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I nearly hit the button on a pack of 4 air tags, but didn't checkout when I realised the actual cost was effectively double as I'd need 4 accessories too. I am also still using the iPhone X, so no precision tracking anyway. Tiles still serve the purpose well so I'll keep them for now
Believe me, within the next couple months, you’ll be able to buy a pack of 10 airtag loops on Amazon for like five bucks.
And if not, you can easily make one.
I have no idea why anyone is spending 30+ dollars on a pouch
 
I still wonder why no one really considers the upcoming Chipolo ONE Spot as an alternative to AirTags and Tiles. It seems to be a fairly good alternative to AirTags and works with FIND MY. Which is great. It might not have all the functionalities but it surely is better integrated in the Apple Ecosystem than Tile and offers more privacy than the latter.
I think it’s just because we don’t know the pricing yet, or the availability. AirTags will likely have a month (or two) ahead of them, which is considerable if the main market (outside of MR forums) doesn’t know about them. I’m sure we’ll see a comparison between Spot, Tile, and AirTags when they do finally get released.
 
@Hartley you forgot to mention that Tile also sell on your info whereas Apple do not.
That’s a major plus in favour of AirTags for me.
Love this bit…
“We may also disclose information to platform providers, such as Facebook, in order to permit such providers to serve ads and promote the Services on our behalf on such platforms.”
Makes sense then that they’re throwing a fit over their loss of market share. Not only hardware sales losses, but advertising revenue leaving as well. I did not know this was a thing. Thank you for bringing it up. I’ll definitely be ditching my last-living Tile now.

Now let’s hope that they don’t sue Apple for not being able to combine their own network with the vastness of the Find My Network. Being able to get the precision location data of billions of devices, and then merging that into their database, only to turn around and sell al that juicy info? No wonder why Apple allowed third parties in but required them to use ONLY the Find My Network if they do.
 
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There are also additional software integrations such as support for Siri, where users can ask Siri to find their item, and the AirTag will play a sound if it is nearby.
Tile, to its credit, also had the built-in feature to create a Siri shortcut to find the named Tiles in the same way. “Hey Siri, find my wallet”.
 
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I still wonder why no one really considers the upcoming Chipolo ONE Spot as an alternative to AirTags and Tiles. It seems to be a fairly good alternative to AirTags and works with FIND MY. Which is great. It might not have all the functionalities but it surely is better integrated in the Apple Ecosystem than Tile and offers more privacy than the latter.
Yes is it not expected that tile will release new versions that are Find My compatible?? That seems obvious and makes this ridiculously long post irrelevant.

Any tracker device like this is DOA at this point if they are not Find My certified.
 
I've been waiting for AirTags since they were first rumoured, mostly because I lost all faith in Tile. I was initially completely on board, I had one for everything and the first year or so was pretty good on the whole. Then the Pro model came out, which were obviously much nicer than the basic model and with the changeable battery, a no-brainer. I bought myself a few, and gave some as gifts to my family at Christmas. They were all working great, until the first time I actually couldn't find my keys anywhere - I hopped into the app, the tile was in range so I set it to start ringing and... nothing. I eventually managed to find the keys (the tile was completely silent) until I pressed the case a little on the edge, at which point it sprang to life! I had that replaced, had two more go the same way, and my parents' tiles were complaining about low batteries from the second they registered them, and through 2 battery changes.

There was an incident with a family members keys being dropped in a field. In fairness, they did give a rough idea of where the keys were last seen, but traversing the entire field did not yield a connection to the tile, and when they were eventually found near the entrance, the tile was completely dead and never came back to life!

I know all of these things are anecdotal and fixable with replacement tiles, but my confidence in the entire system has just been eroded to dust. I've either been incredibly unlucky, or there's somewhat of a quality control issue here, which I would be absolutely astounded if Apple had any sort of similar problem.
 
You mean like:

B. Location Data. Apple and its partners and licensees may provide certain services through the Apple Software that rely upon location information. To provide and improve Apple’s services, where available, Apple and its partners and licensees may transmit, collect, maintain, process and use your location data, including the real-time geographic location of your device or computer that you attempt to locate using the Apple Software, and you hereby agree and consent to Apple's and its partners' and licensors' collection, use, transmission, processing and maintenance of such location data to provide such services.

