Tile Mate, Slim, and Sticker (2024) review

Are you organised? Do you remember where you’ve left your keys, phone, and wallet? If so, these aren't the devices for you. Tile trackers are the best friends of forgetful folks like me. I cannot tell you how often I misplace my passport, keys, and phone. Especially when I put it 'in a safe place’ and then forget where in the world that safe place is. 

The Tile is your saving grace. With the click of a button, you can locate anything. Your phone, keys, luggage, even the jacket that always seems to go missing until you find it long after it’s needed. 

Bluetooth tracker company Tile is back and better than ever with a range of redesigned trackers. Two years in the works, the Mate, Slim, and Sticker have turned heads with their new and improved features. But is it enough for Tile to hold its ground in an already saturated market?

With the Tile Premium subscription, you’ll be notified when you leave your keys or wallet at home. There are also no limits on sharing, so your friends and family can help you find your missing items. It also includes a $150 item reimbursement if Tile can’t find your items. The Premium plan is free for the first three months, then $48.99 a year afterwards. