Device tracking that works across more than one platform is part of Tile’s offering already, but the latest gadgets bring an SOS button with the potential for roadside assistance.
Keeping tabs on your gear is made easier with the help of technology, as devices like the AirTag can provide a sense of “where” it is, even when it’s lost. However, the technology is one that not everyone can make use of.
Apple’s AirTag is just for people living in the Apple ecosystem — iPhone and iPad and so on — while folks on Android have to typically contend with devices made strictly for one brand or another.
Samsung’s AirTag equivalent, for instance, is only compatible with Samsung phones, and if you don’t have a Galaxy phone, you can’t play at all.
Both devices work on the same principle all Bluetooth trackers use, taking advantage of location data of nearby phones, and using the background information to help pinpoint where things are. You don’t know your iPhone is doing it for other AirTags around you, and the same is true with Samsung device owners.
While both of these require mobile devices from their manufacturer to work, at least one brand has been building connected with the idea of platform agnostic trackers since before trackers were a thing.
Tile, now owned byLife 360, has long been connected with trackers that work across iOS and Android, using a similar system to the other tracker makers. Rather than rely on the phones specific to one manufacturer, Tile instead leverages its app used by existing Tile owners to locate and pinpoint other Tile devices, using the power 2.4 million active users in Australia.
Recently, Life360 has added a few more Tile trackers to the list, and even updated the feature set.
The range includes the Tile Mate designed to be used with a keyring, the Tile Sticker to mount a Tile with adhesive easily to any gadget or item, the Tile Slim wallet card, and the Tile Pro, a slightly larger tracker with a louder ring and a large 150 metre range.
Aside for tracking items, each of the trackers features a multi-function button able to trigger an SOS feature by pressing the button three times. Doing so will send a notification to designated emergency contacts complete with location information, with this being a free part of the Life360 Tile package.
Crash detection is also a part of the free offering, with similar alerts for emergency contacts when collisions over a certain speed have been detected (40km/h), while a paid feature includes roadside assistance, allowing the Tile to trigger sending someone your way to deal with flat tyres, jumpstarts, refueling, and towing.
“As we expand Life360’s capabilities, the new Tile lineup advances our vision of a comprehensive solution for staying connected and protecting what matters most to families,” said Chris Hulls, Co-founder and CEO of Life360.
“With our extensive network of over 70 million monthly active users, finding lost and stolen items is faster and more reliable than ever before,” he said.
Cross platform compatibility is part of the package here, with the Life360 app available across iPhone, iPad, and Android, and the Tile being platform agnostic.
The range can be found from $39.95 in Australia now, with the Tile Sticker sitting at that price point, while the Tile Mate keyring costs $44.95, the Tile Slim wallet card for $49.95, and the Tile Pro for $59.95.
