Google open-sources Eddystone BLE beacon communication format to challenge Apple

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Google today open-sourced a low-power Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon communication format called Eddystone, which is mainly used to help developers use Beacons hardware and provide location-based smartphone communication transmission. Eddystone can be easily used on iOS, Android and other operating systems. Eddystone mainly does two things: one is to tell mobile devices where they are and what is around them, and the other is to use online data to connect to the actual location.

Eddystone has two new APIs: Nearby API and Proximity Beacon API, which help developers focus on data transmission to devices within the range of selected Beacons.

Nearby API is available for Android and iOS: it allows applications to discover nearby "Beacons" hardware and confirm the current context, such as a nearby bus stop or a store you passed by. The Proximity Beacon API connects the semantic location (actual location) and related data stored in the cloud. Google said its existing location API (Places API) will gradually integrate with the Proximity Beacon API.

Beacons are low-power hardware that use Bluetooth to transmit data. Because the range of Bluetooth connections is smaller than that of public Wi-Fi and cannot work like GPS, retailers, developers, and corporate companies mainly use it to accurately locate users and send relevant information based on their location.

Google hopes that developers can use Eddystone to develop applications that are more in line with specific scenarios. For example, when a user is at a local bus station, the user's mobile phone can provide bus times, or when the user arrives at a performance venue, the mobile phone can display the barcode of the performance ticket. It's like when you walk into a restaurant, you can receive a menu on your mobile phone. Users can view the menu and browse pictures to find more detailed information without having to anxiously look for a waiter.

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There is no doubt that Google hopes to compete with Apple's iBeacon technology through Eddystone. However, Google said that the format of Eddystone has nothing to do with what platform the developer uses. It can be well adapted to Android and iOS developer APIs, supports most existing BLE devices, has a flexible architecture to support the development of new framework types, and is fully compatible with the Bluetooth Core Specification.

Currently, Google does not plan to charge for Eddystone, and its current third-party suppliers include Estimote, Bluvision and Kontakt.
Eddystone is now open source on GitHub: https://github.com/google/eddystone