Chipolo is looking for ways to expand the reach of its Bluetooth-based trackers. So the company is turning to Apple and the giant "Find My" network for help.
A new version of the company's wallet tracker, the Chipolo Card Spot, will debut at CES 2022. The wallet finder's main function is to allow users to use the Find My network to locate the wallet or purse containing the Chipolo Card Spot.
Once the Chipolo Card Spot is paired to an iPhone, the wallet tracker can be added to the "Items" tab in the Find My app preinstalled on the iPhone. Apple added the ability to add third-party items like Chipolo's new wallet tracker in last April's Find My update. (Chipolo added Find My support to its key tracker at that time.)
If you mark a wallet with Chipolo Card Spot as lost, you will receive a notification when the Find My network is detected by another Find My connected device, which will reply with the approximate location of the wallet. There is also a Notify When Left Behind feature, which notifies the iPhone of a disconnection alert if you leave the area without your wallet (and Chipolo tracker).
As one would expect from a tracker designed to be carried in a wallet, the Chipolo Card Spot is very thin, at only 0.09 inches. While the battery cannot be replaced, Chipolo says the device should last up to two years, and its IPX5 waterproof rating means that the Chipolo Card Spot is protected from splashes.
The latest Chipolo Card tracker comes at an interesting time. Tile, the top manufacturer of many of the best key finders, has updated its product line for 2022, and while most of the devices we tested impressed us, the wallet-friendly Tile Slim seemed like a step backward. In our review of the Tile Slim (2022 version), the wallet-shaped key finder fell well short of its supposed 250-foot range. This was especially painful since the new Tile Slim was $5 more expensive than its predecessor.
Like the latest Tile Slim, the Chipolo Card Spot is priced at $35. Shipping in February, Chipolo is taking pre-orders today (January 4), and we look forward to seeing how Chipolo's new wallet finder compares to the Tile Slim and what difference Find My support will make.
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