Verdict
Tile’s Mate is the quintessential Bluetooth tracker. It’s fairly small, discreet, robust, and has a loop in the corner so you can hook it onto your keys. It has a reasonable detection range, and the software support is excellent (and works on both iOS and Android).
Downsides include a lack of Ultra-Wideband direction finding and the non-replaceable battery offering a three-year lifespan limit (you’ll need to upgrade to the Tile Pro if you want to change the battery), but with its low price compared to Apple AirTags and other popular trackers, the Tile Mate is well worth a look if you want to stop losing things.
Pros
- Small, light & unobtrusive
- New SOS functionality
- Android and iOS compatibility
Cons
- Bluetooth only
- Battery not replaceable
- Colours cost more
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Works with multiple appsThe Tile Mate works with both the regular Tile app and the Life360 app, allowing you to keep track of family members and your valuables in one app. -
SOS alertsWith a triple-press of the built-in button, you can send an SOS message with your location details to predetermined users via the Life360 app. -
Three years of battery lifeThe Tile Mate will keep tracking your valuables for up to three years – though without a replaceable battery, the whole unit will need to be disposed of eventually.
Introduction
The old reliable Tile Mate has a subtle new look and a fresh bit of functionality for 2024, with the newfound ability to send an SOS message to selected recipients.
It doesn’t have a replaceable battery, isn’t as large and long-ranged as the Tile Pro or as discreet as the Tile Slim and Tile Sticker, but has a (claimed) slight increase in range over the 2022 version, and a useful lanyard hole in the casing so you can attach it to things easily.
So if you’re prone to losing your keys, your backpack or your cat, it’s an excellent Bluetooth tracker for finding it again. And while there are drawbacks to using a Bluetooth-only locator with no GPS, especially with other locators on the market which have additional capabilities, the Tile Mate remains one of the most cost-effective ways to find lost items again.
Design
- Updated look from 2022 model
- Colours available
- Key ring loop
The 2024 Mate retains the basic design cues of the range but gives them a more modern twist. It’s still roughly square, with rounded corners, a depressed button in the centre and a hole at the top to attach it to things (now eye-shaped rather than circular).
However, now the hole is slightly larger and the Mate I was sent doesn’t have the same lighter-coloured edge as the Tile Pro or the Pro’s replaceable battery, so there’s nothing to break the casing’s smooth finish.
As Tile is now part of Life360, that company’s swirly logo is now present alongside the Tile wordmark, while on the back is a small speaker grille and a QR code that can be scanned by anyone lucky enough to find your lost item, just like the Tile Lost & Found labels.
In tiny print under that is a web address, but it doesn’t lead to anything useful, merely a legal statement about patents that isn’t going to help anyone get in touch with you.
Compared to the Tile Pro, the Mate is extremely plasticky feeling, but also lighter. It’s not that much smaller than the Pro, though they have a slightly different shape, with the Mate shorter and slightly fatter at 7.4mm thick. It carries an IP68 ingress protection rating, so will be able to stand up to a dunk in water or sand without immediately failing.
On the black model provided for review, the edging is the same colour as the rest of the body, but more brightly coloured models are available (and these may help with locating them visually when lost) including a dark blue with an orange edge or cyan and yellow. The plain black and white schemes are cheaper than the other colours, however.
Performance
- Two-way finding
- SOS alerts
- Bluetooth range underwhelming
The 2024 Tile Mate acts just like any other Tile device. You connect it to your Tile account using the app on a phone or tablet, and then it will broadcast its location to the Tile network. This means that, if it’s lost outside of the Bluetooth range of your phone, the Mate can use any other nearby phone that’s also connected to the Tile network to get a message through.
As it’s Bluetooth-only, it’s less precise than trackers that use Ultra-wideband or GPS, but it’s good enough to get you into the general area so you can set off its internal speaker and hone in by sound, even if it’s in a coat pocket or a different room.
It does, however, rely on having Bluetooth devices with the correct app on board being nearby, so if you lose your Mate-attached keys in a city you’re in with a decent chance of finding them, but drop them on a wild cliffside walk and they will be harder to find due to the lower footfall.
Life360 claims over 70 million users of the network, but the right person still needs to be in the right place for it to work. For comparison, Apple and Samsung claim higher numbers of users enrolled in their respective finding networks.
The claimed range for the Mate is 100m, an improvement on the previous model. In testing, however, it wouldn’t connect at anything like this. At 30m it would connect and could be heard, but by 35m it was struggling and at 40m the app couldn’t locate the Tile Mate, though when I triggered the location tune and walked away, it could still be heard by 40m and even 50m.
Distance, walls and background noise are the Mate’s enemies, as it does its best to guide you toward it by making a sound rather than with any direction-finding. This is good enough if you’re in an open area or quite close, but with walls, fences, trees or any sort of noise from vehicles it can melt away.
Software
- Subscription available
- Two apps
- Reimbursement scheme for subscribers
You’ll have to install a phone or tablet app to use the Tile Mate, though it does work with both Android and iOS devices. You have a choice between the Tile app and the Life360 app, though the SOS alert functionality is only available with the latter. The app will take you through pairing your new Tile with your account and gives you a quick slideshow of tips on how to use it.
Despite the necessity of having a compatible device in range, when the Tile Mate works, it works well. A single click of the button is used to initiate setup to pair the Mate to your account. From the phone or tablet app you can then get the rough location of the device (or its last reported position) and get it to play a jolly tune through its built-in speaker to aid locating it once you’re in range or to attract nearby dog walkers if you’re not.
Two clicks of the button locates in the other direction, so you can use the Tile Mate to find your phone – it plays a tune even with the ringer set to silent mode. Three clicks activate the new SOS message service, which (if in range of a compatible Bluetooth device) sends an emergency alert to pre-selected contacts via the Life360 app rather than the basic Tile one. Life360 now owns Tile, so this may be the start of a migration of users to the new app.
While the Mate can be used without a subscription, one is available and unlocks a location history for the device so you can see where it has been rather than just where it is right now.
Getting a sub also unlocks Tile’s reimbursement scheme, which gives you up to £73/$100/AUS$150 back if you lose an item with a Tile attached permanently (and set it up beforehand, including sending a photo of the object/Tile combo), an amount which rises by ten times if you take out a Premium Protect plan.
It’s expensive, at £99.99/$99.99/AUS$164.99, but can be worth it if you’re carrying something precious (but not irreplaceable) into rough terrain.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
You need a platform-agnostic Bluetooth tracker to track something important
The fact that the Tile Mate works with both iOS and Android immediately makes it more attractive than platform-locked alternatives like the Apple AirTag.
You need better tracking functionality
As capable as the Tile Mate is, it doesn’t offer the UWB tech you’ll find on alternatives like the AirTag that allow for precise finding when nearby.
Final Thoughts
Of all the varied Tile range, the Mate is probably the ‘basic’ model. It’s small, but not like the Slim and Sticker are. It can attach to things like the Pro, but doesn’t offer quite as great a detection range and you can’t replace the battery, so will have to discard it and buy a replacement after three years.
It is, however, reasonably priced against competitors, and despite not offering precision location information (you’ll have to use your ears to find it once you’re in the general vicinity) remains a good value way to locate and protect your possessions.
How we test
We make sure to spend at least a week with each tracker, testing all of the advertised features. We’ll also test the range of the product, and how easy it is to set up.
We spend at least a week testing each tracker
We test the maximum range of each tracker
Extensively test the companion app
FAQs
Yes, it’s both water- and dust-resistant with an IP68 rating.
Unfortunately not. While it’ll last for three years, once it does run flat, you’ll have to (responsibly) dispose of the tracker.
