to liberate sound and to expand peoples' experiences with music in the era of streaming. Founded in 2009 in Denmark, Libratone is one of the first audio companies to consider the aesthetics of speakers – to move them out of the corner of the room and into the center and onward, for the consumer on the move. For more information visit libratone.com

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