VanMoof and Apple Spent Nine Months Working to Integrate E-Bikes Into Apple's Find My Ecosystem

[MacRumors]

Last week, Apple announced the launch of its Find My network accessory program, allowing compatible third-party accessories to be tracked in the ‌Find My‌ app right alongside Apple devices. The first products that work with the Find My app will include the new Chipolo item tracker, new Belkin earbuds, and two electric bikes from VanMoof.

Given that VanMoof is based in the Netherlands, Dutch website iCulture's editor-in-chief Gonny van der Zwaag was able to get some early hands-on time with the VanMoof S3 bike with Find My support. Van der Zwaag also had the opportunity to interview VanMoof's product design chief Job Stehmann about the company's collaboration with Apple.

Stehmann revealed that when Apple first announced its plans for the Find My network accessory program at WWDC 2020, a VanMoof engineer posted a message on an Apple developer forum, saying it was an interesting feature. Apple was apparently actively looking for partners to work with at the time, and the two companies soon started working together, with weekly meetings held remotely on Mondays.

VanMoof provided Apple with many prototypes of its bikes for evaluation, according to Stehmann. Given that VanMoof has an office in San Francisco, the company was able to deliver the bikes directly to Apple engineers' homes as necessary. Despite some hiccups in the development process, Stehmann said there was never too much pressure from Apple.

Stehmann said the Find My integration is purely a software feature, with no special chip inside the bike, adding that it took about nine months for Apple and VanMoof to tweak the software to be implemented properly.

All new VanMoof S3 and X3 e-bike models purchased after April 7 will be compatible with the Find My app on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, allowing users to locate the bike on a map if it has gone missing. If you lose the bike and someone else with an ‌iPhone‌, iPad, or Mac comes close to it, the bike can communicate with their device, with the approximate location of the bike relayed securely and privately back to you.

• Everything You Need to Know About Apple's Find My Network Accessory Program

For those interested in purchasing a VanMoof bike, Van der Zwaag has shared some detailed hands-on impressions of the S3 model at iCulture.

Article Link: VanMoof and Apple Spent Nine Months Working to Integrate E-Bikes Into Apple's Find My Ecosystem

 

[thisisnotmyname]

Is this for people who have a few too many and can't find their bike or an anti-theft feature that will be defeated by smashing that plastic bit with a hammer?

 

[SigEp265]

Is this for people who have a few too many and can't find their bike or an anti-theft feature that will be defeated by smashing that plastic bit with a hammer?

I assume the locator device is inside the metal frame ?

 

[Rafagon]

I still want to opt out of having my phone being used as a beacon for people to find their missing stuff.

 

[JonnyBlaze]

Is this for people who have a few too many and can't find their bike or an anti-theft feature that will be defeated by smashing that plastic bit with a hammer?

Yeah theyd have to strip the bike apart to get the tracker out, probably killing the other electrics in the process. Thieves either want to strip for parts or sell on whole bikes quickly. Vanmoof uses mainly proprietary parts so no good for stripping, and this makes it harder to sell on quickly. Good extra deterrent I guess.

 

[jz0309]

I assume the locator device is inside the metal frame ?

it's probably carbon fiber ... radio waves do not like metal that much ...

 

[jz0309]

9 months to get the SW right? no wonder I keep getting all these updates for all my apps every day

 

[nathan_reilly]

Someone cut my bike lock once and so anything that combats that is a nice thing. Maybe Kryptonite will make an Find My U lock for the rest of us!

 

[sunapple]

Is this for people who have a few too many and can't find their bike or an anti-theft feature that will be defeated by smashing that plastic bit with a hammer?

Built into the frame. Also most bike thieves don’t have clue about these features. And it already has GPS tracking along with a service where VanMoof will retrieve your bike or get you a new one if they can’t find it. Find My offers more precise location and some additional features.

 

[SigEp265]

it's probably carbon fiber ... radio waves do not like metal that much ...

Ah makes sense.

 

[99chickens]

I still want to opt out of having my phone being used as a beacon for people to find their missing stuff.

That's easy. Post it for sale on eBay, and pick up a Galaxy phone.

By the way, your "phone" is not what's being used.

 

[EmotionalSnow]

Stehmann said the Find My integration is purely a software feature, with no special chip inside the bike, adding that it took about nine months for Apple and VanMoof to tweak the software to be implemented properly.

According to their Twitter a hardware change was necessary.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1379870252973035525

 

[Benjamin Nabulsi]

I can imagine pets accessories, babies', and kids' clothes including this tracking feature. so much potential!
I wonder how this can scale if we are tracking many things

Also, VanMoof website is sick! Apple should acquire them!

 

[ifireghost]

Well with Apple tech you now at least will have a chance to find back your VanMoof. I got my bike stolen two years back and VanMoof’s tracking is utterly useless. And that service they promise of finding that bike for you is largely festive marketing talk to lure you into their business. While their hardware is great, the service is under average, to say the least. Maybe you’re not dependent on them anymore for retrieving your precious bike. Time will tell.

 

[ck2875]

I still want to opt out of having my phone being used as a beacon for people to find their missing stuff.

Settings.app > Privacy > Location Services > Share My Location > Find My iPhone > Find My Network (Toggle It Off)

...Or at least that seems like what you're wanting to turn off.

 

[alexandr]

I still want to opt out of having my phone being used as a beacon for people to find their missing stuff.

whoa, here's a guy who's never lost anything important!

 

[GadgetBen]

Pretty much the closest you can get to Apple designing a bike. Apple have been working on it with the firm and giving feedback since 2020. That's an Apple inspired product right there.

 

[BWhaler]

Poor Tile. Sure, I’m sure they’re think they forced Apple’s hand, but it’s becoming clear Apple had a bigger vision all along.

And now they are competing against Apple’s hardware team. Game over.

 

[Mgkwho]

According to their Twitter a hardware change was necessary.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1379870252973035525

Yeah, I don't get how there is not a special chip inside the bike. Does that mean there's a special chip outside the bike? How the heck does this work if there's not a chip?

 

[contacos]

On one hand this would be really useful in Berlin but no one is crazy enough to use a new bike there lol gone with the wind … and tracked across the border in a day ?

 

[breather]

Im buying a bike soon and I plan to hide a AirTag on it, possible in the frame.

 

[ifireghost]

On one hand this would be really useful in Berlin but no one is crazy enough to use a new bike there lol gone with the wind … and tracked across the border in a day ?

Jupp. My VanMoof S2 appeared in Posnan a week after it got snitched.

 

[Trik]

Yeah, I don't get how there is not a special chip inside the bike. Does that mean there's a special chip outside the bike? How the heck does this work if there's not a chip?

Yeah, as a Vanmoof S2 owner & an Apple nut... Nothing they said makes sense. If they don't want to backport to the S2 line, annoying but whatever, I get it...

But to say that all S3 bikes manufactured after a certain date? How can that not be a hardware change? Otherwise they should be able to update the firmware on previously released S3 bikes to support the new Find My functionality.

Something doesn't add up...

 

[Vjosullivan]

I can imagine pets accessories, babies', and kids' clothes including this tracking feature. so much potential!

Partners, partner's car, friends, employees (no tracking, no job). There is indeed a lot of potential.

 

[gene731]

Im buying a bike soon and I plan to hide a AirTag on it, possible in the frame.

That is what we are intending to do with our cars as well when AirTags finally comes out. Hide them in discreet places in the cars or truck and that way, if ever stolen (hoping not, of course) then maybe one of the hundreds of millions iPhones out there would be able to locate it. I don’t want to opt out of this either. If I can help someone get their possessions back then it would be a win for them.