The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has cleared a proposal to more explicitly add location awareness to the standard. Bluetooth 2.0 and up devices will have the option of using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) profile, which will let a GPS-aware device share its location data with other Bluetooth hardware. Implementing GNSS could let a smartphone share its position with a dedicated camera, tablet, or other device without having special code.
GPS sharing already exists, but usually requires either special apps on both sides of a connection or a dedicated receiver with software on one end.
Companies using Bluetooth can download the new profile now. Shipping products using the new GPS support may take some time, however, either through firmware updates or through new hardware. Companies don’t have to be members of the SIG to use the features
