NearCast vs NearSight

NearCast turns your iPhone into a powerful Bluetooth radar. Scan for nearby BLE devices, track their signal strength, estimate distance, and never lose your gear again. RADAR SCANNING • Real-time Bluetooth Low Energy scanning with a visual radar display • Animated sonar sweep shows device blips color-coded by saved status • RSSI-based distance estimation using signal strength analysis • Smart device name resolution identifies 50+ manufacturers including Apple, Samsung, Google, Sony, Bose, Tile, and more • Proximity levels from Immediate to Out of Range with haptic feedback DEVICE MANAGEMENT • Save devices with custom names and categories (Phone, Laptop, Headphones, Watch, Keys, Wallet, Tracker, and more) • Organize with favourites and mark devices as lost • View battery level, signal strength, and connection status at a glance • Full scan history with timestamped RSSI readings • Swipe actions for quick management FIND YOUR DEVICES • Play Sound triggers an audible alert to help locate nearby devices • Compass needle points toward your device's last known direction • Proximity indicator with hot/cold feedback guides you closer • Haptic patterns intensify as you approach — feel your way to the device MAP & LOCATION • See every saved device's last known location on an interactive map • Category-colored pins make it easy to identify devices at a glance • Tracks and updates GPS coordinates each time a device is scanned SAFE ZONES • Create geographic safe zones around locations like Home or Office • Configurable radius from 50 to 1000 metres • Alerts are automatically suppressed inside enabled safe zones • Manage zones from the map or the dedicated settings panel SMART ALERTS • Separation alerts notify you the moment a saved device goes out of range • Found alerts let you know when a lost device comes back • Customizable alert sounds: Chime, Beep, Ping, or Sonar • Adjustable volume and global mute control PRIVACY & ANTI-TRACKING • Anti-tracking detection monitors for unknown Bluetooth devices that may be following you • Alerts you if an unfamiliar device persists near you for over 15 minutes across 100+ metres of movement • Clear tracker history at any time • All data stored locally on your device — we never collect or share your information BACKGROUND SCANNING • Continue monitoring saved devices even when the app is in the background • Receive push notifications for separation and found events • Background mode can be toggled on or off in Settings SYNC & STORAGE • iCloud sync keeps your saved devices available across all your Apple devices • Powered by SwiftData for fast, reliable local storage • Export-ready scan history with timestamps and signal data CUSTOMIZATION • 11 device categories with unique icons and colours • Per-device alert settings for separation and found notifications • Dark mode support throughout the app • Onboarding flow guides you through Bluetooth, Location, and Notification setup DeviceFinder requires Bluetooth and Location permissions to scan for and locate devices. Background scanning may affect battery life.

See the hidden world around you. NearSight listens for the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals that nearby devices are constantly broadcasting and decodes what they actually are. Earbuds, watches, fitness trackers, beacons, smart-home sensors, item trackers, and more turn from anonymous radio noise into a clear, readable list right on your iPhone. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Scan live. Watch nearby devices appear in real time, sorted by how close they are. • Know what's there. NearSight recognizes a growing catalog of device types and shows make, model, and what each signal means, not just a cryptic address. • Notice the unexpected. Surface unknown or unfamiliar devices around you and decide for yourself what belongs. • Go deeper. Open any device to inspect its raw advertisement, signal strength, and parsed technical details. OPTIONAL AI INSIGHTS Turn on AI to get plain-language explanations of what NearSight is seeing. Bring your own Anthropic or OpenAI API key, or run a compact model entirely on your device. Your choice. AI is completely optional and stays off until you enable it. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Scanning happens on your iPhone. NearSight works fully offline and shows what it sees to no one but you. AI insights and anonymous telemetry are strictly opt-in and off by default. Nothing leaves your device unless you turn it on. No ads, no third-party tracking, no account required. WHAT NEARSIGHT CAN (AND CAN'T) SEE NearSight decodes the Bluetooth signals that devices broadcast but it can't see everything: • Not every device is recognized. New or niche hardware may show up as Unknown until we've researched it and added support. • Some devices are intentionally excluded. We don't surface certain safety-sensitive devices (for example personal panic buttons), because revealing someone's private safety equipment could put them at risk. However, AI Insights may identify such devices. • It only sees Bluetooth. Devices that are powered off, not currently broadcasting, or that use other radios (Wi-Fi-only cameras, wired, or cellular devices) are invisible to NearSight. NearSight is a Bluetooth explorer, not a safety or security device, bug sweeper, or hidden-camera detector. It cannot guarantee it will find every tracker, camera, or listening device near you, and not seeing something here does not mean it isn't there. If you have a real safety concern, use dedicated tools and contact local authorities. Questions, or a device you'd like us to identify? Email hello@nearsight.one.