Techsplained@FE: Low on energy, high on performance

The two technology behemoths, Google and Apple last month announced that they would soon be rolling out an update that will allow anonymous contact tracing. Instead of using both GPS and Bluetooth, the companies said that they would only be relying on Bluetooth to trace if a person has come in contact with an infected person. The Bluetooth would have an ID of its own. Apple and Google had to come together for this initiative as right now, Apple does not allow interoperability of its Bluetooth devices. Initially, the service will be rolled out as an app, but eventually, it would form a part of the phone’s user interface. While the technology will not be as effective as a GSPS tracing, but it would undoubtedly save battery as the power consumption of GPS is much higher than Bluetooth. But a few years ago even this would not have been possible, as Bluetooth also led to high battery drain. The new Bluetooth technology called Bluetooth low energy consumes much less.