We’re still waiting on AirTags to debut, with the long-rumored Apple key tracker expected to integrate with the Find My app that’s pre-installed on iPhones. But Apple isn’t waiting to add tracking functionality for things other than its own devices.
The company has flung open the doors to its Find My app, adding support for third-part accessories. And among the gadget makers taking advantage of the ability to use Find My to track their devices is key finder maker Chipolo, which has a special version of its Chipolo One tracker that you can use with the Find My app on your Apple device.
Like the best key finders, Chipolo One uses Bluetooth to connect to a phone, letting you track whatever the round Chipolo fob is attached to. (Usually, it’s keys, but you can attach it to any valuable you want to keep tabs on.) Normally, you can monitor the tracker’s whereabouts from Chipolo’s app, but the Chipolo One Spot will be able to work with Find My app directly.
The Find My app will able to show known locations of your tracked items. You’ll also be able to sound an alarm to help you better pinpoint the exact location. And if a Chipolo One Spot goes missing, you can mark it as lost, with the Find My network notifying you should the tracker turn up again.
All of this is thanks to Find My’s third-party accessory support, which is officially available on devices running iOS 14.3, iPad OS 14.3 and later, and macOS Big Sur 11.1 or later. With this update, the devices will work with items under the “Works with Apple Find My” classification. That means no one has to wait for Apple to roll out its own proprietary tech to be able to track items they may be missing.
Apple is all but certain to have its own product shortly. For more than a year, we’ve been hearing that AirTags are about to ship. Like the Chipolo One and other key finders, Apple’s tracker would attach to your valuables, allowing you to monitor their whereabouts from the Find My App.
However, there’s one crucial difference: Apple’s AirTags are said to work with the U1 Ultra Wideband chip that’s been included in the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 series of phones. Ultra Wideband has wider range than the Bluetooth LE used by most key finders, and it can provide more detailed location data, too.
Perhaps, that’s why Apple is opening up Find My to what would seem to be a potential rival for AirTags. Current key finders offer different functionality than what Apple’s rumored device is supposed to provide. And you can use the Chipolo One with iPhones that don’t have a U1 chip.
Other Works With Find My products
There’s no price set yet on the Chipolo One Spot, though the standard version of the tracker costs $25. An eco-friendly version that’s made from plastic pulled from the ocean costs $30. Chipolo plans to begin pre-orders in May, with the Chipolo One Spot shipping in June.
Chipolo isn’t the only third-party company to utilize the Find My app, either. The VanMoof S3 and X3 e-bikes, for example, now work in tandem with the network. VanMoof allows its riders to use the Find My app to find and keep track of their bikes using a similar kind of tech.
