Tile tracking: Tile Mate 1-Pack, White. Bluetooth Tracker, Keys Finder and Item Locator; Up to 250 ft. Range. Up to 3 Year Battery. Water-Resistant. Phone Finder. iOS and Android Compatible. : Electronics

The Best Bluetooth Trackers for 2023

Unless you’re very organized, you’ve probably misplaced something in the past month. Maybe your couch cushions swallowed your remote. Perhaps a feisty pet swiped your keys off the counter and batted them under the couch. No matter what you’re prone to losing, a Bluetooth tracker is a quick and inexpensive way to make sure you can find it again.

Every Bluetooth tracker serves the same general purpose—to help you locate lost items—but the specifics vary widely, so you need to do your research before you make a purchase. We’re here to help with a breakdown of the top-rated trackers we’ve tested and a look at how to choose the right model for your specific needs.

Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks

Apple AirTag

Best iOS-Compatible Tracker

4.0 Excellent

Why We Picked It

The Apple AirTag offers every feature you could want in a tracker. Most importantly, its ultra-wideband connectivity enables precise location data and turn-by-turn directions to help you get back to your missing item. It’s also notable among the trackers on this list for having a replaceable battery.

Who It’s For

If you have an iPhone and tend to misplace your keys or wallet, we have no hesitations in recommending the AirTag. Android users need to look elsewhere, however.

PROS

• Accurate and reliable
• Gives directional cues
• Can send location from a distance
• Replaceable battery

CONS

• No Android compatibility
• No way to ping a phone from the tag
• No hole for a lanyard or keyring
• Anti-stalking features are limited

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Apple AirTag Review

Tile Pro

Best Android-Compatible Tracker

4.0 Excellent

Why We Picked It

The AirTag stole some of the spotlight from Tile when it launched, but the Tile Pro still deserves your consideration. It has the loudest ring of any Tile tracker, which means you won’t have any issues locating it by ear. No, it doesn’t offer ultra-wideband connectivity like the AirTag, but it still offers a solid 400-foot range. Like the AirTag, it also uses a replaceable battery.

Who It’s For

If you’re outside the Apple ecosystem but still want a highly capable tracking device, the Tile Pro is your top option. And if you own a mix of Apple and Android devices, the Pro’s cross-platform versatility comes in handy.

PROS

• Good connectivity
• Replaceable battery
• Loud speaker
• Durable build

CONS

• More expensive than competitors
• App doesn’t offer precise location data

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Tile Pro Review

Tile Mate

Most Affordable Tile Tracker

3.5 Good

Why We Picked It

The small Tile Mate’s range tops out at 250 feet and its speaker isn’t quite as loud as the Tile Pro, but it can still help you find your stuff around the house. It’s affordable too, so you won’t be out much money if it goes missing.

Who It’s For

If you like the idea of a Tile tracker but don’t want to spend for a top-end model, the Mate is a good compromise.

PROS

• Relatively affordable
• Solid connectivity
• Weatherproof build

CONS

• Less durable than the Tile Pro
• Non-replaceable battery

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Tile Mate Review

Tile Slim

Best Tracker for Your Wallet

3.5 Good

Why We Picked It

The Tile Pro and Mate are useful for tracking bulkier items like your keys, but their designs aren’t conducive to a wallet. The Tile Slim, on the other hand, is similar in size to a credit card and can fit comfortably in one of your wallet’s slots. It has the same 250-foot range and three-year battery life as the Mate.

Who It’s For

If you’re worried about losing your wallet full of cash, credit cards, and IDs, the affordable Tile Slim offers peace of mind. Its svelte design makes it better for tracking your wallet than any other device on this list.

PROS

• Easy to fit in your wallet
• Long battery life
• Durable build

CONS

• Limited range
• Non-replaceable battery
• More expensive than the AirTag

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Tile Slim Review

Samsung Galaxy SmartTag+

Best Tracker for Samsung Phone Owners

Why We Picked It

Samsung’s SmartTag+ fixes most of the issues with its more affordable SmartTag tracker. The more premium model includes ultra-wideband (UWB) connectivity, for example, which brings it more in line with Apple’s AirTag. It also has a cool augmented reality (AR) feature that makes it more intuitive to find your stuff (if you own a UWB-compatible Galaxy smartphone). The SmartTag+ even lets you control SmartThings devices with a quick click.

Who It’s For

The SmartTag+ is best for people with lots of Samsung devices, as you need a newer Galaxy phone to take advantage of all the UWB features and SmartThings devices to enjoy the smart home capabilities. If you fit that description, you can’t go wrong with this tracker.

