Lost luggage – and for that matter, keys, wallets, headphones and passports – are a major headache for travellers. But a clever little Bluetooth device called Tile Pro helps users track down missing items using their smartphone. Jenny Southan reports
The Tile Pro is a small, square, tracking device with a button hidden on its side that allows built-in Bluetooth technology to pair with your smartphone (once you have downloaded the associated app).
Once up and running, you can attach the Tile Pro to personal items and view where they are located on a map in real-time.
Pressing the button will also make the Tile beep (very loudly), so if you have lost whatever it is attached to nearby (like keys down a sofa), you will hear it.
Costing £30, Tile Pros can be bought individually or in a two- or four-pack. However, a number of travel accessory brands have partnered with the company, integrating Tile directly into their products.
Samsonite, for example, has embedded a Tile Mate Bluetooth tracker into its £289 Prodigy Spinner suitcase, which also has a removable power bank. Then there is Skullcandy, which has sunk a Tile into its Venue Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones (£150).
Away has put a Tile Slim Bluetooth tracker into an Away x Tile Luggage Tag (£30), while Herschel has slipped one into its Search Passport Holder (£85).
Replaceable batteries in the Tile Pro typically last one year and has a
There is also the option of seeing the past 30 days’ location history. But as a reviewer on TomsGuide says: “Location History displays everywhere you and your Tile have been. That can be helpful for tracking down lost items, I suppose, but I worry about Location History’s potential for abuse by an overly controlling partner.”