BLE Update vs Thingy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BLE Update
This utility app enables convenient over-the-air firmware updates for Bluetooth Low Energy devices. It is specifically designed for devices utilizing the Arendi BLE-Platform, allowing seamless updates directly from your mail application.
- Over-the-air firmware updates
- Bluetooth Low Energy device support
- Arendi BLE-Platform integration
- Convenient updates from mail app
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Keep your Bluetooth Low Energy devices running the latest firmware — quickly, securely, and without ever plugging in a cable. Ble Update is the firmware update companion for devices built on the Arendi BLE‑Platform. It scans for nearby BLE devices, connects, and pushes new firmware directly over the air — no PC, no cables, no workshop visit required. Built for the field, not just the lab: Nordic DFU support — the proven standard for firmware updates on Nordic Semiconductor‑based BLE devices SMP (Simple Management Protocol) support — for the latest generation of connected devices, including those built on Zephyr and MCUboot Guided, step‑by‑step update flow — connect, select the firmware file, and update in a few taps Reliable over‑the‑air delivery — built to handle real‑world BLE conditions out in the field Works straight from your phone or tablet — take firmware updates wherever your devices are Whether you're a technician updating a single device on‑site or managing a whole fleet of connected products, Ble Update gives you a fast, dependable way to keep firmware current — right from your pocket. Part of the Arendi BLE‑Platform ecosystem.
Thingy
Interact with a multi-sensor IoT device to capture and view environmental data, motion, and audio. Control the device's LED, speaker, and trigger events through a user-friendly interface without needing programming skills.
- View temperature, humidity, air quality, and pressure
- Compass, step counter, and tap detection
- Accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer data
- Control RGB LED color, brightness, and mode
- Stream audio to and from the device
- Trigger programmable events
- Update device firmware
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The Thingy app is designed to work with the Nordic Thingy:52™ devices. Nordic Thingy:52 is a compact, power-optimized, multi-sensor device built around the nRF52832 Bluetooth® 5 SoC from Nordic Semiconductor. Capture, view, and interact with the sensor data acquired from your Thingy, with no programming skills required. Use this app to connect your iPhone or iPad with Thingy and gain access to the following functionalities: - View the current temperature, humidity, air quality, and atmospheric pressure. - Use it as a compass, step counter, or detect taps on any of its axis. - Check the orientation of your Thingy and get live accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer data at a high rate. - Measure the gravity vector. - Trigger programmable events by pressing the button on top of the device. - Control the color, brightness, and mode of the RGB LED. - Stream PCM audio to its speaker, or play predefined notification sounds when events occur. - Stream audio from Thingy to a mobile device using the built-in microphone. - Play programmable tunes in frequency mode. - Using the free Thingy app, update the firmware on your Thingy as soon as new firmware versions are released. For firmware and mobile developers: Thingy can be flashed with your custom firmware, just like any other development kit from Nordic Semiconductor. The Thingy firmware package contains comprehensive documentation, so you can easily customize it to your own needs. Additionally, We provide a CocoaPod in Swift 5 for iOS 9.0 and above, This library is built exclusively for Thingy to ensure that installation and integration in your project are as smooth as possible! Learn more about Thingy at http://www.nordicsemi.com/thingy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Thingy at every 3 months against BLE Update's every 23 months. Thingy also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for BLE Update against 5.0 for Thingy. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.
BLE Update ships an update every 23 months, Thingy every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 6, 2026.
| Parameter | BLE Update | Thingy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 23 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 124 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Arendi AG | Nordic Semiconductor ASA |
Customer experience
BLE Update
Thingy
In-app purchases
BLE Update
No in-app purchases
Thingy
No in-app purchases









