Who hasn’t been amazed by the childish simplicity with which you pair AirPods to an iPhone? You just open the case of the earphones, and presto, they appear on the screen, ready to be paired with the phone. With iOS 18, third-party manufacturers can implement a similar process for their own accessories.
Pairing made easier by the new iOS 18 framework. Image Apple/iGeneration
For this, they must implement the new framework AccessorySetupKit in the application related to their products. When their app is open, it can automatically discover the nearby accessory that is in pairing mode — unlike usual, the app does not need to request access to Bluetooth, this part is managed by the system in order to preserve confidentiality. Like AirPods, a panel then appears on the screen with the name of the product, its image and a button to pair it in one tap. Once paired, the accessory has access to the Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection it needs.
This method is more user-friendly than traditional pairing in the iOS settings dedicated to Bluetooth. However, it is not as instantaneous as with AirPods, because you must have installed the manufacturer’s application beforehand, when the …
