Keep tabs on keys with these Bluetooth trackers

The AirTag may not be the cheapest once you’ve bought an accessory to attach it to a keyring, but if you have an iPhone—especially one of the latest model with a U1 chip (Apple iPhone 11 and later), it’s the best choice.

That’s because you’ll get satnav-like directions when you’re within about 20 feet of the AirTag because of the ultrawideband technology it uses in conjunction with its U1 chip that uses input from an iPhone’s camera, Apple’s ARKit augmented reality platform, accelerometer and gyroscope to guide you to a lost AirTag using sound, haptics, and visual feedback..

The other reason is that if you lose the AirTag (and whatever is attached to it) when you’re out and about, there’s a good chance someone else with an iPhone will walk within range sooner or later. Some non-Apple trackers are also certifed to work with this network of hundreds of millions of iPhone users that makes locating your lost object a lot more possible.

The disadvantage with AirTags are that they don’t work with Android devices and don’t have a hole for slotting onto a keyring. Instead you’ll have to buy a keyring holder from Apple (which doubles the cost) or a cheaper third-party holder.

The Tile Pro has been around for a good few years now, and thanks to a redesign that fits more easily in a bunch of keys, it remains one of the best Bluetooth trackers. The Tile Pro works reliably and – unlike the Tile Mate – still has a replaceable battery.

It’s IP67 water resistant despite the replaceable battery, and measures 58 x 32 x 7.5mm. It takes a CR2032 battery that lasts up to a year and – in our experience – a few months longer.

The ringer is nice and loud, so it’s easier to hear even if stuffed in a pocket or under a cushion. And theoretically it’ll connect to the app up to 400ft away. That’s in perfect conditions though, so expect it to be less in the real world. 

You don’t get the precise directions that AirTag owners do – Tile is still working on its ‘Ultra’ tracker to address this. For now, the Tile app shows green rings which light up as you get closer. It would be nice if there was a ‘compact view’ setting to avoid lots of scrolling on the home screen if you have lots of Tiles, though.

As with the Mate (see below), you have to subscribe to the Premium service if you want ‘left behind’ alerts, location history and a replacement battery through the post at the right time.  

When you consider that a Chipolo One is cheaper and offers most of these features without a subscription, the Tile is only worth the extra money because you’ll benefit from Tile’s much larger user base that might just find your lost item.

Chipolo beat Apple to the punch by making its existing One tracker compatible with Find My before Apple launched the AirTag.

In some ways it’s better than the AirTag, too, as the hole means you can get it out of the box and pop it on your keyring without needing an accessory.

It works exclusively with the Find My app, not Chipolo’s own app, which means it’s no use if you’re an Android owner. (And if you are, Chipolo now offers the One Point which works with Google’s Find My system.)

However, if you have an iPhone, the One Spot is an excellent tracker, with a longer range and slightly louder ring than an AirTag – and it’s cheaper, too. Plus, it leverages the same millions-strong community of iPhone users which means a much higher chance of tracking down a lost item than if you lose a Chipolo One, which relies on Chipolo’s smaller community of users.

The hardware is essentially the same as the Chipolo One below, with IPX5 water resistance and a replaceable battery, though it lasts only a year rather than two despite being the same CR2032 cell.

Of course, this also means that there’s no U1 chip, so you don’t get the same precise directions as with an AirTag when you’re close by but still can’t find your missing item.

There are many Bluetooth tracker manufacturers, but Chipolo is the only brand we’ve tested – so far – that can compete with Apple and Tile.

The Chipolo One has a replaceable battery, but unlike the older Classic model it’s water resistant to the IPX5 standard, which basically means it’ll be perfectly ok if it gets rained on.

It takes a CR2032 battery which lasts up to two years and comes in various colours, which is nice.

There’s a separate model called the Ocean Edition. Its outer shell is made from recycled plastic retrieved from the sea, and Chipolo will donate $1 to the non-profit Oceanic Global for each one bought. It is more expensive than the regular edition, so protecting the ocean will cost you.

Chipolo’s app bears more than a passing resemblance to Tile’s app, so there’s a clean interface that’s intuitive to use.

One useful feature is left-behind alerts. It’s on by default and when you walk away with your phone far enough (beyond the 200ft connection range) you’ll get an audible alert from the app asking if you meant to leave your item behind. 

We found this system worked better than Tile’s, alerting us much sooner. Plus, unlike Tile’s you don’t have to pay for the feature by subscribing to a premium tier of the service.

