Apple makes it easier to find lost products with your iPhone; Know-how

For people in the Apple ecosystem, finding their lost products was more accessible with the Find My app. Apple is now also expanding the functionality of the application to other companies. The app has been updated to allow third-party products to use Apple's Find My network's search capabilities.

According to Apple's newsroom official post, the Find My network accessory program opens up the Find My network to third-party device manufacturers to create products using the service. This will help their customers to make use of the Find My app to locate and keep track of specific essential items.

How does the Find My app work?

The Find My application uses Bluetooth signals from Apple devices to create a network of devices searching for lost items. Simply put, it is a collaboration network of Apple devices that uses Bluetooth wireless technology to detect nearby missing devices or objects and report their approximate location to the owner. Apple claims that the entire process is end-to-end encrypted and anonymous, so no one else, not even Apple or the third-party manufacturer, can see the location or information.

If a user loses their Apple device, the Find My application allows them to locate it on a map, play a sound to indicate its location, put it in Lost Mode to immediately lock it and display a message with a contact number. It also allows them to remotely wipe the device in case it has fallen into the wrong hands.

Who can use Find My technology

Apple said companies that want to use the technology could sign up to participate in the Made for iPhone (MFi) program, designed for any accessory developer looking to connect a new or existing product to the Find My network. "Third-party products must adhere to all the privacy protections of the Find My network that Apple customers rely on," Apple said in the press release. Approved products can be added to the new Items tab and feature a "Works with Apple Find My" badge to communicate to users that the product is compatible with the Find My network and the Find My app.

Some products that are already part of the program include Belkin's truly wireless headphones.