Apple is reportedly working to merge Find My Friends and Find My iPhone into a single app, and even compete with Tile by launching a new object-tracking tag. The service will be able to track an expanded range of devices, thanks to a new hardware product that will compete with the likes of Tile and will reportedly be released for both iOS and macOS as a Marzipan-based application.
The new unified app would then serve as a way to track anything — Apple devices, other important items like a handbag or backpack, as well as the location of family members and trusted friends. And all of this information would be securely synced to iCloud. One of the bigger new features for the new app is the ability to track non-Apple items. Apple is reportedly developing a new tag, codenamed “B389,” which you’ll be able to attach to an item you want to track. Once paired with your iCloud account, you can then set your phone to notify you if the item gets too far away or share its location with friends. You can also upload your contact details to the tag, which will then be displayed on a nearby Apple device when the item is in “lost mode.”
Tags should moreover include contact information, such that when marked as lost and scanned by another Apple device, the original owner will receive an alert.
The Find my Friends will reportedly let you share your location with your family and friends, and you can request for your friends to share their locations with you. The app will also allow you to set up notifications for when a friend visits or leaves a certain location.
There’s no word yet on when this revamped app might be released but 9to5Mac speculates that the new app could be announced alongside Apple’s 2019 iPhones in September.