There’s Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri on support, so you can ask the assistant to ring your item – more convenient than unlocking your phone, opening the app and waiting for the device to connect.

The One’s range wasn’t quite 200ft, but the ringer is very loud. And this is crucial because the chances are that your keys are in a coat pocket or sown the side of the sofa cushions.

Another bonus is that – unlike Tile – you can log in with your account details to Chipolo’s web portal in any browser to see where your trackers were last seen. You can’t ring them, but you can mark them as lost and you can ring your phone, so long as it has an internet connection and the Chipolo app is running in the background.

Like Tile, the Chipolo lets you ring your phone from the tracker itself and there’s a ‘Community Find’ system for tracking lost items outside of Bluetooth range. However, this is a lot smaller than Tile’s user base, which itself is much smaller than Apple’s, so the chances are slimmer of your lost tracker being located by another Chipolo owner. That’s the main drawback here.

The Tile Mate was updated in 2022, featuring a slightly curvier design. 

For under twenty quid (or 25 bucks), features aren’t on a par with the Pro: the speaker is quieter and the range is 250ft (76m). That’s still very respectable, though, and you benefit from the same reliability, the same set of features, the same app and the same crowd-find system.

It’s not as loud as the Chipolo One – which is only fractionally more expensive – and you have to subscribe the Tile Premium service if you want extra features such as Smart Alerts that are free with the Chipolo.

Disappointingly, the battery is no longer replaceable, but the battery is now said to last three years. Obviously we haven’t been able to verify that: check back in 2025 to find out whether the claim is true or not!

This credit-card sized, pocket-friendly Bluetooth tracker is just 2mm thick which means you should be able to slip it into your wallet without making it too bulky.

Waterproof and dustproof, it works with Apple’s Find My app operates much like Apple’s own AirTag—except it’s much thinner and so won’t ruin your wallet with an ugly bulge.

Its tracker ring tone emits up to 80 decibels. If you need louder, check out the Chipolo Card Spot, reviewed below, which can blast out 105dB.

Battery life is two-years, and you can’t swap out for a new battery when it’s faded like you could with an AirTag.

Journey also offers a LOC8 Finder Fob with the same capabilities but more like the AirTag or Chipolo One Spot in dimensions.

At 2.4mm thick this credit-card sized Bluetooth tracker is a tiny bit thicker than the 2mm Journey LOC8 Finder Card.

As with Chipolo’s One Spot, the Card Spot works with Apple’s Find My system, so you’ll need an iPhone or iPad to use it.

The benefits are worth it, though, as it’s super-simple to set up and, of course, you don’t even need to download an app or sign up for a Chipolo account: it works with your existing Apple ID.

Lose your wallet and there’s a much greater chance you’ll find it again than if you used, say Tile’s Slim tracker (below). That’s because any iPhone that moves within range of your lost wallet can anonymously report the Card Spot’s location, allowing you to see on a map where it was last seen.

As long as your iPhone and iPad has up-to-date software, you’ll get alerts if you leave the Card Spot behind, and—although non-replaceable—the built-in battery should last two years.

The Sticker comes in packs of two or four and is the obvious tracker to use if your TV remote is misplaced on a regular basis.

But you could also stick one to a camera, skateboard, cordless drill, glasses case, under the saddle of your bike – pretty much anything, in fact, so long as it has a flat surface wide enough for the 27mm device.

It’s water-resistant, and its battery now lasts up to three years. It’s just a shame you can’t replace it. But the little button has  been relocated to the side of the device which avoids accidental presses – a problem on the original model. The button lets you ring you phone, just as with the other Tile trackers.

Stickers behave exactly like a Tile Mate or Pro, and the second-gen model has an increased range of 250 feet (76m). 

If there’s a criticism it’s that they’re more expensive than the Tile Mate, and only come in packs of two or four.

The Slim was updated with a 2022 model, just like the rest of Tile’s range. Though they’re called ‘2022’ they actually launched in October 2021.

However, this takes nothing away from the fact that battery life has been improved in line with the Sticker and Mate, so a Slim now lasts three years instead of two.

Unfortunately the battery isn’t replaceable, so its life is more limited than the Pro, which is now the only model that has a battery which can be changed.

The Slim, though, is the ideal choice if you need a tracker for your wallet, and it’s the perfect size to slip into a luggage tag, or attach to a notebook.

Range is increased to 250ft (76m) and the ringer is just as loud as the Mate and Sticker. The bad news is that it’s just as expensive as the Pro, so you’re trading off range, ringer loudness and the replaceable battery for the thinner form factor.