iBeacon

iBeacon is a protocol developed by Apple and introduced in 2013 with iOS 7. It leverages Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to provide proximity-based identification and interaction. The system consists of beacons—small battery-powered transmitters—and client apps on iOS devices (and other platforms) that monitor for beacons. Each beacon broadcasts a short packet containing a proximity UUID, a major value, a minor value, and a calibrated transmit power (measured power). The combination identifies a particular beacon within a collection and can be used to deliver contextual information when a device enters its range.

Beacons are detected by mobile devices that support Core Location (for proximity) or Core Bluetooth; devices can monitor regions defined by a beacon UUID and trigger actions when entering or leaving range, or ranging to estimate proximity (immediate, near, far).

Compared to other methods, iBeacon provides a standardized approach to proximity marketing and location-based services without requiring GPS; typical ranges are a few meters to tens of meters depending on environment.

Apple's standard is currently widely adopted by third-party beacon manufacturers; iBeacon is not an official Bluetooth SIG standard, though it uses BLE advertising patterns; Google’s Eddystone is a competing open standard.

Common use cases include retail promotions, in-store navigation, asset tracking, museum or airport wayfinding, event check-ins, and personalized notifications. Privacy and battery usage considerations apply; users must grant permission for location services, and beacons generally require low power transmissions.