Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,194
30,135



Over the weekend, we posted a story that Apple's Handoff feature was limited to Macs that support the Bluetooth 4.0/LE specification. Handoff/Continuity allows OS X and iOS device users to seamlessly transition between the two operating systems. However, there was some debate about the accuracy of that claim at the time, though now it seems almost certain to be true.

Bluetooth 4.0 was was first introduced in the MacBook Air and Mac mini in Mid 2011. The feature has since made its way into later Mac releases, finally coming to every Mac as of the 2013 Mac Pro.

Apfeleimer put together this nice graph showing which Macs support Bluetooth 4.0/LE.

osx-yosemite-bluetooth-4.0-le-apfeleimer-800x383.jpg
The full bars represent Macs that can run OS X Yosemite, while only Mac models in the green bar timeframes support the required Bluetooth protocol for Handoff. For iOS users, the iPad 2 is the only device that is capable of running iOS 8 but doesn't come with hardware support for Bluetooth LE.

There was some uncertainty about this being an absolute requirement, though in the WWDC sessions, Apple clearly states that Handoff runs on Bluetooth LE technology. However, now with the release of Yosemite Developer Preview 2, Apple has added a new field for Continuity Support in the System Information. The new field falls under the Bluetooth category:

btleon.jpg

Owners of late generation Macs seem to be showing Continuity support in line with the chart above, while older Mac owners are seeing Continuity support set to "No". It's not yet clear if adding a 3rd party Bluetooth 4.0 dongle will enable support on older Macs.

OS X Yosemite is in developer beta right now and will be released to customers later this year. Handoff support in the early betas remain spotty, so even those with supported devices may not see the feature working. Apple, of course, could change requirements over time.

Article Link: Yosemite 'Handoff' Feature Likely Limited to Macs with Bluetooth LE
 

stark93

macrumors member
Sep 18, 2012
78
254
Apple could make hand off with all devices if they used wifi.
Bluetooth is so inefficient!
 

ghostface147

macrumors 601
May 28, 2008
4,150
5,122
Sorry, I'd rather keep my 17" MacBook Pro instead of dealing with handoff and continuity.
 

AngerDanger

Graphics
Staff member
Dec 9, 2008
5,452
29,001
Here's to hoping there's a shell command or tweak that will enable support on older machines.
 

827538

Cancelled
Jul 3, 2013
2,322
2,833
Anyone else struggle to see the logic in using BT 4.0 over WiFi?
I don't even have BT turned on much, unless I'm in the car but WiFi is always on. :confused:
 

lowbatteries

macrumors regular
Mar 21, 2008
236
36
Looks like its finally time to bite the bullet and update the whole house – 2007 iMac, 2010 MacBook, and 2009 MacBook. Looks like my 2nd gen Apple TV is even getting left out of all the nifty new features.

Here's hoping to a big end-of-year bonus and a big tax return ... :)
 

chekz0414

macrumors 6502a
Jul 3, 2011
770
99
FL
I see they also banned AirDrop with my Mac? Even though MBP 2011 models were the first with AirDrop, and they support AirPlay...Why couldn't Continuity and Handoff work via AirPlay technology (since that doesn't require Wi-Fi anymore)...or even Wi-Fi like many have stated. I wasn't even thinking about upgrading my Mac, and now I definitely need to think about it.
 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2014-06-17 at 6.45.29 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2014-06-17 at 6.45.29 PM.png
    88.9 KB · Views: 441

DCYorke

macrumors member
Apr 7, 2010
46
191
Does handoff really need BT 4.0? Or is Apple just being Apple as usual?

Yes, it's a real requirement. No, a shell script won't enable it.

They are being Apple. They started putting BT 4.0 in their products years ago, before the features required them so that now, when they're putting the features in, a good number of iOS and Macs have the hardware.

The technology behind handoff is the same as AirDrop in iOS and iBeacon. BT LE allows devices to advertise their physical presence without using much power. BT LE is the only technology currently available that offers this.
 

czeano

macrumors newbie
Aug 11, 2011
24
0
Remember back in 2003 when Apple was pretty gung-ho on Bluetooth and we could do all sorts of cutting edge stuff with it like tether to the t68i or send/receive SMSes from Address Book?

And then they were like "oh wait we don't do all that stuff anymore, Wifi is now hot, by the way have you tried iCloud Sync instead of iSync and this obscenely complicated iMessage which leaks your private contact info all over the world"?

And now they're like "HA! Just kidding! Bluetooth does all kinds of things that we COULD be doing with wifi but we'll put in arbitrary requirements for specialized hardware just to force people who want this confusing software feature to buy new machines"

I forgot where I was going with this but I think the gist of it is: Apple has basically lost any sense of vision I'm interested in following anymore.
 

32KFJ

macrumors regular
May 28, 2012
117
11
Austria
i remember craigh saying that the iphone could be in another room to receive calls and messages. the range of bluetooth is not that far or is it?
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.