'Finder for AirPods' App Can Help You Track Down a Missing AirPod [Update: App Removed From App Store]

[bopajuice]

Simple math really. They make $3.99 selling an App that finds your AirPods, or they can sell you a replacement AirPod for $69 if you can't find it. Which do you think makes more sense to them?

Apple does not care about us the consumer. How many times do we need to get punched in the face before we decide enough is enough?

 

[tywebb13]

So the app is gone? But where?

Perhaps we need a new app called 'Finder for Finder for Airpods'.

I know where. It (or something similar) will probably make it's way into the jailbreaking app stores - which is stupid. It will mean you will have to jailbreak your phone just so that you can find your airpods with such an app.
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Simple math really. They make $3.99 selling and App that finds your AirPod, or they can sell you a replacement AirPod for $69 if you can't find it. Which do you think makes more sense to them?

Apple does not care about us the consumer.

And this is why I reckon instead of buying a replacement you should buy one of their competitors similar products instead - in case you can't find it.

This will be airpod revenge for banning Finder for Airpods.

 

[Abazigal]

Was anyone expecting the app to not get removed? It even went so far as to use trademarked Apple images for its screenshots. That alone gives Apple more than enough justification to take it down.

 

[tywebb13]

Was anyone expecting the app to not get removed? It even went so far as to use trademarked Apple images for its screenshots. That alone gives Apple more than enough justification to take it down.

Maybe. But that is not the reason apple gave.

In fact if that were the reason, it could be easily fixed and re-released. But that isn't happening either.

 

[Silver78]

Yes this is a very good idea.
If apple removes something like this without an answer to why I think they abuse their power.

negative thing could be battery drain or security issue... if so they should say so.
If its because its such a good idea that apple wants to "steal" it... then apple are a..holes

 

[tywebb13]

If apple removes something like this without an answer to why I think they abuse their power.

They did give a reason. But it's pretty pathetic:

"Apple did not like the ‘concept’ of people finding their Airpods and deemed it ‘not appropriate for the App Store’."

 

[acorntoy]

They probably thought that by letting the App into the store it was an admission they got lost often.

 

[AZhappyjack]

$4 plus a decent chance of locating the AirPod > paying $69 for not finding it at all

Cheap insurance that will pay for itself after one use, so long as it's successful. Even if it does a better job telling you where it isn't as opposed to where it is, even that helps eliminate locations. You still need to do the legwork but it increases your chances. Not much better than findmyiphone. It's not precise down to the foot. But gives you a generally great roughy idea where it is and where it isn't.

No thanks. I prefer to just keep track of my stuff. It's not that hard, really.

And Apple has pulled the app anyway, so the whole thread is moot.
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Looks like Apple wants everyone to spend $69 when they lose their Airpod(s)!

Maybe they think that adults will just take care of their purchases and keep track of their stuff. Not hard to do, it's just the responsible thing to do.

 

[44267547]

I think its safe to say, under Steve Jobs' Apple, this app would have been available, by Apple, on launch day. And that's entirely because the details were always thought through. Past learning (ie, find my phone app) would have been employed and put into action for this new product. No half baked goodies. The real deal.

Interesting. Did You know Steve Jobs? I think it's safe to say you can't speak for Jobs or what he would have or could have implemented. For all you know, these may never have launched under Jobs.

Development of a product and its services takes time to mature. That's why there are stages of testing, releases and development.

 

[Rey Esposito]

Lol yeah its dumb they took it down, because it is a neat app, but its not because they don't want to admit they're easy to lose. The reason is because that app plays to the illusion that they're super easy to lose, and in my experience and tons of other people who've used the AirPods, you won't lose them if you use common sense, and they don't really fall out that easily, they're eerily snug, to the point where I find myself wanting to check that they're not slipping out due to disbelief that they've stayed firmly planted for hours at a time. The real worry for me is when I go to grab them out of the little case, that's when I'm afraid I might drop one if I'm not careful.

 

[tywebb13]

An alternative to the banned app is LightBlue Explorer: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lightblue-explorer-bluetooth/id557428110

You just have to look at the signal strength to see when you are getting closer to the airpod.

 

[44267547]

Was anyone expecting the app to not get removed? It even went so far as to use trademarked Apple images for its screenshots. That alone gives Apple more than enough justification to take it down.

I guess I'm ignorant to the fact. But don't applications have to be approved before they are published? Essentially, how could an app of this nature possibly be approved if Apple is likely implementing some sort of feature where the AirPods will be located similar to find my iPhone?

Unless those who have the authority to approve the applications, are not aware that Apple is working on a function to find my Airpods.

 

[Abazigal]

I guess I'm ignorant to the fact. But don't applications have to be approved before they are published? Essentially, how could an app of this nature possibly be approved if Apple is likely implementing some sort of feature where the AirPods will be located similar to find my iPhone?

Unless those who have the authority to approve the applications, are not aware that Apple is working on a function to find my Airpods.

Apple is no stranger to removing apps after they have been approved. There was the case of PCalc being forced to remove their calculator widget because they felt it was too complicated for a widget (until it was reinstated many months later, but the damage had been done in that it made developers a lot of conservative about the utility of their widgets). There was an app called Vidyo (which let you record the screen of your iOS device using a workaround involving airplay mirroring) that was promptly removed the same day it was released. Just the few I can recall offhand.

