![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Google-Pixel-Watch-3-Faces-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"Google")
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Kaitlyn Cimino \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
TL;DR<\/p>\n
Late last year, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced Bluetooth 6.0<\/a>, introducing a feature called Channel Sounding that enables true distance awareness by precisely calculating the distance between two devices. This new capability has exciting implications for item trackers, most of which lack precision finding. The catch? It seemed no Android devices on the market supported Bluetooth 6.0 or Channel Sounding. As it turns out, there is one device that supports Channel Sounding: the Google Pixel Watch 3<\/a>.<\/p>\n \nYou\u2019re reading an Authority Insights<\/strong> story. Discover Authority Insights<\/a> for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won\u2019t find anywhere else. These reports reflect developments at the time of writing. Some features or details uncovered in leaks may change before official release.<\/p>\n Most Bluetooth devices currently rely on measuring the signal strength between them to estimate distance. While simple to implement, this method is unreliable; it\u2019s imprecise and susceptible to interference, making it frustrating for item tracking. In contrast, Channel Sounding<\/a> calculates the time it takes for a signal to travel between two devices, achieving centimeter-level accuracy.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve ever struggled to locate an item tracker using your phone, it\u2019s likely because it was relying on that same imprecise signal strength method. This is why the rollout of UWB (Ultra-wideband) support in devices like the Moto Tag<\/a> was so significant, as UWB allows for far more precise location tracking than what Bluetooth\u2019s signal strength can offer.<\/p>\n Left: Locating an item tracker using Bluetooth signal strength measurements. Right: Locating an item tracker using UWB.<\/p>\n However, UWB adds complexity and cost to a product. It\u2019s also only preferable for a handful of use cases, which is why so few Android phones support it. In contrast, nearly every mobile device supports Bluetooth. This ubiquity makes Channel Sounding a viable alternative to UWB, even if it\u2019s not quite as precise.<\/p>\n The only catch is that most existing mobile devices don\u2019t support Channel Sounding and likely never will, as adding the feature requires a Bluetooth firmware update. To date, no Android phone \u2014 not even Google\u2019s latest Pixel devices \u2014 has received such an update. The Google Pixel Watch 3, however, gained this capability with its recent Wear OS 5.1<\/a> update. Following the update, the watch now reports that it supports FEATURE_BLUETOOTH_LE_CHANNEL_SOUNDING, the specific Android feature flag that confirms Channel Sounding is supported. Given that Channel Sounding is a Bluetooth 6.0 feature, we can assume this means the Pixel Watch 3 was updated to support the new standard, but that hasn\u2019t been officially confirmed.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Even with UWB, the Pixel Watch 3 still benefits from having Channel Sounding. The problem is there\u2019s no evidence the feature is actually being used. That\u2019s likely because Google hasn\u2019t released its Find Hub<\/a> app for Wear OS, though evidence suggests one is in the works<\/a>. Find Hub would be the prime candidate for using Channel Sounding, as it would dramatically improve locating trackers that have Bluetooth 6.0 but lack UWB, like the Chipolo POP<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/google-find-my-device-app-screenshot-chipolo-trackers-card-point-find-ring.jpg\"\/ "\\"google")
![\"moto](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/moto-tag-uwb-8.jpg\"\/ "\\"moto")
<\/p>\n![\"List](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/List-of-Android-devices-that-support-Bluetooth-channel-sounding-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"List")
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