Stay organized with collections
Save and categorize content based on your preferences.
Device action
Seekers can request that a Provider takes an action. If the action is supported
by the Provider, it should be acknowledged and performed, otherwise it should be
ignored.
Message Group Name
Value
Device action event
0x04
Device Action Code Name
Value
Ring
0x01
Ringing a device
One use case for these actions is the Seeker requesting the Provider to ring,
for example when a user has lost the device and needs to locate it. When the
ring action is received, the Provider should begin playing a preloaded sound
file at a high enough volume that the user is able to locate it. It is
recommended that the sound be ramped from a low volume to max volume over
time. Ringing should continue until an additional action is received
directing a stop, or a timeout value has passed.
Additional data will be included in the message to indicate whether the ringing
should be started or stopped, which can be expanded to support Providers with
multiple components (a left and right bud). In the first byte, bits will be set
to 1 to request a ring to start or 0 to request a ring to stop.
For example, if the first byte of additional data is set to:
0x00 (0b00000000): All components should stop ringing
0x01 (0b00000001): Ring right, stop ringing left
0x02 (0b00000010): Ring left, stop ringing right
0x03 (0b00000011): Ring both left and right
On Providers which do not support individual ringing, only 1 bit should be
considered:
0x00 (0b00000000): Stop ringing
0x01 (0b00000001): Start ringing
The second byte in additional data, if present, represents the timeout in
seconds. This value should be used by the Provider to determine how long it
should ring before silencing itself. Based off of the ring right example above
and a timeout of 60 seconds, 0x013C would be passed as the additional data.
Syncing ringing status back to Seekers
Providers may want to notify a Seeker when it changes the ringing status, for
example if a gesture causes the ringing to stop. The Seeker can then receive
the message and update the UI if necessary.
The Provider should follow the same message format as defined in the example
above. Seeker's will listen for this message and provide an acknowledgement when
it is received.
Acknowledging an action
When an action is received, it should be
acknowledged so that the Seeker knows whether
or not the action was performed. If an acknowledgement is not received within 1
second of sending an action (or a negative-acknowledgement is received) the
Seeker will assume the action is not currently supported.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-12 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eSeekers can request Providers to perform actions, such as ringing, which should be acknowledged and performed if supported.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eRinging can be initiated and stopped for single or dual components (like earbuds) using specific data values, with optional timeout duration.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eProviders can notify Seekers of ringing status changes, enabling UI updates on the Seeker's end.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eSeekers expect acknowledgements within 1 second to confirm action execution, otherwise assuming unsupported functionality.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eDevice actions use a specific message group and action codes for communication between Seekers and Providers.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["Seekers request Providers to perform actions, like ringing. Providers acknowledge and execute supported actions or ignore unsupported ones. The \"Ring\" action (0x01) initiates a preloaded sound, potentially ramping up in volume until stopped or timed out. The first data byte indicates which components (e.g., left/right) should ring, using bit flags (1 for start, 0 for stop). The second byte sets a timeout in seconds. Providers should update Seekers of changes to the ringing status, and Seekers must acknowledge the action.\n"],null,["Device action\n-------------\n\nSeekers can request that a Provider takes an action. If the action is supported\nby the Provider, it should be acknowledged and performed, otherwise it should be\nignored.\n\n| Message Group Name | Value |\n|---------------------|-------|\n| Device action event | 0x04 |\n\n| Device Action Code Name | Value |\n|-------------------------|-------|\n| Ring | 0x01 |\n\n### Ringing a device\n\nOne use case for these actions is the Seeker requesting the Provider to ring,\nfor example when a user has lost the device and needs to locate it. When the\nring action is received, the Provider should begin playing a preloaded sound\nfile at a high enough volume that the user is able to locate it. It is\nrecommended that the sound be ramped from a low volume to max volume over\ntime. Ringing should continue until an additional action is received\ndirecting a stop, or a timeout value has passed.\n\nAdditional data will be included in the message to indicate whether the ringing\nshould be started or stopped, which can be expanded to support Providers with\nmultiple components (a left and right bud). In the first byte, bits will be set\nto 1 to request a ring to start or 0 to request a ring to stop.\n\nFor example, if the first byte of additional data is set to:\n\n- 0x00 (0b00000000): All components should stop ringing\n- 0x01 (0b00000001): Ring right, stop ringing left\n- 0x02 (0b00000010): Ring left, stop ringing right\n- 0x03 (0b00000011): Ring both left and right\n\nOn Providers which do not support individual ringing, only 1 bit should be\nconsidered:\n\n- 0x00 (0b00000000): Stop ringing\n- 0x01 (0b00000001): Start ringing\n\n| **Note:** For Providers that include on-head detection, consider checking whether the device is on-head before ringing at max volume.\n\nThe second byte in additional data, if present, represents the timeout in\nseconds. This value should be used by the Provider to determine how long it\nshould ring before silencing itself. Based off of the ring right example above\nand a timeout of 60 seconds, `0x013C` would be passed as the additional data.\n\n#### Syncing ringing status back to Seekers\n\nProviders may want to notify a Seeker when it changes the ringing status, for\nexample if a gesture causes the ringing to stop. The Seeker can then receive\nthe message and update the UI if necessary.\n\nThe Provider should follow the same message format as defined in the example\nabove. Seeker's will listen for this message and provide an acknowledgement when\nit is received.\n\n### Acknowledging an action\n\nWhen an action is received, it should be\n[acknowledged](/nearby/fast-pair/specifications/extensions/acknowledgement#MessageStreamAcknowledgements \"Acknowledgements\") so that the Seeker knows whether\nor not the action was performed. If an acknowledgement is not received within 1\nsecond of sending an action (or a negative-acknowledgement is received) the\nSeeker will assume the action is not currently supported."]]
