Juul is launching its first Bluetooth-connected vape in the UK after piloting the device in Canada. The Juul C1 connects to an Android app that lets owners monitor how much they’ve been vaping, lock the device so that no one can use it, and locate the device if they’ve misplaced it. Juul told the Financial Times that it might add the ability to set usage limits and restrict usage around areas like schools in the future, but neither feature is available yet.
To curb the rising number of underaged teens who are buying and using Juul products, the C1 will also require users to submit a photo of the user and their government identification to access app features. “To purchase the JUUL C1 device currently available on our e-commerce Web sites in Canada and the UK, customers have to go through a strict age-verification process,” a Juul spokesperson told The Verge. “This process includes submitting photos of an identification document that are checked against third-party databases to verify the customer’s age and identity.” Users will also have to submit a phone number to authenticate the account.
Underaged Juul users have been able to work around smoking age restrictions by purchasing products through secondary markets online, such as eBay and Alibaba. It is unclear whether the device could be sold in a similar manner with an account that’s preregistered to a user of age. Juul says it de-identifies data it collects on vapers’ usage behavior and does not store information alongside the names of the users.
The C1, which sells for £24.99 (around $30 USD), is far from the first Bluetooth-connected vape. Pax, the big name in weed vapes, already has a pair of app-connected devices, one of which offers controls that let you limit the vape’s strength.