- Versatility in both platform and form factor
- Doubles as a personal alarm
- No accessories required
- Tracking still lags behind competitors
- Adding a pop of colour costs extra
- Replaceable battery only available on the Tile Pro
As we go through life it’s common that we accrue more “things” – valuables, tech and even new people and pets that we hold dear. Naturally, with more things to keep track of, we inevitably misplace some of them. Bluetooth trackers are another piece of tech becoming more widely available and it’s their job to be the things that help you keep a watchful eye on everything else.
Life 360 (which bought Tile in 2021) has made the biggest hardware update since the acquisition – a new SOS button option marrying safety and security into the one product. Its new line of trackers not only help you find your lost items, but also serve as personal alarms when the situation arises.
Brighter, louder, further
The 2024 range of Tile trackers handily comes in four form factors which suit a broad variety of items. There are the Pro and Mate models that feature a built in loop so they can be put on keyring or looped onto other items. The Slim is perfect for your wallet, a journal, luggage or laptop case. The Sticker is the smallest and most versatile – it can be stuck onto pretty much any flat surface you can think of – your headphones, the TV remote, your bike or car. It’s small size makes it particularly discreet and a good option for more expensive items.
All models are available in a neutral black, but there are also four new fun colourways for the Mate and Slim models: dark blue (Navy Blaze), pink (Pink Punch), green (Green Surf) and light blue (Aqua Lemon), so people are welcome to maintain their aesthetic – although you will have to $3 to $5 more per Tile for the privilege.
Speaking of price, the Tile 2024 range is pretty consistent with other manufacturers. The Pro is the most expensive: one costs $59.95, it’s $44.95 for one Mate, $49.95 for a Slim and $39.95 for a Sticker. You can save by bundling two or more designs with up to $24% off for a set of four Tile Pros.
Apple’s AirTag starts at $49 in Australia, but you can then expect to pay around $20 for something like the Belkin AirTag holder to be able to actually clip it to anything. Samsung's SmartTag 2 costs $55 and comes with a built in loop. The Slim is the same price as Chipolo’s card tracker.
All the new trackers, except for the Sticker, have increased their range. The Pro now has a range of 152m up from 122m, while the Mate and Slim have a range of 107m up from 76m. The sticker maintains a range of 76m. Additionally, the Pro, Mate and Sticker also feature an even louder ring – the Pro has the loudest out of all Tile’s trackers.
The Pro is designed to have up to one-year battery life, while the Mate, Slim and Sticker trackers are designed to last up to three years, much longer than competitors. Unfortunately, except for the Tile Pro, none of the other trackers in range come with a replaceable battery. All the products are IP68 rated making them at least resistant to the rainy outdoors.
Each Tile tracker has a matte finish that is pretty resistant to scratches. The Tile Pro, which I put on my keys, took the greatest battering over the couple of weeks of testing. This minimal wear and tear, however, meant I could no longer scan the QR code on the back – which is meant to be scanned by any person who finds your lost item.
When someone scans the QR code, you receive a notification that someone may have found your item. There’s a section in the settings of the Tile app that suggested I could add my contact details which would be displayed when scanned. However, after I added my details and tested it on multiple devices, the only message any phone scanning my Tile trackers was one that explained what a Tile tracker is and that the item might be lost. Good luck to me if I lose my keys!
Tile does sell sheets of “Lost and Found Labels” with QR codes – in theory you could purchase these to replace any worn sticker. At $19.96 for a three-pack with five labels each, you’d hope the contact information feature works better.
VersaTile
Tile’s trackers have the benefit of versatility over competitors not just in format factor but also in terms of being device agnostic. For example, both Apple's AirTag and Samsung’s SmartTag are restricted to their ecosystems.
With the Tile and Life360 apps available on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, you don’t need your “Circle” (the Life360 term for the people and trackers linked to your account) to all be on the same type of device – this easily accommodates a phone with a mix of Android and iOS users.
Apart from the increases to range and ring loudness on most of the range, the biggest update is of course the Life360 SOS integration. The new Life360 SOS button can be set to discreetly send an SOS alert to your Circle and emergency contacts, which includes your location information. These SOS alerts are free to all users,but users on Gold and Platinum tiers will also connect with an Emergency Services dispatcher.
I had the (un)fortunate experience of seeing an SOS alert in action when I accidentally set it off. I had a call from Life360’s emergency dispatcher within seconds and had to politely explain I had only sent the alert by mistake. Similar systems are available these days on your smartphone, but having your Tile on your keys or in your wallet gives you another more discreet option.
Like other Bluetooth trackers in the market, with Tile you can reverse locate your phone when you’re nearby. Similarly, you can also can set a Smart Alert on any of your tiles. Smart Alert triggers a notification the moment you move out of range of your tracker. This is also an effective test of the range. It could be hit and miss – sometimes I would get a notification that I’d “left my wallet behind” within a minute or two after I left my home and other times I’d have already gone much further. This felt about on par with my experience with Apple’s Find My app.
Other major Bluetooth tracker manufacturers have opted (as a safety feature) to notify users that a tracker unknown to them is travelling with them when detected. Tile has taken the opposite stance, offering what it calls an Anti-Theft measure. When you activate Anti-Theft, your Tile tracker won’t ping other Tile users using the Scan and Secure feature. It’s an interesting offering. After all, if someone has just stolen your bike, the last thing you want is to tell them its being monitored so they can remove the tracker. To dissuade misuse you do have to verify your identity during set-up. This information can then be passed to authorities if needed.
One major downside is that Tile’s tracking isn’t as powerful as other systems. Tile’s trackers use its network of 2.4 million users in Australia, and Bluetooth to work. Its trackers aren’t able to provide real-time data, only able to update when one Tile is in range of a phone with either the Tile or Life360 app installed. If you’ve lost an item and set out to find it, you’ll be totally reliant on reaching the last place it was picked up and hoping it’s nearby enough for the “Find” feature to make it ring out.
By contrast, Apple’s AirTags use the Find My network, which works with Bluetooth, ultra-wideband and a broad range of Apple devices such as the iPhone. Samsung’s SmartTag works similarly with Samsung Galaxy phones. Both can provide precision finding in the form of providing up to date “distance from” data and visual queues in the app so you know for example your keys are “four meters to your right”. Both have also millions more users.
Testing Tile’s tracking in Sydney, it was fairly reliable with room for improvement. Roping my housemates into testing, I was able to see when one made it safely to work in the city with the Sticker placed on their bike. I was also able to see when the dog had arrived for a staycation a few suburbs over. On the other hand, there was a four-hour period where the Sticker didn’t ping at all in Sydney’s east. This was with location-sharing data turned off to simulate the scenario of losing an item. Tile’s travelling with you are pretty much always updated in real-time.
This is set to change in 2025 when Find with Life360 launches. The partnership with Hubble Network will use the Life360 network and global satellite infrastructure to increase the scope of the network. All Tiles in the 2024 range will be compatible with Find with Life360. But until that day arrives, the Tile range will remain underpowered on this front.
Tile trackers (2024): Final thoughts
With the new Life360 integration, Tile’s 2024 range is starting to stand out from other Bluetooth trackers in the market. But it might take until 2025 for it to truly carve out a position with its network falling short compared to mobile manufacturers operating in this space.
The flexibility in form and use case makes it stand out for households that might not all be within the one ecosystem but want the extra peace of mind of knowing where their loved ones and valuables are at a glance.
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