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I want to know how iBeacon works actually. I found the sample code of AirLocate, but couldn't figure out how it works. iBeacon is works on BLE, so it may be possible for do data communication with other BLE supported devices via bluetooth?

As it possible to make data transfer between iOS - android device via bluetooth using BLE or beacon?

iOS had already announced iBeacon technology, but didn't find out any technical specification document regarding this. I also want to know how it works on android?

Can some one please describe about this technology and is it possible to make data-communication via bluetooth between iOS-iOS device, and iOS-Android Device?

Midhun MP
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Dishant
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1 Answers1

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No, you cannot communicate between devices using iBeacons because an iBeacons are transmit only. Mobile devices, both iOS and Android can both hear iBeacons, but they cannot talk back.

iBeacons work by transmitting a 3-part identifier and a transmitter power reference value every second (or more often.) That's it. They do nothing more. SDKs in iOS and Android listen for these signals and report them to your app, but the rest is up to the app developer.

What you suggest may be possible with a custom Bluetooth LE beacon, but it would need to be significantly more complex than an iBeacon, and you would have to build your own.

Here are a couple of links to give you more info:

How iBeacons work on Android from Radius Networks

iBeacon overview by Dave Addey

Full disclosure: I work for Radius Networks.

Community
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davidgyoung
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  • Thanks @davidgyoung for quick reply. As per your reply, BLE device we can use as host to transmit some kind of notification or advertisement, and if other BLE device(beacon) will enter in that region, it will receive that message or notification, am I right? The beacon can't send any message or Notification to host BLE. is it like that? – Dishant Dec 13 '13 at 04:43
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    To be clear, a standard iBeacon can receive nothing -- it can only transmit. An iOS or Android device can receive a notification when it is "in the region" of the iBeacon. An iBeacon can send nothing more than its three part identifier. If you have some other BLE host that is not a standard iBeacon, you can make it transmit whatever you want (within BLE advertising space limits). But iBeacon technology does nothing to help this along. – davidgyoung Dec 13 '13 at 05:00
  • kindly go through this link. Logically, as it uses Blutooth so it should be able to send small amount of data.http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/123730-apple-s-ibeacons-explained-what-it-is-and-why-it-matters – Dishant Dec 13 '13 at 06:57
  • @Dishant Think about classic Bluetooth. You have to first make connection before sending data in both direction, or else you can only read basic broadcast info like device name. BLE has no difference. iBeacon is working on broadcasts only and does not require (not sure if it is even permitted) connection. – reTs Dec 13 '13 at 09:52
  • Yes, iBeacons do not require a connection and are generally not connectable. It may be possible to build a custom version that is connectable, but the more common practice is to advertise a second connectable service along with the iBeacon transmission. Some iBeacon vendors use this second service as a means of configuring identifiers. But again, if you want this for your apps, you might as well roll your own custom BLE beacon and forget about iBeacons entirely. – davidgyoung Dec 13 '13 at 12:47
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    1st off, iBeacon is only a wrapper term for Bluetooth 4.0. People are unfortunately taking this as a literal device term. Any device that supports Bluetooth 4.0 and conforms to Apple's protocols while receiving their ceil of approval can be an iBeacon. In essence, an iOS device can currently be an iBeacon and broadcast/respond to data. AKA you can, in fact, communicate with an android device using iBeacon protocols. The android devices just need a way or receiving data via bluetooth 4.0 and responding to it (which is possible). – TheCodingArt Feb 19 '14 at 20:48
  • Here's a good article regarding iBeacon's and their limits/abilities across both iOS and Android platforms: [link](http://beekn.net/2013/10/ibeacon-android-privacy-and-bluetooth-le/) – TheCodingArt Feb 21 '14 at 02:09
  • You are very wrong. Thats because you assume you only buy a beacon out of the box, but if you buy a hardware you can easly set it to receive data. – Curnelious Nov 24 '14 at 09:08
  • Yes, if you build a custom beacon you can do this (I say so in my answer), but the ability to write data are not part of the iBeacon standard so it is different for any device. – davidgyoung Nov 24 '14 at 11:02
  • @davidgyoung Just to clarify ... Say I opt to create my own BLE device that send and receive data. Can I make that act as iBeacon too so that entry exits can be tracked using beacon callbacks and any rest of the data can be received using corebluetooth connection ? – mia Dec 23 '14 at 08:18