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Samsung Galaxy SmartTag

Best Affordable Samsung Tracker

3.0 Average

Why We Picked It

If you don’t have an UWB-compatible Galaxy device, you can get away with Samsung’s standard (and less expensive) SmartTag tracker. Like its pricier sibling, it still offers a replaceable battery that lasts for up to a year, which makes it a decent value.

Who It’s For

If you want an affordable tracker that works with your SmartThings devices, the standard Samsung SmartTag is your best bet.

PROS

• Loud
• Replaceable battery
• Can trigger smart home routines

CONS

• Only works with Galaxy phones
• A bit thick
• Signal strength meter isn’t accurate

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Samsung Galaxy SmartTag Review

Tile Sticker

Best Tracker for Remotes

3.0 Average

Why We Picked It

Losing the TV remote can be a real pain. Even when you feel like you know exactly where you left it, it finds a way to be somewhere else. The Tile Sticker, with its sticky backing, solves that problem because it easily attaches to whatever you want.

Who It’s For

The Tile Sticker is for people who seem to always lose track of the TV remote. If you’re looking to track anything more discreetly, you’re better off with an AirTag or one of the other Tile devices listed here.

PROS

• Small
• Adhesive sticks well and removes cleanly

CONS

• Expensive
• Limited range
• Non-replaceable battery

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Tile Sticker Review

Buying Guide: The Best Bluetooth Trackers for 2023

Which Bluetooth Tracker Is the Best?

Smartphone compatibility tops the list of things to consider when choosing a Bluetooth tracker. Tile is the only company on our list that sells trackers that work with both Android and iOS devices. Apple’s AirTag technically works with any device capable of running iOS or iPadOS 14.5 and later, but you need an iPhone 11 or later to use its Precision Finding(Opens in a new window) feature. Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag works only with Samsung Galaxy phones that run Android 10 or later and have the SmartThings Find app installed.

The Tile Mate (left) is a little larger than the Apple AirTag (right), but it has a hole for your key ring
(Credit: Steven Winkelman)

Location accuracy is the next most important consideration. All the trackers on this list are relatively accurate, but the AirTag takes the win here because of its ultra-wideband (UWB) connectivity. If you’re using an iPhone 11 or later, Precision Finding enables turn-by-turn directions to your lost item. Samsung’s SmartTag+ also uses UWB technology.

Samsung’s regular SmartTag and all of Tile’s trackers have proximity indicators, but they lack Precision Finding’s exactitude and ease of use. Tile is rumored to get into the UWB race at some point in the future with its Tile Ultra, though we haven’t heard much about that model since the the company announced it in 2021. But if it works on Android and iOS like Tile’s other trackers, it should be a strong competitor to the AirTag.

Maximum range is another relevant aspect. Some Bluetooth trackers claim they can connect with your smartphone from distances of up to 400 feet, but all the trackers we’ve tested have a maximum range of fewer than 100 feet. If you’re using a Bluetooth tracker on items that tend to stay in one area, like a TV remote that’s probably somewhere in your living room, the maximum range doesn’t matter much. Range is more important if you plan to use the tracker on your keys or bag.

A robust locator network can help balance out some of Bluetooth’s technical limitations. You can place all the trackers on this list in a Lost Mode that allows other peoples’ phones to discreetly detect the tracker and direct you to your missing item. Tile has a large user network, but depends on people downloading its app and properly updating several settings on their phones. That may change, however, with Amazon Sidewalk, which enables many Amazon smart devices to detect lost Tile trackers. Apple’s massive Find My network uses an app that’s baked into iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS.

Take a moment to think about how you plan to use a Bluetooth tracker before you buy one. Some models work better for certain applications than others. The Samsung SmartTag, Tile Mate, and Tile Pro have holes that allow you to easily attach them to your key ring. The Tile Sticker has an adhesive mount, while the Tile Slim can easily slide into your wallet. Apple’s AirTag is a standalone product that requires an accessory to affix or mount it. Several key rings on Apple’s website work with AirTags and third-party accessories.

Finally, if you’re concerned about eco-waste, you have a few options: the Apple AirTag, either of the Samsung Galaxy SmartTags, or the Tile Pro. Each of these have batteries that you can easily replace. The Tile Mate, Tile Slim, and Tile Sticker all have non-replaceable batteries that should last about three years, while the Tile Pro has a replaceable battery that lasts about a year.

The Best Trackers for Kids and Pets

Bluetooth trackers are great tools for finding lost objects, but some trackers are designed for locating people or pets. The Fi Smart Dog Collar Series 2, for example, is an LTE-enabled collar that sends updates of your pet’s location several times a minute. It’s best to think of these devices as backups to adult supervision, however, because the tracking subject can likely remove or wiggle out of them.

