Apple opens Find My network feature to third-party accessory-makers

Apple's Find My feature is one of the most secured and value-added features we see in an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Watch and Mac. It has led to people find their lost devices in nick of time and also even helped cops catching thieves.

Now, the Cupertino-based company has announced to welcome third-party accessory-makers to access its proprietary Find My feature.

"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," said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

Initially, Find My feature-enabled accessories made by Belkin, Chipolo, and VanMoof will be available for purchase in select markets including the US later this week. They include VanMoof’s latest S3 and X3 e-bikes, Belkin’s SOUNDFORM Freedom True Wireless Earbuds, and the Chipolo ONE Spot item finder.

Interested accessory makers can contact Apple to enroll for Apple's Made For iPhone (MFi) Program, the Find My network accessory programme later this spring. The company will offer draft specifications for chipset manufacturers to adhere to Apple's terms and conditions.

Apple welcomes third-party accessory-makers to access the Find My network feature. Credit: Apple

With the new collaboration, third-party device makers will be able to take advantage of Ultra-Wideband technology in U1-equipped Apple devices, which the company says, will offer a more precise, directionally aware experience when nearby.

With this, Apple device owners will be able to locate compatible earphones, e-bikes, item finders to locate house or car keys.

The interesting thing about the Find My feature, it can work without the internet as well. The Find My network is a crowdsourced network of hundreds of millions of Apple devices that use Bluetooth wireless technology to detect missing devices or items nearby, and report their approximate location back to the owner.

Most importantly, it is fully secure and user identity is protected at all times.

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