Google could open up Fast Pair to all manufacturers with Android 13

Possibly coming to non-GMS devices

Google announced Fast Pair in 2017 to make it easier to connect Bluetooth accessories with Android phones using Bluetooth Low Energy — the feature removed the hassle of diving into your phone's Bluetooth settings for connecting headphones, earbuds, and other accessories. To expand its reach, Fast Pair was integrated into the Nearby platform that is a part of the Google Mobile Services (GMS) suite. As a security measure, the company also requires that Bluetooth device makers register their accessories before they can start using the feature, thereby preventing its unauthorized use. The flip side of this move is that devices that ship without GMS cannot offer Fast Pair. Google is looking to change this with Android 13 later this year.

Code changes in the AOSP Gerrit (via Esper) reveal that the company seemingly wants to bring Fast Pair to devices that ship without GMS with Android 13. It plans to offer Fast Pair as a Mainline module by making it a part of a newly introduced NearbyManager API — a change that's already a part of the first Android 13 developer preview.

As the Fastpair in Mainline Module design, we intend to let OEM to:

* Support Fast Pair initial pairing by setting up its own server to sync and serve certified Fast Pair devices’ metadata.

* Support Fast Pair subsequent pairing by associating already paired Fast Pair devices to OEM’s accounts.

We also want to migrate GMS Fast Pair to use this mainline implementation in the future and let our test signed with "platform" can access to the NearbyManager. Therefore, we need to make NearbyManager available as System API.

As the comment from the Android engineer above highlights, the changes could allow Android manufacturers to set up their own server to provide Fast Pair devices' metadata, thus bringing the feature to non-GMS devices like those sold in China. The move would tie in nicely with Google's announcement at CES 2022 to bring Fast Pair to Chromebooks, Windows, Android TVs, and other smart home devices.

As of now, Google has not announced this change formally, and it is also seemingly not using the Mainline module in Android 13 DP1; however, this could change in future releases.

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