Bluetooth trackers with small removable batteries also present a choking hazard(Opens in a new window). To be on the safe side, keep loose trackers out of the reach of toddlers and pets.

How to Protect Yourself From Tracker-Based Stalking

Bluetooth trackers join apps, computers, smartphones, tablets, vehicles, and dozens of other technologies that malicious actors can use to stalk you. They aren’t very accurate or consistently findable, but they’re affordable, readily available, and small enough to slide into a bag without you knowing.

Recommended by Our Editors

AirTag vs. Tile: Which Bluetooth Tracker Should You Choose?

How to Protect Yourself Against AirTag and Tile Stalking

How Do Apple AirTags Work? Ultra-Wideband Explained

Apple improved its anti-stalking features shortly after it announced the AirTag and released an app for Android users that alerts them if an unknown AirTag is close to their smartphone. Apple also introduced additional anti-stalking measures in iOS.

Samsung added additional anti-stalking features(Opens in a new window) as well, but the update, unfortunately, requires you to manually scan for its SmartTags.

Tile’s app also now includes a Scan and Secure(Opens in a new window) feature that lets you scan your surroundings for unassigned trackers.

For more, The National Centers for Victims of Crime’s Stalking Resource Center(Opens in a new window) has a wealth of information that can help you stay safe.

Samsung Galaxy SmartTag Review | PCMag

Samsung’s SmartTag is a Bluetooth-powered tracker that works with Samsung phones (and only Samsung phones) as either a way to find lost objects or a trigger button for smart home routines. It isn’t a bad first try, but the similar trackers from Tile are more convenient and much more widely compatible.

The SmartTag ($29.99) is a little black square with a hole for your key ring or a clip. At 1.54 inches to a side and 0.39 inch thick, it’s bigger and thicker than our Editors’ Choice–winning tracker, the Tile Mate ($24.99). Also, it’s a little bulbous in the middle, so you won’t want to put it in your wallet. It’s rated IP53 for water resistance, and if you snap it open you can replace the CR2032 battery, just like with the Tile Mate.

A signal strength meter shows how close the SmartTag is to your Samsung phone. It works…mostly.

For now, it works with any Samsung Galaxy phone running Android 10 and the latest version of Samsung’s SmartThings Find app. The app is built into the pull-down windowshade in Samsung’s UI, so it’s always available. The tag is automatically detected when you tap to add a new device, and it’s easy to set up.

Your phone can make your SmartTag ring, and vice versa. The SmartTag also has one feature Tile lacks: It can be used to start home automation routines through Samsung’s SmartThings app. You can set up the app to turn other devices on and off or send notifications when the Tag is pressed or long-pressed. SmartThings doesn’t control as many devices as Alexa and Google Assistant do; it mostly works with Samsung products.

Similar Products

4.5

Outstanding

Tile Pro Sport

3.5

Good

Tile Mate

4.0

Excellent

Tile Pro Style

3.5

Good

Tile Slim

4.0

Excellent

Jiobit Smart Tag

You can choose among 10 tinny ringtones. The piercing tones go to 89dB at six inches, which is slightly louder than the Tile Mate and considerably louder than the Tile Slim.

SmartThings Find is integrated into Samsung’s phone software.

Short (Range) in the (Blue) Tooth

My phone stayed connected to the SmartTag over Bluetooth to a distance of about 60 feet. Outside that, the app shows a five-minute timer during which it will keep searching for the tag. Our tests show that Tile Mate has about a 100-foot range, and Tile Pro Sport goes to about 165 feet. If you need exact remote positioning further away, you need to look at a GPS- and cellular-enabled tracker like the Jiobit.

Within Bluetooth range, you follow a signal strength meter to find your gadget if you can’t hear it beeping. The meter generally gets stronger as you get closer, though I didn’t find it to be entirely accurate; sometimes it didn’t show maximum strength even when I held it right next to the tracker.

Samsung says that the $39.99 SmartTag Plus, coming later this year, will employ UWB positioning. When used with a Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or S21 Ultra, your phone will be able to tell what direction the SmartTag Pro is in, eliminating the game of hot-and-cold. Tile doesn’t have that technology yet.

A map shows where your tag was last seen.

If there’s no Bluetooth connection, you can summon a map to show where the SmartTag was last seen connected to a phone. That isn’t real-time tracking; I found it had about a five-minute lag. It’s not meant for when you’re in hot pursuit of your keys. I also found that, like most finders of this kind, it sometimes told me my device was in the building next door. That location can settle down after a while; it seems like the longer your keys are lost, the more accurate the finder is.

