Apple is Working on a Tile-Like Tracker for Finding Lost Items, Will Replace Find My iPhone and Find My Friends With New App [Report]

Apple is working on a Tile-like tracker for finding lost items and plans to replace Find My iPhone and Find My Friends with a new app, reports 9to5Mac.

The app, codenamed 'GreenTorch', is currently being tested by engineers. It will have the same features as the two existing apps but combined into a single application that is available on iOS and macOS, as a Marzipan app. Apple is also planning to add a new feature called 'Find Network' that will let you locate devices when they are not connected to Wi-Fi or Cellular.

A new hardware product known as 'B389' will let users track any item, not just Apple devices, using the unified app.


This new product will be a tag that can be attached to any item – similar to other products like Tile. The tag will be paired to a user’s iCloud account by proximity to an iPhone, like AirPods. Users will be able to receive notifications when their device gets too far away from the tag, preventing them from forgetting the item the tag is attached to. Certain locations can be added to a list of ignored locations, so that the item can be left at those locations without the user being notified. The location of a tag can also be shared with friends or family.

When put into 'lost mode', the tag can be read by any Apple device, letting users receive a notification when it is found. With 1.4 billion active iOS devices, Apple will be able to leverage its massive network to help users find lost items across the globe.

Other features of the new app include the ability to share your location with any friend and to send location sharing requests to other people. You'll also be able to create notifications for when a friend arrives or leaves a specific location.

It's unclear when the new app or the new hardware tag will be released; however, it could be announced as early as September when Apple typically unveils its new iPhones.


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