Qualcomm and Apple will improve their truly wireless headphones this year

Qualcomm has announced improvements to its TrueWireless Stereo technology, the tech that powers wireless Bluetooth connections in many devices.

The firm’s improvements to the TrueWireless are designed to work with its recent QCC5100 SoC to reduce power consumption for media and call streaming when using Bluetooth on smartphones and other hardware.

It also allows smartphones to connect to two sets of earbuds at a time, a change from when the phone would connect to one earbud, while the other earbud connects to its counterpart, forming a daisy chain of sorts. This new method would reduce latency, a problem that has long since plagued Bluetooth headsets.

“Our Bluetooth audio SoCs have been at the forefront of industry innovation for more than 15 years. The performance and flexibility of our solutions have directly supported the success of many of the most iconic headsets and headphones from leading consumer electronics brands,” said Anthony Murray, senior vice president and general manager, voice & music, Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd. “We are constantly looking to improve our technologies and platforms to help our customers differentiate their product offerings, and these enhancements in Qualcomm TrueWireless Stereo technology are designed to help them create the next generation of exciting and innovative truly wireless hearable devices that can support substantially longer music play time and voice call time.”

Qualcomm will find fierce competition with Apple, whose wireless AirPods have been one of the most successful wireless headsets released.

According to Bloomberg, Apple will be improving its AirPod with a  new wireless chip that will improve the way the device handles connections.

The firm will also add Hey Siri support to the 2018 AirPods, allowing for more hands-free interaction.

Both Apple and Qualcomm’s solutions should work on both iPhones, Androids and other wireless devices, with Apple’s one, of course, working better with Apple products.