GATT support, crucial for notifications on wearables, is coming to Windows 10 Mobile

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Microsoft is working to bring a protocol that is crucial for wearables to Windows 10 Mobile. Sorely missing from the platform at the moment, the GATT protocol is important for serving up notifications to connected wearables.

According to a Microsoft administrator over on the User Voice forums for the Universal Windows Platform, support for GATT Server APIs — the protocol in question — will be available for developers soon.

GATT Server APIs will be available to developers in that update so please stay tuned! I'll reply back on this thread when it's ready but suffice to say we're hard at working making this happen. Thanks again for your support!

To drive home the importance of the GATT APIs, they are what is currently needed for Fitbit notifications to work — which is a big deal for many. However, we now have public confirmation that support is inbound, which should be great news for everyone on the Windows platform.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster
Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the Editor in Chief for Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl. Got a hot tip? Send it to daniel.thorp-lancaster@futurenet.com.
44 Comments
  • Micrsoft band so expensive this too?
  • ???
  • The reason I haven't bought the FitBit Blaze yet
  • I have one and it's actually awesome even without it. Hopefully this is true and we can get notifications and connected GPS at last
  • I actually bought one, and when I want getting SMS they said it was cos of my phone, so I returned it
  • I bought one for the Mrs and it says on the box *depending on OS. The website says so as well. Apart from that, blazing device, if you read the box ;-)
  • Buy the Vector watch.  Tracks like a fitbit and has Windows support.  Love it! https://www.vectorwatch.com/ Check amazon for best prices.
  • Interesting. It still lacks all the features my Band 2 provides me. There is room for improvement, but at the current price point of the Vector, you're still better off to go with a Band 2.
  • Totally off topic but did anyone else notice in the messaging app that swiping left gives you the option to delete the thread. Also sending videos play within the app as well. Gifs play as well! Posted from Windows Central for Windows 10
  • Yes to all yours questions
  • http://windowscentral.com/commenting-guidelines
  • Nice!
  • Try it out! Posted from Windows Central for Windows 10
  • Its about time, this is long over due.
  • Understatement of the decade....
  • Long overdue! It can't get here soon enough. Posted with Windows Central for Windows 10
  • Been waiting for this for the longest. -Mach 8 Solutions, LLC a software company.
    Http://mach8solutions.com
  • I can't wait to GATT that update!!!!!!!!
  • I'm guessing that's not the protocol that the Band uses, then? I wonder if there would be an advantage to adding GATT support to the Band (perhaps better interoperability with other platforms), and if that's on the table....
  • They need to work with the Big 3 to get the sms notifications and phone calls to work properly. They were decent in 8.1 and are a train wreck in 10
  • Again late with the support. At this point I'd imagine developers are getting fed up with the "it's coming stuff" and just remove their apps. Glad to hear it coming, but this should have been there from the beginning just like many other things.
  • Well we know the usual excuse for stuff like this power efficiency
  • Finally
  • will this , in future updates, allow band to respond to things like what's app message notifications. I love my band, just wish it was a bit smarter!!  
  • Can I get an amen?!!! I'm so happy to hear this!
  • I love seeing Microsoft release things years after everyone else... lol 
  • Like the modern design language everybody else has been inspired by? Posted from Windows Central for XL
  • Ah, so Microsoft only release superficial stuffs ahead of others. Thanks.
  • Nope.
  • superficial? do you know what is meant by "modern design language"? or are you assuming its simply aesthetics?
  • Is that how you pass your time? Posted via the Windows Central App for Android (5x or V10)
  • Cool cool cool. Keep the necessary APIs and tools coming to make this platform great again.
  • Finally!   I have been wanting fitbit wearable full support for ages!
  • Hooray!
  • Not only because English is not my primary language, but especially because I'm out of words in any language to describe how f*&^#g big deal it is for me, not to be able to see notifications on 99,99999% of the wearables on the market. Most Lumias don't have Glance. No blinking LEDs. Windows logo button won't blink either. It just cannot be done. Reasons? #corpologic Yes, Microsoft is not competing anymore with Apple ang Google on the "classic smartphone" market, blah blah blah, I get it. But to cut out practically the whole wearables market?! The f*(#k :////////
  • Windows Phone at present supports Gatt Profiles but the not server apis - the said API's is what the news is about. But yeah it's been a long time coming.
  • well, glance was probably a design choice at the time. they either didn't have the time, couldn't achieve the affordibility required, or couldn't reach the battery life desired. Moreover, Glance was introduced by Nokia, not Microsoft. It's still hardware dependent as well, so if a phone in the future doesn't support it, refer back to my earlier statement of time, affordability, or battery life. As to the windows logo button? Why? Microsoft is only supporting the windows logo button as legacy hardware, why introduce a new feature for hardware you won't have in the future? They're dropping capacitive buttons for the most part. They won't introduce a feature for something that will be unique to low end phones. And your comment in general? The article is about how they're going to fix the problem you're complaining about. But you act as if they're ignoring it. Unless you're complaining about the past, I don't see your point on this. They're introducing the missing functionality you so desperately want and you respond with an angry comment. It's just odd. They're talking about how they will join wiht the whole wearables market and you act as if they're ignoring it entirely.
  • pfffft support inbound means we'll see it next year
  • Great news. I just replaced my Band 1 with the Fitbit Charge HR and as much as I wanted to love my Band, the materials simply doesn't hold up. Band 3, should they're be one, is when I may look at the MS Band again. But the Fitbit Charge HR makes the grade.
  • Fitbit bands have been known to have their own issues as far as longevity
  • I'm glad that MS is adding the GATT support. It's overdue.
  • Could this API help improving MI band experience by allowing sms and call notifications?
  • assuming the MI relies on GATT for that functionality, then yes.
  • GATT support added to the latest build??????