Bluetooth “Quick Pair” Feature is Coming to Windows 10

Bluetooth "Quick Pair" Feature is Coming to Windows 10

Microsoft is working on improving the Bluetooth device pairing experience, and bits of a new feature—called Quick Pair, internally—are starting to show up in preview builds of Windows 10 Redstone 4.

Here’s how it will work: Instead of fumbling with magic button hold sequences and blinking LEDs, you will instead hold a headset (or other supported device) near a Windows machine and it will light it up immediately after simply tapping a toast notification.

Or that’s the idea, rather.

Android Fast Pair works on Android 6.0+ today.

It’s too early to say for sure, but some poking around points to Quick Pair using the same Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth LE functionality that Apple AirPods and Google Android Fast Pair-enabled devices use today. It remains to be seen, however, if Microsoft will embrace and interoperate with the current device ecosystem or simply use Quick Pair in its own hardware, like the Xbox One controller and Surface accessories.

I suspect we’ll see a little bit of both.

I reached out to Google to ask if compatibility talks have started yet. If I hear back, I’ll update this post.

Tagged with

Share post

Conversation 20 comments

  • RamblingGeek

    22 November, 2017 - 12:05 pm

    <p>Reached out to Google or Microsoft?</p>

    • Rafael Rivera

      Premium Member
      22 November, 2017 - 12:09 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#219626"><em>In reply to RamblingGeek:</em></a></blockquote><p>Google, as they're the biggest player here with Fast Pair. But point taken, revised the sentence. Hope that makes more sense?</p>

      • RamblingGeek

        22 November, 2017 - 12:37 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#219628"><em>In reply to WithinRafael:</em></a></blockquote><p>Yup (Y)</p>

  • Winner

    22 November, 2017 - 12:05 pm

    <p>Didn't Apple already do this?</p><p>I thought so. The chase continues.</p>

    • dontbe evil

      22 November, 2017 - 12:10 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#219627"><em>In reply to Winner:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Did you also notice how many things apple and google did after MS? </p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">I thought so. The chase continues.</span></p>

      • Winner

        22 November, 2017 - 12:31 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#219629"><em>In reply to dontbe_evil:</em></a></blockquote><p>I feel Microsoft did a lot more chasing than Apple or Google. Why not list some of the areas where Microsoft was chased?</p>

        • VancouverNinja

          Premium Member
          22 November, 2017 - 12:52 pm

          <blockquote><a href="#219636"><em>In reply to Winner:</em></a></blockquote><p>Their whole OS…Mixed Reality….Office….Hotmail….</p><p><br></p><p>Microsoft is actually off doing their own thing and it is both Google and Apple following. Even with Voice Assistants Microsoft has been working on it for over two decades – however it was Amazon that did a very good job of bringing it to the consumer first – but Microsoft was already working on it before Amazon.</p>

          • Winner

            22 November, 2017 - 3:32 pm

            <blockquote><a href="#219640"><em>In reply to VancouverNinja:</em></a></blockquote><p>Microsoft is following – it's been in their DNA for decades; examples include </p><p><br></p><p>Windows itself (the Mac)</p><p>Internet Explorer (Netscape browser)</p><p>Windows Phone (iPhone/iOS)</p><p>Zune (iPod)</p><p>Windows Store (Apple's App Store)</p><p>Bing (Google search)</p><p>Cortana (Siri, Google Assistant)</p><p>yesterday's article on a more Apple-like Spotlight-type search. </p><p><br></p><p>Just to name a few, there are many more.</p>

            • jimchamplin

              Premium Member
              22 November, 2017 - 8:26 pm

              <blockquote><a href="#219819"><em>In reply to Winner:</em></a></blockquote><p>You left off a few things. </p><p><br></p><p>Sycophantic trolls who contribute nothing, only ever complaining about the company.</p><p><br></p><p>Sorry. That's just one thing that you forgot. Funny that you didn't mention that.</p>