Tile at least names em, while Apple keeps it unnamed/open to share it to anyone they "partner" with.
Ummm...there's a HUGE difference. The main purpose of this statement in Apple's TOS is so YOU give them the right to tell YOU where your devices are located so you can find them (the whole purpose of the app).

YOU give the "partners" this right as well when you agree to have the now available feature for third party devices to synch with the Find My app.

That statement does not mean "we share your data with unknown partners and to us so we can sell you more defined ads." Apple makes it so easy to stop any of that and just made it even more difficult for others to do it on Apple devices.
 
I’ve been a Tile user for years & it’s worked well. Switching to AirTags for the reasons in the article but Tile has a better form factor. I hate having to buy clunky accessories to attach my AirTag to the key ring whereas Tile has a well placed small hole. I guess Apple was hesitant for legal reasons to make AirTags look too much like Tile but Tile has the better form.
 
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Tile can complain about Apple stealing market share all they like but the main reason for changing from a Tile to AirTags for me was customer support

I have had many Tiles, even before replaceable batteries, buying regularly. I had upgraded to a Tile Mate with a replaceable battery and after a year, it ran out and I popped in a new battery. No quibble. Less than 3 months later I got a 'low battery' warning on the Tile. Weird. Popped it out and put a 'reputable brand' in instead, just in case the cheapo first one off eBay wasn't up to scratch. Same thing, died 3 months later. I therefore deduced there must be some issue with the Tile. Contacted Tile support. After a week or two of waiting, I got an email back saying that the product was out of warranty and straight away, they said the only thing to do was to buy a new one - oh and here's a 10% off link. Felt like a real slap in the face, at least do a dance about 'Oh have you tried resetting etc' so that I can feel like the product is actually dead. 10% off is also not great. Was told if I wanted to be sure in the future I would have to subscribe to the premium subscription.

After that, I decided I would be milking this one until the AirTags came out - they seemed to not care and just be hungry for an extra sale. It's been an ok device, sometimes needing me to run around the house before it'll 'connect' (and I live in a relatively small house) but the locking of 'premium' features behind a paywall that seem to just be functionality they should include initially got me annoyed and this lack of real service finally put the nail in the coffin.

TL;DR: Tile Mate was just out of warranty and Tile did not give any support, only gave me a coupon. That and locking of features behind a monthly subscription makes AirTags a no-brainer upgrade
Poor service/app from the Tile side has driven my change. If they spend as much effort on improving their product as they did about complaining about Apple, they would probably be in a better position.
 
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I still wonder why no one really considers the upcoming Chipolo ONE Spot as an alternative to AirTags and Tiles. It seems to be a fairly good alternative to AirTags and works with FIND MY. Which is great. It might not have all the functionalities but it surely is better integrated in the Apple Ecosystem than Tile and offers more privacy than the latter.
Apple brand fanboys feel dirty when having to use other brands to meet their needs and wants.
 
I’ve been a Tile user for years & it’s worked well. Switching to AirTags for the reasons in the article but Tile has a better form factor. I hate having to buy clunky accessories to attach my AirTag to the key ring whereas Tile has a well placed small hole. I guess Apple was hesitant for legal reasons to make AirTags look too much like Tile but Tile has the better form.
To add a small hole to the AirTag would mean making it bigger, as it is sized pretty much the same as the battery. Chipolo have Find My compatible trackers with a hole, but they are bigger than AirTags.
 
I still wonder why no one really considers the upcoming Chipolo ONE Spot as an alternative to AirTags and Tiles. It seems to be a fairly good alternative to AirTags and works with FIND MY. Which is great. It might not have all the functionalities but it surely is better integrated in the Apple Ecosystem than Tile and offers more privacy than the latter.
Can you imagine how bad these guys must feel right now?

"Hey, let's create a product that Apple will also come out with and completely control the marketplace so we lose all of that time and investment...and let's launch it months after them just to make sure we REALLY have no chance of survival...."

How long before Apple has a "credit card" version of AirTags or a waterproof version? You know they are already on the product road map.
 
