I have half a dozen Tiles and will be switching them all out for AirTags. Just the difference in the size of the tracking network is enough to get me to switch, never mind that they're much better integrated into iOS than Tile devices will ever be.
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AirTag Reviews: Smart and Capable for Those Already Living in Apple's Ecosystem
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Perps have Androids.
the difference is that instead of a couple of million tile users that probably don’t have their tile app open is a much smaller number then nearly a billion active iOS devices looking for your item in the background. Plus the whole privacy thing.
Because, why would you want to effortlessly help someone else?
Sold. I don't need one but I'm getting it.
I get that there are reviews out there for them now, but how exactly can they test the full tracking/find my function? Don't iOS devices running 14.5 need to be out in the wild to detect the location? Am I missing something - perhaps current and past iOS versions work too?
YMMV but as a previous Tile user, I reckon the chances of the Tile network locating any item I lost anywhere I regularly go would be about zero, I don't think it ever reached the critical mass it needed to do what it set out to achieve - I just relied on it for finding stuff around the house. I don't know anyone outside my immediate family who uses Tile. Of course if you live in a big city, then that maybe ups your chances. However, with AirTags, I'd be certain that my lost items would be pinged within a few hours just about anywhere I might have lost them outdoors - that to me would be a compelling reason to switch regardless of how much I spent on Tiles.
And then we come on to user-replaceable batteries of course, though I do realise that's now an option with Tile.
eBay and Amazon already have a zillion 'screen' protectors available for them. Whilst I keep my Apple devices pristine, I'm really not bothered about how my AirTags end up looking - they're a tool as far as I'm concerned.
I didn't have any interest in the AirTags initially, but seeing how they work I do think I'll get a set and use a couple for our bikes, plus keychains, since at least one of our kids has been known to lose semi-important things like car/house keys...multiple times.
So are AirTags useless unless there is an iDevice near them? For instance, if someone takes a device with an AirTag attached, and that person has Android or no phone and drops it in a deserted area, the FindMy app won't find it, right?
So what is to stop someone from tracking a spouse they suspect of cheating then?
As long as they come home every night, wouldn't that reset the timer?
Yes, the same is true of other tags like Tile. The only difference here is that there are a lot more iPhone users than Tile users.
Give it time. There could be Family Sharing for AirTag (so you can use your iPhone to find your wife purse).
Strange thinking. People who have Tile will just throw it out. It’s not that expensive.
Some seem to still love tile and not see this as a game changer.
Isn't the air-tag more precise than the tile, at least with a U1 device? While I'm still using an iphone XR, wondering if i may want to upgrade to get this capability. From the video seems like there's a huge adavantage over the 1/2/3 circles on the tile, and I would like to be able to find it without making it ring (like when my spouse is still sleeping)
I do use my current tiles a lot (locating keys/wallet), but sometimes they don't ring until i get very close, the 'last location' seems pretty dicey, and the tile app seemed to drain my phone battery like crazy when i originally let it use do background tracking.
I'm also a little miffed that it didn't do a good job of telling me when my {previous} wallet tile had a dead battery, so when i lost my wallet i had no idea where it was last, and never recovered it. $#!@#$
Several, several people keep asking something along the lines of “what if the AirTags alerts the thief that they’re being tracked?”
This is not an anti-theft tool, and it is not designed for that. This helps you specifically locate “lost” items, not “stolen” items. If you’ want a thief-tracker, this is probably not the item for you. It was not designed with stealth in mind- in fact, Apple *wants* you to see the AirTags so you know that someone lost something and you can help them recover it.
This is not an anti-theft tool, and it is not designed for that. This helps you specifically locate “lost” items, not “stolen” items. If you’ want a thief-tracker, this is probably not the item for you. It was not designed with stealth in mind- in fact, Apple *wants* you to see the AirTags so you know that someone lost something and you can help them recover it.
That’s fine, but *locked* into Tile? What superior ecosystem Tile has over iOS?
Lost AirTags Can Be Read By NFC-Enabled iPhones and Android Devices
Apple's AirTag tracking devices can be identified by Android phones when they're in Lost Mode, according to a new support document published...
www.macrumors.com
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I would expect turning off bluetooth would be a way to opt-out (of course, then you can't use your BT devices)
i imagine same way you would locate your macbook in the find my app. you would see it on the map, but if it's a matter of finding your keys in a room — it wouldn't be as precise. of course that's where you would use its sound function.
Brenda really should get a different job.
Talk about an oversimplication.
Talk about an oversimplication.
Outside
techcrunch.com
Ultimately its the UWB tech that will be useful, not Apple's implementation. It has some interesting uses for in-door navigational beacon.
It seems like people were expecting far more utility from AirTag than they really provide. It will take someone else besides Apple to make a Personal Locator Beacon with UWB, to do Lost person/pet or stolen item tracking.
Personally I'll keep an eye on the Tile version with UWB of this. I'm passingly interested in stuffing one into emplaced field equipment. GPS and reference images is helpful, but a UWB beacon may help a new field worker find the equipment easier without someone who already knows the location.
Eh, that's coming. Tile will have Ultra Wideband sooner than later. Along with actual Android handsets.
Tile to launch a new tracker powered by ultra-wideband technology, add AR finding to app | TechCrunch
Tile is preparing to introduce a new product this year that will serve as a rival to Apple's long-awaited AirTags and other lost-item trackers coming to
techcrunch.com
Ultimately its the UWB tech that will be useful, not Apple's implementation. It has some interesting uses for in-door navigational beacon.
It seems like people were expecting far more utility from AirTag than they really provide. It will take someone else besides Apple to make a Personal Locator Beacon with UWB, to do Lost person/pet or stolen item tracking.
Personally I'll keep an eye on the Tile version with UWB of this. I'm passingly interested in stuffing one into emplaced field equipment. GPS and reference images is helpful, but a UWB beacon may help a new field worker find the equipment easier without someone who already knows the location.