Apple is opening up its Find My tracking service beyond iOS devices. With the release of iOS 14, Apple is creating a new accessory program that will let users locate third-party tracking devices such as those sold by Tile.
The change will make third-party trackers much more useful by connecting them to the network of millions of iOS devices that already help people find their lost items.
Tile’s tracking devices make it easier to keep track of items or ensure they don’t get left behind by alerting a user whenever a tracking device is about to leave close range. Maybe you put one in your wallet, for instance, so you never mistakenly leave it at the restaurant. Tile’s network of users also get alerted when there’s a tracker nearby that someone has marked as missing. Apple’s network of iOS devices is far larger, however.
The Find My network relies on the hundreds of millions of iOS devices already in the wild to help locate missing items. Whenever a person’s iPhone comes into close proximity with an iPad that’s been reported missing, a Bluetooth signal is triggered that updates the iPad’s location in Find My so the original owner can approximate where it is. It’s basically crowdsourced location tracking [while preserving user privacy – MDN Ed.].
MacDailyNews Take: Apple opens up Find My to third-party item trackers and, just like that, the soup bowls of would-be antitrust regulators’ and presumptive whiner crybabies fill with even more tears.
Can’t wait to get the Air Tags in my hands