How often do you come in, put your keys down somewhere and can never find them again? Or maybe you quite often spend an hour looking for the tv remote that one of the kids has moved (but argue that they haven’t touched it)? I’m sure that is something that happens to us all from time to time (or in the case of my partner, quite regularly). My partner is always putting her car keys down in different places and then we all end up hunting for them. The simplest way to keep track of them would be to put them in the same place every time, unfortunately life isn’t that simple. A simple tracker so that you can find your keys, remotes and other equipment using your phone seems like a good idea and we were delighted to receive the Tile Sticker to try out.
The Tile Sticker is a stick-on Bluetooth tracker that enables you to locate your misplaced things. Its name suggests something flat and thin, but it is not as thin as the name suggests. With a diameter equivalent to that of a 10p coin and about 3 or 4 times as thick (27mm x 7.3mm) it isn’t technically a sticker. That said, you can stick the Tile to anything that you want to keep track of, not just your keys, and locate that item using an app on your phone (I am seriously considering sticking one to the kids shoes as they can never seem to find them!).
The Tile Sticker is available in a pack of 2 or 4, only available in black. It is a waterproof device (spill, splash and dunk proof) with a range of 46m (150ft). It has a 3-year non-replaceable battery and fixes to almost any item with a flat surface using strong 3M adhesive (takes 24 hours to fully bond to any item that it is stuck to).
We received a pack of two Tile Stickers. Having a small tracker, or finder as Tile call them, is brilliant but not much use without having something to help you find them. This is done with the aid of an app for your smartphone or tablet. The Tile app can be downloaded for free from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).
Once you have downloaded the app you will need to create a user account as the Stickers are associated with your account. Once the account is created you can activate your Sticker. The app is very easy to use, and this is all very straightforward. By following the onscreen prompts, you are instructed to press the small button on the Sticker until it makes a noise and hold it near your phone or tablet. Once the Sticker connects to the app you can associate this with your item – keys, remote, bike, pet, etc., and even add your own picture.
You can now place the Sticker on any flat surface on your item (it will take 24 hours for the glue to fully bond to secure the Sticker properly). Once the Sticker is on, you can now use the app to find your item.
By using the app, you can see the last location of the Sticker and also press “Find” on the device you are looking for so that it will ring. If within range, the Sticker will ring and the volume is quite loud. If you are out of range you can be notified when it is found.
You can also use the Sticker to find your phone, which is an excellent feature. With the app running in the background on your phone or tablet (and Bluetooth enabled), you can press the button twice on the Sticker and if your phone is within range it will ring it so that you can locate it.
You can also share the Tile with one other user (unless you subscribe to Premium to get Unlimited Sharing). This enables another user with the app installed on their phone to also be able to locate the device the Sticker is attached to. This is handy for remote controls and other items that one person is not responsible for.
You can also mark items as lost with the Notify When Found feature so that when you missing Tile is picked up by other Tile users in the Tile Community, your app is automatically and anonymously updated, helping you locate it.
Another feature that I do like is that as the Tile is associated with your account you can easily transfer to someone else. So if you have already activated a Sticker but no longer want or need it you can transfer it easily to someone else with an account by using the transfer option. Just put in their account email address and this removes it from your account and puts it on theirs.
Overall, we think the Tile Sticker is great. It is simple to use, easy to setup and activate with a very simple app that makes finding your misplaced things easy. The range is decent, and volume of the Sticker is loud enough to locate items within your house. The glue seems extremely strong and it hasn’t fallen off yet. If you wanted to put a Tile on your keys we would probably go for the Tile Pro or Tile Mate as they can attach to your keyring without glue (and have replaceable batteries). We have also been looking at the Tile Slim as this looks an excellent alternative to keep in a purse or wallet.
The only negative for us is the lack of a replaceable battery as after 3 years (or when the battery dies) you have to throw away the Sticker and replace it. The Sticker is waterproof, so making the battery removable is a problem and I can see why you can’t do it but maybe a wireless rechargeable battery for the future could be a possible upgrade?
If you are always misplacing things, the Tile Sticker is an excellent easy way to find them. Especially useful in this time of self-isolation, staying at home, working from home and home schooling where the stress with probably make you misplace things more often.
Rating: 4.5/5
RRP: £24.99 (1 pack) / £44.99 (2 pack)
For more information or to buy, visit www.tile.com.
