Two main protocols dominate the Bluetooth beacon landscape – Eddystone from Google and iBeacon from Apple. Here is an overview of each protocol’s capabilities and key differences that businesses should consider.
Introducing Eddystone
Eddystone is an open beacon format developed by Google in 2015. It offers multiple broadcast frame types for different use cases:
- Eddystone-UID – Sends a unique beacon ID detectable from 50+ meters away. Used to determine proximity to a set location.
- Eddystone-URL – Broadcasts a URL to nearby devices that can trigger an action in an app or browser.
- Eddystone-TLM – Transmits telemetry data like battery health to monitor beacon status.
- Eddystone-EID – Encrypted identification that periodically changes to prevent tracking users.
Eddystone is publicly documented and available for use by any device or operating system. Google offers libraries and an analytics console to manage Eddystone beacons.
Understanding iBeacon
Apple introduced iBeacon in 2013. This proprietary specification has its own defined beacon frame format to broadcast an ID detectable by iOS devices.
Distance ranging is available by measuring the strength of signals between the beacon and mobile device. iBeacon works natively with iOS and has been widely adopted for Apple-centric apps.
Comparing the Two Protocols
While both protocols enable location-aware experiences via Bluetooth low energy, there are some key differences:
- Eddystone offers multi-frame type extensibility while iBeacon only broadcasts an ID.
- iBeacon is encrypted end-to-end by default while Eddystone encryption is optional.
- Eddystone works across both iOS and Android while iBeacon is focused on the Apple ecosystem.
- Google provides more integrated analytics and management for Eddystone while iBeacon lacks first-party tools.
- Eddystone spec is open source while iBeacon remains largely proprietary to Apple.
Which Should You Choose?
For cross-platform apps that run on both iOS and Android, Eddystone currently has advantages with its transparent specification and Google support. But both protocols can coexist if designing primarily for Apple devices. Evaluate your use cases, apps and target devices to pick the best Bluetooth beacon protocol.