I still wonder why no one really considers the upcoming Chipolo ONE Spot as an alternative to AirTags and Tiles. It seems to be a fairly good alternative to AirTags and works with FIND MY. Which is great. It might not have all the functionalities but it surely is better integrated in the Apple Ecosystem than Tile and offers more privacy than the latter.

In my case, it's because I had never heard of it! :D
 
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I still wonder why no one really considers the upcoming Chipolo ONE Spot as an alternative to AirTags and Tiles. It seems to be a fairly good alternative to AirTags and works with FIND MY. Which is great. It might not have all the functionalities but it surely is better integrated in the Apple Ecosystem than Tile and offers more privacy than the latter.
Feels like a lack of marketing.

I learnt about tile from some tech websites and you tubers who were pushing it pretty hard at some point.

I know about airtags because it had already been rumoured for at least a year.

Chipolo? Don't seem to have read much about them anywhere.
 
One of my frustrations with the Tile was it being triggered in my pants (yes, insert joke) So if I bent down to tie my shoes or sometimes just on a hike, it would set up (because you can push to activate) then you'd have to get your phone to turn off the annoying sound. From what I'm reading, that should not be the case with AirTags.
 
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Huge photos (like on the advertising pillar, looks like the work of a design novice), little substance.
My Summary:
The tiles have no relevance for iPhone owners.

I disagree. Form factor is a major perk. If you carry a traditional wallet something like a Tile Slim is a lot better for you.
 
I bet Tile’s CEO is still raging behind his computer screen, as he has done since the Apple Keynote.
 
One of my frustrations with the Tile was it being triggered in my pants (yes, insert joke) So if I bent down to tie my shoes or sometimes just on a hike, it would set up (because you can push to activate) then you'd have to get your phone to turn off the annoying sound. From what I'm reading, that should not be the case with AirTags.

Haha exactly. Happened to me on occasion a few times. Embarrassing talking to someone or in a meeting and I have that Tile jingle playing on my phone randomly.
 
You mean like:

B. Location Data. Apple and its partners and licensees may provide certain services through the Apple Software that rely upon location information. To provide and improve Apple’s services, where available, Apple and its partners and licensees may transmit, collect, maintain, process and use your location data, including the real-time geographic location of your device or computer that you attempt to locate using the Apple Software, and you hereby agree and consent to Apple's and its partners' and licensors' collection, use, transmission, processing and maintenance of such location data to provide such services.

Tile at least names em, while Apple keeps it unnamed/open to share it to anyone they "partner" with.
This does not allow Apple to freely share information with its partners. It simply specifies that the partners may provide services and collect information. If they do, they are subject to the rest of the privacy policy.
 
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OK, so there are waterproofing differences, and attachment differences, but surely the most important discriminator when looking at a device that helps you find lost things, is how well it works when trying to find a lost thing.

AirTag has U1 when in close range - very useful. Tile and others do not. You're basically doing the "warmer-warmer-colder" thing until you find your device. Apple wins, hands down.

When it comes to long range finding, you're relying on the network of other devices that can hear and pass on the ping from your lost tracker. This is equivalent to comparing the number of users who have any compatible Apple device, vs the number of users running the Tile app. That's going to be several orders of magnitude in difference. Apple wins again, big time.

Sorry Tile - the Apple solution is just better. And when they release newer versions, like presumably and hopefully a credit card format and so on, it's hard to see why anyone in the Apple world would want to purchase your product.
 
A Tile devices with Mini branding came with my Mini Cooper. Went as far as reading the instruction...never used it. Thought about attaching to luggage for international travel...but that has been non-existent for the past coupe of years. Sits in the filing cabinet along with the original paperwork and additional key fob.
Um, okay?
 
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I'm only keeping the Tile that is in my wallet as it is shaped like a thick credit card.

The rest are going on eBay once I figure out solutions for holding the AirTag's. Just a 3-person household so I need some ideas on what to do with the 4th AirTag.
 
i remember when tile first surfaced — i got so excited until i realized that it doesn't have gps capability and i would essentially be at the mercy of the "tile community", which i'm guessing never got to be that big, and this is coming from nyc too. anyway, it would never compare to the ios device community)
 
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