iOS 18 will enable compatible third-party Bluetooth and Wi-Fi accessories to pair with an iPhone using a seamless AirPods-like process.
Companies building wireless accessories for Apple products will be able to provide a better pairing experience. Instead of going to Settings > Bluetooth to manually pair a third-party accessory with your iPhone, you’ll bring the product close to your iPhone.
The system will take care of the rest, putting up an interface similar to the card which pops up when setting up AirPods on your iPhone. The developer provides product images and names used in an AirPods-like pairing dialog.
Apple removing friction from Bluetooth pairing
“Call an API and the brand-new accessory picker will appear with any nearby accessories that your app wants to pair with, “as per a WWDC session video. “You’ll see your own high-fidelity artwork and friendly accessory name in the picker.”
A single tap securelys pair an accessory with its helper app allow access to both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi from the accessory (if it supports both).
A privacy-first way to use Bluetooth pairing on iPhone
iOS 18 also brings tightened privacy policies for Bluetooth accessories, so this feature will prevent makers from scanning your network to gather a list of wireless accessories. You will be able to manage pairing permission for accessories in a new Accessories section within Settings > General > Privacy & Security.
Here, you will be able to rename the paired accessory, toggle the access of its paired apps or remove it from the system. The same accessory page will be accessible via Settings > Bluetooth and Settings > Wi-Fi.
Introducing the AccessorySetupKit framework
For this, Apple must use the new AccessorySetupKit framework for iOS and iPadOS, currently in beta. With it, an app can discover, select and set up a specific Bluetooth accessory without requesting permission to use Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or network access.
The framework ensures the app can only pair with the manufacturer’s accessories. Apple will start accepting apps that use new iOS 18 capabilities into the App Store before the update is released to the public this fall. You’ll need to be patient as developers will need time to implement the new feature in their apps.