Bluetooth GATT Characteristic Reference
Navigation (0x2A68)
The Navigation characteristic is a variable length structure containing a Flags field, a Bearing field, a Heading field and, based on the contents of the Flags field, may contain a combination of data fields listed below.
Quick Summary
Payload length is profile-defined or variable based on field formats. This page is generated from official GATT XML and presented as implementation-ready guidance.
At a Glance
Key reference details for BLE implementation, interoperability testing, and AI-assisted troubleshooting.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Navigation |
| UUID | 0x2A68 |
| Type | org.bluetooth.characteristic.navigation |
| XML Root | Characteristic |
| Source File | org.bluetooth.characteristic.navigation.xml |
| Field Count | 6 |
Field Specification
Parsed field definitions from the source XML value structure.
| Field | Requirement | Format | Unit | Exponent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flags | Mandatory | 16bit | - | - | - |
| Bearing | Mandatory | uint16 | org.bluetooth.unit.plane_angle.degree | -2 | Unit is in degrees with a resolution of 1/100 |
| Heading | Mandatory | uint16 | org.bluetooth.unit.plane_angle.degree | -2 | Unit is in degrees with a resolution of 1/100 |
| Remaining Distance | Optional | uint24 | org.bluetooth.unit.length.meter | -1 | Unit is in meters with a resolution of 1/10 |
| Remaining Vertical Distance | Optional | sint24 | org.bluetooth.unit.length.meter | -2 | Unit is in meters with a resolution of 1/100 |
| Estimated Time of Arrival | Optional | N/A | - | - | Smallest units in seconds |
Bit Map
Bit-level enumerations extracted from the XML BitField definition.
| Field | Bit | Size | Name | 0 Means | 1 Means |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flags | 0 | 1 | Remaining Distance Present | False | True |
| Flags | 1 | 1 | Remaining Vertical Distance Present | False | True |
| Flags | 2 | 1 | Estimated Time of Arrival Present | False | True |
| Flags | 3 | 2 | Position Status | No Position | Position Ok |
| Flags | 5 | 1 | Heading Source | Heading based on movement | Heading based on magnetic compass |
| Flags | 6 | 1 | Navigation Indicator Type | To Waypoint | To Destination |
| Flags | 7 | 1 | Waypoint Reached | False | True |
| Flags | 8 | 1 | Destination Reached | False | True |
Byte Layout and Decode
Payload length is profile-defined or variable based on field formats.
function decodePayload(dataView, offset = 0) {
// Parse flags (16bit) according to Bluetooth format rules.
const bearing = dataView.getUint16(offset + 0, true);
const heading = dataView.getUint16(offset + 2, true);
// Parse remaining_distance (uint24) according to Bluetooth format rules.
// Parse remaining_vertical_distance (sint24) according to Bluetooth format rules.
// Parse estimated_time_of_arrival (N/A) according to Bluetooth format rules.
return { flags, bearing, heading, remaining_distance, remaining_vertical_distance, estimated_time_of_arrival };
}Use Cases and Integration Notes
BLE Telemetry
Map characteristic values into dashboards and alerts for device observability.
Firmware Regression
Compare decoded fields across builds to detect protocol or scaling changes.
App Integration
Build stable parsing paths that convert raw payloads into typed app models.
Implementation Checklist
- Validate payload length and mandatory fields before decode.
- Decode with Bluetooth-specified signedness, unit, and exponent handling.
- Convert units at presentation boundaries to avoid drift in business logic.
- Persist raw packets and decoded values for reproducible troubleshooting.
FAQ
What is Navigation in Bluetooth GATT?
Navigation is defined as a Bluetooth GATT characteristic entry with type org.bluetooth.characteristic.navigation and UUID 0x2A68.
What UUID identifies Navigation?
The UUID for Navigation is 0x2A68.
How should I parse Navigation?
Payload length is profile-defined or variable based on field formats.
Where does this definition come from?
This page is generated from the Bluetooth SIG mirror XML in the oesmith/gatt-xml repository.
How does this page support BLE implementation?
The page combines structured tables, practical Q&A, and JSON-LD metadata to help teams validate integrations and troubleshoot consistently.