Tile Bluetooth tracker: A useful, questionable part

It's morning, your face is still pretty sleepy and you're actually on the go. But you want to choke down that last sip of coffee - it's always so bitter - before you leave your flat. Only: the damn house key is gone.

Your pulse starts to race. Cold sweat runs down your face. "It was only just there," you exclaim in a mixture of frustration and horror. It's like Bilbo Baggins in Lord of the Rings, when he lost his ring and searched every corner of his cosy hobbit cave like a madman. Fortunately, the key - and Bilbo's ring - turns up again. But you've missed your train.

Yes, I know that nasty feeling too. Fortunately, there are trackers that can prevent this. I tried one of them. At first I was thrilled, but then I discovered the catch.

Bluetooth tracker from Tile

In the office. Once again, I put my wallet in my left trouser pocket instead of my right. The panicked way I pat myself down makes every security guy at the airport proud. Category Marketing Manager Andrea Jacob, who is actually in the editorial office for something completely different, takes pity on me.

"Da Luca," she says, "try these Bluetooth trackers."

She holds out her little 3.5 × 3.5 cm Tile box to me.

Trackers

Tile Combo Pack

Trackers

Tile Pro Style

Trackers

Tile Pro Style

Trackers

Tile Combo Pack

Trackers

Tile Pro Style

Trackers

Tile Pro Style

To all Tile Bluetooth trackers.

I'm a little sceptical.

"What exactly is it supposed to be able to do?"

"You attach Tiles to everything you don't want to lose."

"I see."

"Then you install the Tile app on your smartphone and pair it with your Tiles."

"And then my mobile tracks things?"

"Exactly.

"That's right. Via Bluetooth."

That sounds promising, I think to myself. Andrea comes back later and gives me five packs. The picture of my panicked search has probably sent the following message: I lose valuables - all the time.

Well then. This all gets a tile from me:

• Wallet
• House keys
• Car keys
• Bag
• Cat "Miez"

The tile is probably a little too big for "Miez". Inspired by Dominik's woof-woof sports watch text, my initial experiment never went beyond my cat's questioning face.

And this is how it works

The first thing you need to do is set up a Tile account. This requires your name and email address. When you open the app for the first time, the selection is still empty. You will be asked to link your app with Tiles. By the way, this is pronounced in English - "part" - you understand how the parts to which you attach your Tiles. Good pun.

Once you've done this, your home screen fills up with your stuff.

To pair Tiles, first click on the plus icon at the top left, then select your Tile model and follow the simple instructions on the screen.

The app helps you in the following two cases:

1. You have lost a Tile that you have paired with your mobile
2. You have lost the mobile phone with which you have paired your Tiles

So, imagine your beloved house key is gone. You know, Bilbo Baggins and all, all stressed out. You open the Tile app, click on "Search" under the key icon and wait until you hear the key jingle. However, this only works if you have a (constantly) active Bluetooth connection. After all, your mobile has to communicate with the Tiles somehow - even outside your home, in case you're wondering why the Tile app doesn't use the home network.

You can also turn the tables. If you ever lose your smartphone, you can use the Tile boxes to track your mobile. This means that you simply press the Tile button in the centre and your mobile starts ringing.

I quickly realise that I have found a weakness in the concept. I tell Andrea this straight away.

"But Andrea, I could just call myself from another mobile."

"And if your mobile is muted? What then?"

"Oh."

The nice thing about the Tile app is that it keeps ringing even when your mobile is on silent. That's super handy, but so is Google Find my Phone. Nevertheless, how often does your callback campaign fail because your mobile is vibrating unnoticed somewhere in the depths of your sports bag or sofa?

What happens when it happens: Lost Tiles

Suppose you lose your car keys. And you lose it in such a way that it's no longer nearby. Your Bluetooth connection is now useless. So how are you going to track your key?

This is where the Tile Community comes into play. If you mark one of your items as "lost" in the app, the app uses other Tile members to find your lost car key. If another member is actually in the vicinity of your key, you will receive a push notification telling you where your key was last tracked.

I tried it out with my car key.

