Millions of people are already using the Life360 app to track the location of their family members and loved ones.
Now the California-based tech company behind the popular family safety app is hoping people will use the new gadget and its location tracking services to keep an eye on their pets.
On Wednesday, Life360 unveiled a new tracking device that people can attach to their pet's collar. The product, called Life360 Pet GPS, uses cellular, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies so people can pinpoint where their furry friends are.
The device works with the Life360 app so people can track their pets on a digital map, set alerts if a pet wanders out of bounds, provide emergency contact information for pets, and notify other members if their dog or cat is lost.
Life360, first released in 2008, has become a popular app for tracking the location of your children, grandparents, and other family members. The company, founded after Hurricane Katrina as people struggled to find loved ones and stay connected, has added additional services such as roadside assistance and identity theft protection.
The release of the pet tracker shows that location data sharing is becoming more common even amid concerns about privacy and harassment.
Pet trackers can cost hundreds of dollars, so some pet owners have tried Apple AirTags or similar products as a cheaper alternative. However, using some products may be risky because dogs AirTags are sometimes swallowed and the locations are not always up to date.
Life360 said the tracker will cost approximately $50, but there will be a discount as part of the introductory offer.
New or existing Life360 Gold or Platinum members will be able to purchase the Pet GPS Tracker for $3.60 for a limited time. The San Mateo, California-based company will also waive the activation fee, which typically runs around $80, for the first tracker added to a private group known as a “Circle” in the app.
Life360 said its new tracker is water, dust and bite resistant.
The device has a battery that lasts 14 days and goes into “Bluetooth standby mode,” allowing people to locate their pets for up to six months. The pet tracker comes in colors like pink, navy blue and black and is available in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Lauren Antonoff, chief executive of Life360, said in a statement that the company is committed to making it easier for people to safely bring their pets home.
“Traditional security measures such as microchips require a visit to a veterinarian or shelter and often contain missing or outdated information, and generic Bluetooth trackers can have difficulty detecting pets in motion, especially in remote areas,” she said in a statement.
The pet tracker gives Life360 another source of revenue.
More than 55 million Life360 members have pets, according to the company. The company owns Tile, trackers that people attach to their keys, wallets, bikes and other items, and Jiobit, which also sells trackers for pets.
Life360 has a free version of its app, and some users pay a monthly subscription fee for additional features, including family driving summaries, roadside assistance and travel support.
The company primarily generates revenue from the sale of subscriptions and tracking devices. According to Life360's annual report, a portion of Life360's revenue comes from the sale of aggregated, non-personally identifiable information to partners and third-party products and services.
As of June 30, Life360 has approximately 88 million monthly active users in more than 180 countries.
In August, Life360 reported that its second-quarter revenue reached $115.4 million, up 36% from the same period last year. The company's net income for the quarter was approximately $7 million.