              • Winner

                22 November, 2017 - 10:46 pm

                <blockquote><a href="#219949"><em>In reply to jimchamplin:</em></a></blockquote><p>When people start calling names, it usually means have no arguments of substance.</p><p><br></p><p>I saw this in a totally different forum. It would help this site as well: </p><p><br></p><p>"Do not belittle any of the posters. If you have nothing to contribute in a positive/educated form, then please post elsewhere."</p><p><br></p><p>Happy Thanksgiving!</p>

                • dontbe evil

                  23 November, 2017 - 5:28 am

                  <blockquote><a href="#219982"><em>In reply to Winner:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>consumerreports.org/laptops/macbook-pros-fail-to-earn-consumer-reports-recommendation</p><p><br></p>

          • Jeffsters

            24 November, 2017 - 12:10 am

            <blockquote><a href="#219640"><em>In reply to VancouverNinja:</em></a></blockquote><p>umm…cough…PlainTalk and <span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Speakable items was first introduced as part of Apple's speech recognition software in Mac OS 7.1 in 1993 </span></p>

        • zankfrappa

          23 November, 2017 - 3:34 am

          <blockquote><a href="#219636"><em>In reply to Winner:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>i dont know why you care so much about who is chasing who but heres a few things off the top of my head</p><p><br></p><p>all the other services are copying what zune pass started</p><p><br></p><p>windows phone metro started the flat minimalist graphics trend you now see on on googles material design and on iphone</p><p><br></p><p>all the surface devices. show me another company that makes better windows devices</p><p><br></p><p>just to name a few, like you say, there are more</p>

          • Winner

            23 November, 2017 - 3:40 am

            <blockquote><a href="#220070"><em>In reply to zankfrappa:</em></a></blockquote><p>Consumer Reports says Surface not recommended, that's how good this independent organization says Surface is. I do believe that's due to earlier models having lots of problems, so perhaps they are better now. But it's a gamble. And you won't be fixing a Surface Book as it's basically unrepairable if anything breaks in it.</p>

        • dontbe evil

          23 November, 2017 - 5:25 am

          <blockquote><a href="#219636"><em>In reply to Winner:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>metro/modern/flat design -&gt; apple, material, lot of websites, softwares ecc…</p><p>holoens/mixed reality -&gt; apple, google but only with phone</p><p>surface hub -&gt; google something</p><p>win 10/uwp -&gt; google fucsia</p><p>surface and 2in1 in general -&gt; ipad pro, google chromebooks/pixel book</p><p>features/ui/ui on windows phone/mobile -&gt; ios and android</p><p>files/contacts/calendar/mail sync (since windows mobile/pocket pc) -&gt; apple, google "cloud"</p><p>windows mobile, symbian, bb were REAL SMARTphones -&gt; than came a really limited iphone</p><p>zune pass -&gt; spotify, apple music, google music</p><p><br></p><p>just to name a few, there are many more</p>

          • Winner

            23 November, 2017 - 4:10 pm

            <blockquote><a href="#220092"><em>In reply to dontbe_evil:</em></a></blockquote><p>I don't agree with the significance of those versus some of the examples I provided, but I applaud your constructive and fact-based answer.</p>

  • Tech_Support

    23 November, 2017 - 12:35 am

    <p>For #HotmailpasswordResetOrRecovery Call on &amp;&amp;**866).(877).(9859)__++</p><p>#Outlook Support Number</p><p>#Micrsosoft Support Number</p><p>#Outlook Password&nbsp;</p><p>#OutlookSupport&nbsp;</p><p>#HotmailPasswordRecovery</p><p>#OutlookandMicrosoft Support Phone Number</p><p>Call ***866).(877).(9859&gt;&gt;&gt;</p>

Newsletter

Stay up to date with the latest tech news from Thurrott.com!

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thurrott © 2023 BWW Media Group