The tracking happens in the background for all users: You don't get a notification that says: "Hey, your app is currently tracking other members' lost tiles". Maybe that's better. You'd be annoyed and uninstall the app after the twenty-third push notification. Apart from that, you don't want other members to know that you've misplaced your wallet with contents as valuable as Frodo's mithril chainmail - which is worth about as much as the entire Shire.

My "lost" car key, which I of course always carried with me, was tracked several times at my workplace. And another time at Zurich main station. I wonder if the key hasn't stayed in place long enough to be tracked elsewhere. Bluetooth tracking probably only works if not only my Tile is stationary, but also the Tile member who is currently tracking my Tile.

The good thing is that other members remain anonymous. No notification shows who has tracked my lost key. Conversely, I assume that I also remain anonymous if my smartphone is used for tracking. Will I give up my anonymity to other users when I click on the blue "Thank you for sending" button? I try it out, and the following message pops up in the Andreas Tile app:

Someone. That's good. I've remained anonymous

The catch: non-replaceable batteries

According to customer reviews from users Guidostm and Promanens, the battery in the small box weighing around six grams should last about a year. The battery itself is not replaceable. This means that after a year, you buy everything new.

Right now?

It wasn't just our two users who found this, but what felt like the whole internet. Or at least so many outraged customers that Tile made a statement about it:

In summary:

• Tile only works if the battery in the small box is working
• Tile guarantees that the battery will last for a year
• Tile therefore guarantees that its devices will work for a year
• It is not possible to design a Tile that works for a year and at the same time enables replaceable batteries

The fact that you don't have to think about replacing the batteries is a feature and not a scam to take new money out of your pocket after a year. They call it "peace of mind". Don't make me laugh. I find such a claim almost provocative.

Honestly: In 2018, non-replaceable batteries are pure greed. Whether in 3D glasses, watches, smartwatches, calculators or-wherever: replaceable button cells are everywhere and are not rocket science. I don't buy the warranty excuse from Tile and it's a joke. They're basically saying: "The warranty is there as long as the device works. And the device will work longer than its battery lasts".

Or more cynically: Buy it, throw it away, and buy a new one.

But much worse is Tile's exchange offer. If you contact Tile directly, you can exchange your old device for a new one and get a discount of around 30-40%. It's basically a subscription service under the guise of good customer service. What Tile is doing here is planned obsolescence to perfection: instead of charging you once and letting you replace the batteries yourself, you're supposed to come back again and again at precisely defined one-year intervals.

A few words about data protection

Tile is there to tell you where your items are. To do this, Tile needs to collect data about your location. If you don't like this, you'd better not use Tile. That doesn't mean I don't take data protection seriously. I mean, the app not only tracks items, but also its members. So I'm kind of interested in who finds out about it and to what extent.

So Tile collects your personal data. However, you will remain anonymous to other Tile members or third-party providers until you choose otherwise.

If you use the mobile app, Tile tracks:

• Your location and the location of paired Tiles
• How and how often you use the app
• Date and time of your search queries in the app
• Information about the model of your smartphone device and its operating system

Tile says they want to better understand their users and tailor content to them. Of course they do. But Tile also assures that no data will be passed on to third parties. After all. However, this only applies as long as you do not link your Tile account with one of your social media accounts. This is because Tile's privacy policy naturally does not apply to Facebook, Twitter and the like.

The servers on which your personal data is collected are apparently located in San Mateo, California, USA.

Conclusion: What is Tile good for?

The app has already proved its worth several times over the past three months. It's almost a little uncomfortable to admit that so openly.

But I'm pretty sure I'm trading some personal data for privacy. What reassures me is that I remain anonymous to the viewer. And - other members never find out what I lose and when I lose it. Not even if I resort to the Community to find lost tiles.

I deliberately don't link my account to social networks. I strongly recommend this. This prevents your personal data from being passed on to third parties and other advertisers via social media. This is because Tile's data protection guidelines stipulate that nothing is passed on to third parties. You only open Pandora's box when you consent to Facebook or other social apps accessing the data. However, I can't guarantee that your data is protected from hacker attacks. Who can do that?

So, the app is great. But the battery thing: not cool. Really. It leaves a damn pale aftertaste that prevents me from giving you an unreserved recommendation to buy it. Not that buying new Tiles every year is the end of the world. But the way Tile wants to make it palatable: Disgusting.