Smart item tracker Chipolo, a competitor to Apple’s AirTag and others, opted to grow its business by partnering with the Cupertino tech giant, not fighting them, as rival Tile has done. When Apple opened up its Find My app to third-party devices, Chipolo embraced the possibility of targeting iPhone users with versions of its Bluetooth-powered lost item trackers, the Chipolo ONE and Chipolo CARD, designed to work specifically with Apple’s software. Now the company is doing the same thing for Android with its latest set of new products.
Amid the flurry of announcements from Google’s I/O developer conference last week, including updates to Android’s finding network, Chipolo also unveiled a debut line of devices that will work with Google’s Find My Device app — the Android equivalent to Apple’s Find My.
While the Apple versions of its lost item trackers are known as the Chipolo ONE Spot and Chipolo CARD Spot, the Android versions will be dubbed the Chipolo ONE Point and the Chipolo CARD Point. They’re priced competitively at $28 and $35, respectively, or sold in a bundle that includes 1 CARD Point and 2 ONE Point trackers for $77.
Image Credits: Chipolo
You can also buy the trackers in four-packs, costing $79 for a pack of ONE Point devices or $112 for a four-pack of CARD Point devices.
At Google I/O, the tech giant had announced enhancements to its Find My Device network, which now makes it easier to locate lost items by ringing them or viewing their location on a map, even if they’re offline. The company also announced support for an expanded range of third-party devices, including these new trackers from Chipolo and others, like Tile and Pebblebee, plus audio devices like Pixel Buds and headphones from Sony and JBL. This makes the network more competitive with Apple’s Find My which today supports a range of devices, including more than just trackers.
Timed with Google’s announcement, Chipolo unveiled its Find My Device-enabled trackers, which will come in a new shade of off-white. This differentiates them from their iOS-friendly counterparts, which come in black. (The original Chipolo products come in a variety of colors, however, but work with the company’s own app, not the smartphone makers’ finding networks.)
The Chipolo ONE Point key finder is the Android-supported version of the small, rounded tracker designed to be attached to something like your keychain or gets clipped onto something else you want to track, like your luggage or handbag. Meanwhile, the Chipolo CARD Point is a slim, rectangular tracker that can be slid into the credit card slot in your wallet or placed inside your passport book, for instance.
Image Credits: Chipolo
Both work with devices running Android 9 and up with Googe Play Servies installed.
Similar to other trackers, the new devices easily pair with your smartphone, offer some water resistance (IPX5 rated), and have a battery life of up to 2 years. The battery is replaceable and the company offers a renewal and battery recycling program that includes discounts on new products.
The devices also have a loud ring of either 120dB for Chipolo ONE Point and 105dB for Chipolo CARD Point, which helps you find misplaced items by playing a sound, when within a 200ft / 60m range. When lost or stolen, however, Android users can now tap into Google’s Find My Device network. This network — made up of “billions of Android devices around the world,” as it was described at I/O — uses Bluetooth technology to detect missing items and then communicates their approximate location back to the original owner.
To date, 10-year-old Chipolo has sold more than 3.5 million of its lost item trackers globally and has grown its revenue to the double-digit millions, the company told us at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.
“We are proud to be collaborating with Google and to be part of their Find My Device network. We believe this brings the finding experience to a whole new level, as it gives Android users the reassurance to locate their belongings with the help of Google’s global Find My Device Network and additional privacy and security that unknown tracker alerts provide,” said Primož Zelenšek, CEO and co-founder of Chipolo, in a statement. Android users can now place Chipolo tags on their belongings to keep better track of what matters – whether that be keys, wallets, or suitcases,” he added.
Chipolo brings its lost item trackers to Android’s Find My Device network by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch
