Apple has expanded its Find My app to help locate third-party devices

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The Find My app has gotten a pretty significant update. Apple announced today that the popular app that is used to find a multitude of various Apple devices will now be available for third-party products.

The Find My technology has been a part of Apple products for years, since the release of the iPhone 3GS. Since then, the app has seen multiple updates that allowed the app to be used to find other Apple products, such as the Apple Watch or various MacBooks. In 2019, the app was upgraded to be able to find lost Apple devices using ultra-wideband, even if the devices are offline.

This is the first time that Apple’s Find My app has been updated to work with third-party products. The new update opens up the app’s functionality to allow third-party companies to utilize the service, allowing consumers to use the Find My app to help locate devices even if they aren’t from Apple. Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing had this to say about the update:

“For more than a decade, our customers have relied on Find My to locate their missing or stolen Apple devices, all while protecting their privacy. Now we’re bringing the powerful finding capabilities of Find My, one of our most popular services, to more people with the Find My network accessory program.”

This is all still very new. The only companies that have been confirmed to be participating in this program are Belkin, Chipolo, and VanMoof. Belkin is offering the service on its SOUNDFORM Freedom True Wireless Earbuds and you can use the Find My app to locate VanMoof‘s new S3 and X3 e-bikes. Chipolo offers a location device that works with Apple’s Find My app that you can stick on just about anything.

This is a huge step for the Find My app. For years people have been able to locate certain Apple products using the app, but only now will third-party devices be able to be integrated into the Find My network.

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