The first Bluetooth tracker that can work with Apple’s vast Find My Bluetooth network of iPhones, iPads, and Macs is here. But it’s not Apple’s long-anticipated AirTags tracker; it’s the Chipolo One Spot, an updated version of the company’s One tracker that’s designed to exclusively work with Apple’s network.
Chipolo calls the One Spot a “special edition” product. While it has the same 12-month battery life (with replaceable battery), 120dB ring, water resistance, and overall design as the regular One tracker, the One Spot only works with Apple’s Find My network.
That’s potentially an upgrade for anyone who already uses Apple products, given that a Bluetooth tracking tag is only as effective as the number of users who are on the same network. And while Chipolo has been around for a while, it’s still far smaller compared to more established players like Tile or the hundreds of millions of Apple devices around the world.
The One Spot also features some Find My specific functionality, like a “Lost Mode” that allows users to tag an item as missing — which will, in turn, notify other Find My users if it’s found with a short message and a phone number to help you get your stuff back.
It’s a sort of bewildering product, given the context of Apple’s rumored AirTags tracker that’s potentially going to be released later in 2021, and it would similarly be a Find My-exclusive Bluetooth tag for keeping track of lost or missing items. Chipolo’s tracker lacks the rumored Ultra-WideBand radio support that Apple’s tag will reportedly feature for more precise tracking, but that aside, it’s hard to imagine what else Apple’s tag will bring to the table that’s not already available on the One Spot.
Preorders for the Chipolo One Spot will start in May, with shipping planned for the beginning of June. No price has been announced yet.
