With the rise of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and proximity-based services, beacon technologies have become an important way for apps to understand their physical surroundings and deliver contextual experiences. Two of the biggest players in the beacon space are Eddystone from Google and iBeacon from Apple. Both enable apps to detect nearby beacons and trigger actions based on proximity, but they have some key differences.
What is Eddystone?
Eddystone is an open beacon format developed by Google in 2015. It uses Bluetooth low energy (BLE) to broadcast small data packets that can be picked up by compatible mobile apps. Eddystone supports multiple frame types for different use cases:
- Eddystone-UID transmits a unique ID that identifies the beacon. This allows apps to associate stored data with the beacon.
- Eddystone-URL broadcasts a URL that users can visit when in proximity. Useful for linking to contextual info.
- Eddystone-TLM transmits telemetry data like battery level to help maintain beacon networks.
- Eddystone-EID transmits an encrypted identifier for security.
Eddystone works with both Android and iOS and offers seamless integration with Google services.
What is iBeacon?
iBeacon was developed by Apple in 2013, making it the first mainstream beacon technology. Like Eddystone, it uses BLE to broadcast data picked up by consumer devices like iPhones and iPads.
The iBeacon format only transmits a UUID, major value, and minor value. The UUID identifies the beacon type, while major and minor allow for differentiation between individual beacons.
Unlike Eddystone, iBeacon is proprietary to Apple platforms like iOS, watchOS, and macOS. This means seamless integration with Apple’s ecosystem at the expense of broader compatibility.
Key Differences
While both technologies enable exciting location-aware experiences, Eddystone and iBeacon have some notable differences:
- Open vs closed — Eddystone is open source, while iBeacon is proprietary to Apple.
- Cross-platform — Eddystone works across iOS and Android, while iBeacon is limited to Apple devices.
- Multiple frame types — Eddystone supports UUID, URL, telemetry, encrypted IDs. iBeacon only supports UUID, major, minor.
- Integration — iBeacon offers seamless integration with Apple services. Eddystone integrates better with Google.
- Security — Eddystone supports encrypted IDs. iBeacon has no native encryption.
In summary, Eddystone offers greater flexibility and cross-platform support, while iBeacon provides tighter integration with the Apple ecosystem. The choice between the two depends on the mix of devices and services required for a given beacon deployment. But with both technologies maturing rapidly, consumers can expect a rich set of proximity-aware experiences however the beacon battle unfolds.