As Tile does, Samsung says the SmartTag will interact with other people running the app so that if someone with the SmartThings app cruises past your lost tag, it’ll update on your own map. Right now, though, not many people have these devices, so I don’t see that as a useful feature yet.

The tag clips to things you’re likely to lose.

Not a Standout Yet

A Bluetooth-powered tracker mostly needs to be as inexpensive, small, and loud as possible. The Tile Mate has had years of refinement to get there, and the Samsung SmartTag is struggling to catch up. It has a shorter range and less of an existing network of users, and it’s only compatible with Samsung phones. You shouldn’t throw it away if you get it for free, but it definitely says something that immediately after writing this review, I intend to buy a four-pack of Tiles.

Samsung’s upcoming UWB-powered tracker is likely to be more appealing. For now, the SmartTag is a cherry on top of the S21 sundae: tasty, but not much on its own.

Samsung Galaxy SmartTag

Cons

• Only works with Galaxy phones

• A bit thick

• Signal strength meter isn’t accurate

The Bottom Line

Samsung’s Bluetooth tracker works fine, but it’s too large and limited to compete with Tile.

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‎Tile

on the App Store

Description

This app will help you plan your tiling. After entering all the necessary information, the area with the tiles will be displayed. Tiles can be moved around the area with your finger. This allows optimal tile placement to avoid very narrow tile cuts.
If you are satisfied with the positioning of the tiles, you can view cut tiles with dimensions. The total number of tiles and the number of cut tiles are also displayed.

Only 6 steps required:
1. Select area type
2. Enter area dimensions
3. Enter tile size
4. Enter joint width
5. Select paving pattern
6. Enter project name

28 Feb. 2023

Version 5. 0

Improvements and bug fixes

Ratings and reviews

ratings: 130

Super!

The application is very good, but it is not possible to build a complex room (((

!!Thank you

_newcomers to business))

Don’t stop there

It is not possible to select a 1.5mm seam.
It is not possible to scale the project to fit the dimensions in more detail.
It is very difficult to create your own space, like a corridor and other rooms.
It is not possible to upload a photo of tiles to select a pattern.

Developer Vitalij Schaefer has indicated that, in accordance with the app’s privacy policy, data may be processed as described below. Detailed information is available in the developer’s privacy policy.

Data used to track information

The following data may be used to track user information on apps and websites owned by other companies:

Unrelated
with user data

The following data may be collected, which is not related to the user’s identity:

Sensitive data may be used differently depending on your age, features involved, or other factors. Read more

Information

Provider

Vitalij Schaefer

Size

17.8 MB

Category

Utilities

Age

4+

Copyright

© 2018 – 2023 Codenia

Price

Free

• Developer site

• Application Support

• Privacy Policy

Other apps from this developer

You may like

new innovation for faster item tracking

Back to blogs

Tile, a Bluetooth-based tracker, has launched its Tile QR code technology as an enhancement to its item tracking services.

In addition to labeling the Tile Slim, Tile Mate and Tile Pro QR code on every device, Tile now uses “ Lost and Found Labels ” for easier and faster tracking of your valuables.

Contents

1. Tile upgrade to QR code technology to track lost items.
2. Tile Tracking QR Code Tags to Counter Apple AirTag Tracker
3. How to Activate Tile QR Code Tag
   • How to create a Tile account
   • Lost and Found label activation
4. How to use Tile QR code labels to return goods
5. Create your own trackable QR codes with QR TIGER

9 0002 Tile upgrade to QR code technology to track lost items.

 Image from Bigcommerce

For nearly a decade, Tiles has continued to provide all of its users with a Bluetooth-based tracking service.

They cooperate with various electronic brands to integrate Bluetooth tracker technology.

But with the release of their latest product, Tile stepped out of their comfort zone and introduced QR code stickers called Lost and Found Labels .

These adhesives allow you to conveniently stick them to items that are not worth the investment in a Bluetooth-based Tile tracker. This includes mugs, books, tools or equipment.

They are scratch-resistant, dishwasher-safe, battery-free and compatible with Android and iOS devices.

With this newly added tracking technology, anyone can easily beep you as soon as they find a lost item, that is, if they ever want to return it.

However, the owner of your lost item can immediately access the contact details you provided by simply scanning it.

If you don’t like sharing your personal contact information with the public, you can use a separate email address or other phone number that is exclusive to your Tile devices.

Now it’s a quick way to call you, send you an SMS or view your DMs.

QR code tile tracking tags to counter Apple AirTag tracker

 Image sources: miro.medium.com and cdn. pocket-lint.com 007 Tiles have always been a prima donna in the tracking industry Bluetooth for many years.