(through the eyes of CBDO – Libor Zezulka)
The first functional Bluetooth search engine was born
It was 2012 when I noticed a crowdfunding campaign for Bluetooth-based finders called Tile. I immediately loved the idea because my head was usually occupied with a million ideas and had no capacity for mundane things like Where's my wallet or Where are my keys? I've been through thousands of stressful situations where I've turned the house upside down looking for my wallet or car keys.
The idea of a device capable of eliminating these near-zero situations sounded like heavenly music to me. I sent the money and waited a few months hoping that Tile would handle it and the first finders would arrive. They arrived and what's more, they worked. Not completely flawless, the connection between the device and the phone sometimes timed out, so the last known location was not correct. However, in most cases I found the wallet within seconds. Bomb. I bought a few more finders and started thinking about how the device and mobile apps could be improved.
A few months passed and I had quite a long list of ideas lying in front of me. What about him? I sent an email to Til. No one answered. Fuck it, I said to myself and started discussing two options with Dan Havner (co-founder of FIXED). 1. Let's get Tile to Europe and make it better. 2. Let's make a device similar to these locators, but better.
1. Let's get Tile to Europe and make it better. 2. Let's make a device similar to these locators, but better.
Decided. FIXED enters the category of finders/locators
Tile finally responded, but it was a purely polite response. We learned that they are not interested in cooperation because they want to focus on the fast growing US market. They supplied Europe from Germany through a fulfillment company and did not see any added value in cooperation with FIXED. Okay, option number two comes into play. We conducted a fairly thorough market research and came to the conclusion that we could succeed mainly in the region of Central and Eastern Europe, and that was more than enough for us.
Let's now skip almost two years of complex development and focus on the result: The brand new Bluetooth tracker FIXED Smile was born, which works with a modern and clear app for iOS and Android. We dived into marketing and merchandising and soon discovered that Bluetooth search engines were still a novelty for the mass audience. So we had to start explaining and educating. The role of a pioneer fell to us. It took months of effort and a lot of money to create the pods and start selling.
In the meantime, we've been hard at work on app updates, new products, and the entire FIXED ecosystem. At the same time, we all had to fend off the attacks of cheap OEM Bluetooth locators on the one hand, Tile on the other, and also solve the problem of unstable Bluetooth connection for iOS and Android. Sales were growing, but at the end of 2020 we realized that a big name would enter the field and probably change the entire course of the category. It could be a threat to life, or it could also be a huge opportunity.
Apple and its global search network
In 2021, after years of speculation and leaks, Apple introduced Airtag and with it the global search network Find My. However, the absolute turning point was that Apple promised to open this network to other manufacturers as well (Theoretically, it was open from the beginning, but practically it took almost a year before Apple made available the instructions on how to get into it at all). But wait, why would Apple allow its competitors to battle its products on its own platform? One of the reasons was that Tile filed a lawsuit against Apple because it felt aggrieved.
After several years of working closely together and promoting Tiles in the official Apple Store, where Apple followed customer feedback and analyzed sales data, the tech giant decided to create its own Tile. He named it Airtag. Stupid. Tile sharpened. A second reason for letting in third parties may have been Apple's long-term strategy of building platforms and ecosystems rather than stand-alone isolated devices. Anyway, the Find my network is officially launched in 2021 and is starting to open up to the world.
How to deal with it now? Should we give in and join the Apple network, or rather side with Til and try to defeat Goliath like two Davids? In order to answer this question, I need you to understand the architecture of the Bluetooth communication protocol between the finder and the smartphone.
This is how finders work
The localization function of finders (locators) is based on continuous communication between the finder and a specialized smartphone application. Finder sends basic data via the advertising protocol; the application receives the data and saves it to the cloud. When you view the location of the finder in the app, the app downloads the data from the server and displays it to you. In order for the location to be accurate, constant and intensive communication between the finder and the mobile application is necessary. And here it gets complicated.
The application runs on the smartphone in the background. In this particular mode, it is at the mercy of the operating system. When the artificial intelligence of the phone's operating system determines that the application is consuming too much power, it kills (closes) the application and at the same time kills the location service of the locator. At first, iOS seemed quite benevolent in this regard, but later it too became a mass killer of apps running in the background. Guess what? Instant connection isn't a problem if you're an Apple-certified third-party device in Find My. And guess what? Android and managing apps running in the background is pure hell.
FIXED represents TAG. The ultimate Finder for Apple Find My
The market situation looks as follows. Apple has the Find My network running, Android has nothing, but it's furiously trying to keep up. In the background, it is preparing its own search network. However, Apple is still running alone in this race and increasing its lead. Also, let's be realistic. There is no way, and I mean no way, to build a more robust global search network than Find My. This search network uses all active Apple devices around the world to track their surroundings, providing accurate location data even without a direct phone connection.
You can be in New York and your finder in Prague, but you will still get accurate location data from Apple devices active in that area. Do you believe you can beat Apple and create something bigger? Good luck. We at FIXED have decided to step in and become a leader in this emerging ecosystem of finders. We are proud to say that we have all the prerequisites for this. We know this segment down to the last detail and we patiently listen to our customers and analyze their real problems.
We've been working hard (special thanks to the entire product team) to bring you the first Find My finder called FIXED Tag, and I believe I can promise that this is just the beginning. The FIXED Tag is an elegant, yet durable, robust and waterproof TAG certified by Apple for use in the Find My network. You don't need to download any other application, everything you need is already installed on your iPhone.
Just open the Find My app, tap the Plus icon and press the FIXED Tag button. That is all. Your belongings are safe. By the way: FIXED Tag is available on our e-shop and in partner stores.