At some point you will lose something important like your beloved Nintendo Switch or your Steam Deck. And sadly, it’s not possible to remotely track the location of either console should you lose it. That stinks, but tethering a cheap Bluetooth tracker, like the Apple AirTag or a Tile Mate, to your items can make finding them much easier than mentally retracing your steps. Once you’ve gone through the first step of pairing a tracker with your smartphone or tablet, you can see where your items are hiding by opening an app.
Okay, it’s not always that simple. These trackers are most useful around the home or other places where you can stay within range of their wireless signal. Because their wireless range, like Bluetooth controllers and headsets, is good, not great.
However, each of the trackers below defies their signal limitations with an interesting solution. Bluetooth allows the tracker to anonymously ping other trackers and phones, creating a huge network of interconnected devices, increasing the chances of finding lost items. But any network is only as strong as the number of units sold, so our list of trackers includes both the best and most popular models available.
The best Bluetooth tracker
Tile size
The Tile Mate is easy to recommend for most people. It is available at a reasonable price $24.99 asking price (sometimes less), the non-replaceable battery can last up to three years, and it has a water-resistant design. It can tap into Tile’s larger network of devices, giving you a chance to get your lost item back even if you venture outside the Mate’s 75m Bluetooth range. It can also work just as well on Android as it does on iPhone – the same can’t be said about Apple’s AirTags.
Image: Life360
Coming back to the Tile network, the Mate’s Bluetooth capability allows it to anonymously and securely ping other nearby Tile devices, as well as phones with the Tile app installed. There is no guarantee that you will find your lost item, but if you can rely on this network you are more likely to be able to see where it is currently located on the map or where it last interacted with a compatible device . And if you pay for one of Tile’s premium tiers, it will refund you a certain amount of money for your lost item if the network doesn’t help you find your asset.
Each Mate has a lanyard hole so you can attach it to keys, bags, pet collars or a carabiner. You can just as easily store it in any bag, be it a handbag or a zippered case for your Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck.
The Tile Mate can also help you find a lost phone or tablet it’s registered to, as long as it’s within range. You can press the Mate’s button twice, which will ring the paired device. If you lose the Tile Mate, there’s a QR code on the back that people can scan with their smartphones. A message will appear that is configurable in the Tile app, such as “if found, email me and I’ll meet you to pick it up.”
The free features I listed above should suit most people. But there are a few reasons why you might choose to pay for Tile Premium, the $2.99 per month plan. First, it unlocks smart notifications so your phone can be alerted if you leave the tile behind. You also get a 30-day tracker location history, unlimited sharing with trusted contacts, and free battery replacement. It also gives you a warranty on the Tile, as well as an item refund of up to $100 if your item is lost and the Tile network can’t find it. Tile’s $99.99/year Premium Protect plan offers up to $1,000 in compensation.
If you prefer other form factors – all of which have similar features – Tile also makes the Sticker from $29.99a smaller option that can be clipped to items (or slipped into a cat collar), the $34.99 Prof that has nearly twice the range of the Mate and a replaceable battery, and the $34.99 Slima card-shaped tracker that fits in a wallet.
Apple Air Tag
The $29.99 Apple AirTag is functionally identical to how the Tile Mate works, serving as a water-resistant gadget that lets you keep an eye on your belongings. However, it can only connect to Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices running iOS 14.5 or newer software. This isn’t a tracker at all that Android users should have on their radar, unless they’re buying it for someone who has an iPhone.
Image: Apple
A big advantage of the AirTag is that it relies on Apple’s comprehensive, accurate Find My app to help you keep an eye on the AirTag. So if it is lost, it may not be lost for long. Like Tile’s network, the AirTag securely communicates with other devices to provide a reliable idea of where it might be. Apple’s Find My network is huge, as any Apple device can act as a beacon of other iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers. Apple says it currently consists of “hundreds of millions” of devices, which is a feat no other tracker can match.
To make finding the AirTag easier when you’re on foot, the AirTags have a feature called Precision Finding that the iPhone 11 and newer phones can take advantage of. When you’re near the AirTag, your phone can communicate with it over ultra-wideband (UWB) to essentially give you more precise, moment-to-moment instructions to find it.
The AirTag’s notifications can be tuned to let you know if you left without or not (notably, you don’t have to pay extra for this feature, unlike Tile’s Mate). And if you accidentally lose it, you’ll be notified if someone on the Find My network gets close enough to ping it. If you’re not so lucky, it can be set to “Lost Mode” in the Find My app. Then, if someone taps their phone on the AirTag via NFC, you can share your information with them to coordinate the return. Android users aren’t completely left out of the AirTag equation; Apples Tracker detection app aims to tell you if there are trackers nearby that might be used for malicious purposes. However, you cannot track the exact location of an AirTag with anything other than the Apple device it is connected to. Apple and Google announced this in May that the two companies are working on a new standard to be launched in late 2023 that will allow iOS and Android to notify their respective users of nearby unwanted trackers.
The biggest downside to the AirTag is that you’ll need an additional accessory if you plan on attaching it to your keys or generally tying it on. Apple’s own AirTag lanyard varies in cost between $20 and $40, although plenty of companies are making more affordable options. There are also accessories that hide the AirTag so that it can be discreetly concealed in a way that, for example, a thief would not immediately notice.
Chipolo One Spot
Apple’s AirTag isn’t the only tracker that can use the extensive Find My network with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. The Chipolo brand makes some trackers that can, including the $28 Chipolo One Spot.
Image: Chipolo
The biggest differences between Apple’s AirTags and this one come down to design and convenience. The Chipolo trackers look simpler, but a big plus is that the One Spot has a lanyard hole so you can tag them to keys, bags and whatever. And just like the AirTag, the Chipolo One Spot has a replaceable battery.
The best Bluetooth tracker cases
The Tile Mate and the Chipolo One Spot can easily be added to your keychain, but as mentioned earlier, Apple’s AirTag requires an additional accessory to achieve the same utility. We’ve listed a few accessories below, some of which are exclusive to the AirTag, while others work with any tracker.