It's possible that the people approving the app didn't see anything wrong with it (they were likely instructed to look out for very basic stuff, like whether the app works as advertised, and that it doesn't contain malware or inappropriate content). But then some higher management guy likely caught wind of this app after it started getting more coverage on tech blogs, and my guess is that someone at Apple evidently felt that the app made their airpods look bad, by giving the impression that AirPods are randomly falling out of your ears every now and then and that people are losing them ever so often. It's okay to have a "find my misfit" app when you aren't said company in question, but when the same treatment is given to your own products, suddenly it's a whole different story.

We might see the app return to the app store if a successful appeal can be made, but that's pretty much what a developer has to be prepared for when you are publishing apps under someone else's roof.

 

[tywebb13]

We might see the app return to the app store

No we won't. They have already said it won't return.

So we can use LightBlue Explorer instead.

 

[44267547]

Cynical much?

I keep track of my stuff and Apple has made plenty of money off of me.

It amazes me how we rely on technology to find products we purchase and misplaced, when using technology to find another piece of technology. To me, it really comes down to how complacent somebody is. I have never misplaced my cell phone, my wallet or let alone my AirPods that I need to rely on piece technology to find them. But that's me.

 

[Analog Kid]

I think its safe to say, under Steve Jobs' Apple, this app would have been available, by Apple, on launch day. And that's entirely because the details were always thought through. Past learning (ie, find my phone app) would have been employed and put into action for this new product. No half baked goodies. The real deal.

I think it's safe to say that Steve Jobs would have seen the dog's breakfast of fonts and colors in your posts and signature and simply would have dismissed your comments out of hand.

 

[DanTheAppleMan]

Apple: "Ooh that's a good idea! But we'll have to get rid of that app before we can steal it for ourselves. Don't tell them why."

 

[galrito]

I think its safe to say, under Steve Jobs' Apple, this app would have been available, by Apple, on launch day. And that's entirely because the details were always thought through. Past learning (ie, find my phone app) would have been employed and put into action for this new product. No half baked goodies. The real deal.

I don't think that is safe to say.
Find my iPhone was only released 3 years after the first iPhone.

An iPhone has wi-fi, so you can find it anywhere as long as there is an internet connection or on the same network as you.
AirPods only have bluetooth, so you have to be real close to them to find them.

And any of those technologies has pinpoint location, so they're not very useful to find things, unless the AirPods have a speaker for the outside that could beep; and then they probably won't fit your ear.

 

[smacrumon]

I think it's safe to say that Steve Jobs would have seen the dog's breakfast of fonts and colors in your posts and signature and simply would have dismissed your comments out of hand.

Not at all. Compared to the drab conformist signatures, I suspect the opposite of your suggestion.
The colors come from Apple's silhouette commercials.
The fonts some from choosing a style different to that featured in Windows 98.

 

[rudychidiac]

I think Airpods should have a standalone app for manually connecting, customising settings, and locating missing airpods.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Hopefully, Apple will add a Find My EarPods solution in the near future. My guess is that there isn't a rock solid way w/o adding in more hardware to both the buds and case so it becomes a space issue, likely a battery problem too.

The AirPod case is much smaller than either my Shure wired buds or my Freedom F5 BTs. It wouldn't be much of burden IMHO to make the case a tad larger to accommodate a chip and speaker. At the same time redesign the buds themselves to be more like higher end buds with interchangeable ear tips and in multiple sizes for a better fit for more people vs the current "one size fits many" approach.

I'm not as concerned about having trackers in each bud. When I'm done with my buds, wired or wireless they immediately go back into the case. Surely, that is the routine for all users who respect their money and purchase. I can't imagine users just plopping the buds randomly when done with them.

 

[Billsofat]

Reasons for removing it:
1. They want the money for a replacement.
2. They want to claim the idea as their own and put it in iOS like they did with flux.
3. They're embarrassed at their easily-lost headphones.

 

[TrueBlou]

It could be because the device can only see the case if it is open. So if the app could find the case too, it might be unreliable because it would only work if it were open already - and it probably won't be.

It's because the case doesn't have its own Bluetooth communication circuitry, it only communicates via the AirPods themselves, which is why you need at least one of the AirPods in the case to see the battery level of the case.

 

[dan110]

"C-O-U-R-A-G-E"
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Nonsense! First of all, Apple wouldn't bother to create an app for few clumsy people wo would easily lose themselves, nevermid their belongings! I find airpods to be much easier to not lose then the earpods. And using that logic of yours, Apple would have not created find my phone app either, since it would be much profitable for them if people ended up getting another phone. But hey ho, this is a MacRumors where people believe Apple should just give stuff for free to people, because that's what their business is all about!

JHC,

Do you make the Cupertino Apple flavored Kool-Aid? People have been losing things since the beginning of time. It's not out of the realm of possibility that there should be "An app for that". Nor is it wrong that passionate Apple customers are not happy with it and voice their opinions.

 

[Rkuda]

Simple way to not "lose" one of your Airpods. Put it in the case when its not in your ear genius.

If you find yourself in a situation where it fell out of your ear then take the other one out of your ear, cover the sensor so it thinks it's still in your ear and crank up the volume on some music.

Honestly I think a mentally handicapped toddler is more capable than half the people on this site if their incessantly whining posts are reflective of their actual lives. ****ing hell.