Claims that are not physically possible
- Finding a device that is switched off or out of battery. A device with no power transmits nothing. Nothing can detect it.
- Exact distance in metres from Bluetooth signal strength. Signal strength is affected by walls, bodies, metal and the transmit power of the device. Direction of change is reliable; a precise figure is not.
- Tracking a device that has left the area. Bluetooth reaches tens of metres. Long-range location requires either a cellular tracker or a crowd-sourced network.
- Finding an item with no radio in it. A wallet, a set of keys or an infrared remote broadcasts nothing until you attach something that does.
An app making any of these four claims is telling you something about its honesty before you have opened it.
What to actually compare
- The App Store privacy label. Data Not Collected is a declaration to Apple, not a marketing line.
- Whether the core feature works before a sign-up wall.
- Whether the subscription price and period are stated plainly before purchase, and how easy cancellation is.
- Which permissions are requested. Bluetooth and location are proportionate for this category. Contacts and photos are not.
- Whether the app is honest about the limits above.
Where Find My Device₊ fits
It is a Bluetooth scanner with a signal-strength search, a last-seen map for your saved devices, and clap detection for finding the phone itself. It collects no data and needs no account.
It is not a replacement for Apple’s Find My, and it does not have a crowd-sourced network. If your device has left the building, Find My is the better tool and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise.
Pricing
The app is free to download with in-app purchases: $5.99 per week, $12.99 per month, $49.99 per year. Subscriptions are billed through your Apple ID and can be cancelled in your iPhone settings at any time.
Other comparisons
How this sits against the rest of what is available.
- Find My Device₊ and Apple’s Find My: what each is for
- Do you need an AirTag, an app, or both?
- Tile, Chipolo and budget tags: what the app adds
- SmartThings Find and iPhone: the gap
- Free or paid: what actually differs
- See battery on nearby devices, Inside Scan
- How to check whether someone is tracking you, Safety
- All comparisons, the complete list
Common questions
Can any app find a Bluetooth device that is switched off?
No. A device with no power broadcasts nothing and cannot be detected. Apps claiming this are not describing something that is physically possible.
Are free Bluetooth finder apps any good?
The scanning itself is not technically difficult, so free apps can do it competently. The differences that matter are what they do with your data, how aggressively they push a subscription, and whether they are honest about the limits.
In the app: This is what the app does. Read about Bluetooth Scanner.