Apple appears to be readying a tracker device similar to those popularised by Tile. MacRumors reported that an internal build of iOS 13 has an image of a tracker-like design, though it said it may not be the final product image.
There will be an Items tab in the Find My app, a new app that replaces Find My iPhone and Find My Friends in iOS 13. The tracker itself could be a small disc that you purchase, or even a sticker. A string of code suggests the former as it reads “Unscrew the back of the item and remove the battery”.
The app contains will alert you if you stray too far from certain possessions, with the ability to activate an audible chime from the tracker to help locate it. The tracker has the codename B389, confirmed by an uncovered string of code that says, “tag your everyday items with B389 and never lose them again.”
MacRumors also suggests that there will be an AR side to the new product, and that other iPhone users can help report lost items to their correct owner if they find them.
This represents an unusual departure for Apple in investing a whole new product designed to help you locate items that aren’t Apple products. Although Tile is the current market leader, it is likely that if Apple introduces an inexpensive way for people to easily track items within the iPhone ecosystem that Apple will quickly find great success.
Guesses as to the name of the tracker on a postcard, please. Our money is on iFoundit.
For more on this story, head over to Macworld.
Author: Henry Burrell, Phones Editor
Henry is Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, ensuring he and the team covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about for readers and viewers all over the world. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.