Bluetooth tracker tags – seek, and you shall find (guide)

04/07/2023
By Ray Shaw
In Featured Guides

Bluetooth tracker tags have been around for a long time. Tile made it work, and Apple popularised the category with its AirTag.

Before we get too deep, you need to understand that a Bluetooth tracker tag communicates with your smartphone (iOS or Android) by Bluetooth. This has a practical range of about 10m, although some brands claim 30m or more. Bluetooth carries directional signal data; the associated App can overlay this on a map. These also need to be charged – Bluetooth Low Energy needs power to transmit and to play a location chime.

Rule #1 – these are short-distance locators. Don’t expect them to find lost luggage somewhere in the bowels of an airline terminal.

Bluetooth Tracker tag makers claim it can find things worldwide. Yes and no.

In Apple’s case, it owns the ‘walled garden’ and can potentially turn every iPhone into a tracker locator – Shared or Community Tracking. If someone with an iPhone and the AirTag App is close to your tracker tag, it can broadcast that location information back to Apple and your AirTag App. Reports suggest that the number of AirTags worldwide is around 55-60 million. These start at $49.

Android has no one ubiquitous tracking system, so it relies on other phone owners using the same tracker brand. These brands include Tile, Chipolo, MyTag, resQR, Jiobit, and, recently, Samsung Galaxy SmartThings Tag.

Update: Google has announced it will be working with Tile and other third-party devices on a ubiquitous Find My Device feature that will anonymously leverage billions of Android devices around the world to help you track down lost or stolen items, even when they’re offline. There is no date for the new functionality except to say ‘soon’.

Currently, Tile’s network (about 50 million tags) supports Tile users on Apple and Android. It is the best option with enough global users to give you any chance of finding the tag when it is outside your range.

Rule #2 – If you want to expand your ‘find’ range outside Bluetooth, go with Tile.

Types of Bluetooth Tracker Tags

Tile has (prices from Officeworks)

Slim credit card size for your wallet $35.95
Sticker Buttons $27.95
Mate Key tag $31.95
Built in to some laptops, phones, headphones and smartwatches

Rule #3 – Look for IP67 water-resistant tags.

How long does the battery last?

Most use a CR2032 or similar lithium coin battery, typically lasting 6-12 months. Some are rechargeable.

Privacy

In most countries, it is illegal to track people without their consent. There are sensational media stories about AirTag tracking people and cars. But there are far better ways to do that with GPS devices, and law enforcement can track your smartphone easier through cell towers.

Most makers now have a regular ping tone to help identify if a tag is nearby, and the App can identify other tags nearby that are not yours.

The future

Bluetooth tracker tags are here to stay. With Apple and Tile competing neck and neck and reluctantly opening their respective ecosystems to each other, you will see more features and community-tracking efficacy. But they are a small part of broader tech-enabled location tracking, which by necessity will use GPS, cell towers, store beacons, public and home Wi-Fi routers and more to ensure better coverage.