Comparison

BLE Update vs Thingy

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Over-the-air firmware updates
  • Bluetooth Low Energy device support
  • Arendi BLE-Platform integration
  • Convenient updates from mail app
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

BLE Update3 screens
Thingy4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BLE Update ships an update every 23 months, Thingy every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 6, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
BLE Update versus Thingy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBLE UpdateThingy
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 23 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size124 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArendi AGNordic Semiconductor ASA

Customer experience

BLE Update

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Thingy

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

BLE Update

No in-app purchases

None

Thingy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BLE Update free?
BLE Update is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Thingy free?
Thingy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BLE Update or Thingy?
BLE Update and Thingy are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do BLE Update or Thingy have ads?
Neither BLE Update nor Thingy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BLE Update or Thingy?
BLE Update ships an update every 23 months, and Thingy every 3 months. Most recently, BLE Update was updated on October 6, 2026 and Thingy on October 6, 2026.

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