Chipolo lastly up to date its Bluetooth trackers to work with the brand new Google Discover My System community. Dubbed the Chipolo POP collection, the merchandise launched on April 14, 2025. The excellent news is that the model’s trackers are ubiquitously suitable with each Google and Apple’s networks, making them glorious for many households.
POP trackers have improved specs in comparison with the last-gen Chipolo trackers that I reviewed beforehand. At $29 apiece, the pricing is only a tad larger, nevertheless it’s solely a greenback or two extra so it is acceptable.
You get first rate upgrades for such a small value hike, reminiscent of an improved 300ft Bluetooth vary and a extra strong IP55 water and dust-resistant score. There is a new distant selfie characteristic that permits customers to snap footage on their cellphone from a distance by clicking the POP button.
The Chipolo POP retains 120 decibels of max loudness and a one-year-long battery that is simply replaceable. And naturally, as is customary, Chipolo’s POP trackers are available vivid colours reminiscent of yellow, blue, inexperienced, and purple along with staples like black and white.
There is a catch, and it is a doozey
All the most effective names within the Bluetooth tracker biz up to date their lineups following the relaunch of the Google Discover My System community in June 2024. Even Motorola threw its hat within the ring, releasing a trendy and colourful accent known as the Moto Tag.
Most trackers solely work with a single monitoring ecosystem. For instance, the new Tile by Life360 trackers from 2024 solely work with Life360’s community. Even supposing it helps iOS units, the Moto Tag is just suitable with Google Discover My System.
In the meantime, Pebblebee’s refreshed tracker lineup from 2024 helps each Google and Apple’s networks, however customers can solely register their tracker with both one regardless, limiting the potential trackability.
Like Pebblebee, Chipolo took the identical route with the POP tracker. Certain, it is suitable with each Apple and Google’s Discover My System networks, however you are pressured to decide on both one as an alternative of utilizing them collectively.
Customers aren’t seeking to play a trivial sport of “this or that” when shopping for trackers; they only wish to discover misplaced stuff as effectively as potential.
A Google and Apple alliance must occur
It is a main disadvantage for Google. Again when I examined the Google’s Discover My System community with the most recent trackers, and I used to be left severely disillusioned. The community simply would not operate in addition to Apple’s community, so it is seemingly that almost all of us will find yourself choosing Apple’s community as an alternative.
Though Google has since put in additional effort to enhance the usability and performance of its community, including helpful options reminiscent of offline monitoring, shared gadgets, and third-party compatibility, the chilly laborious reality is that it nonetheless falls quick.
Even when we now have new trackers that may work on each networks (however not concurrently), most customers will in all probability find yourself utilizing the Apple community just because it is extra dependable. It is both having to decide on between Apple and Google, or the choice Tile by Life360 community which has an internet of tens of millions of units to depend on for findability.
In a world the place Bluetooth multipoint is commonplace and we’re shifting in the direction of the following evolution of Bluetooth known as Auracast, I am unable to comprehend why Bluetooth trackers are restricted on this approach, particularly when contemplating how Google’s new Discover My System community truly works.
Why are firms not making trackers that operate on each Google AND Apple’s networks?
Why are firms not making trackers that operate on each Google AND Apple’s networks? Each manufacturers would profit from such an alliance and so would the customers. they’ve already partnered as much as create the Detecting Undesirable Location Trackers spec makes it potential to ship unknown monitoring notifications to each iOS and Android customers. I think about enabling cross-functionality between the 2 networks can be an extension of this.
This isn’t talked about sufficient, though this could possibly be extremely useful to customers. So I am asking Google, Apple, and Bluetooth tracker manufacturers, on behalf of the world. Please make a tracker that may leverage each Google and Apple’s Discover My System networks on the similar time.
Discover your stuff
Chipolo POP is an upgraded new Bluetooth tracker out there in a number of colours. With a strong IP score, a large Bluetooth vary, a replaceable CR2032 battery, an SOS characteristic, and different further options, it is a great tracker for pets, keys, and different valuables. The one catch is having to decide on between Google and Apple’s Discover My System networks.
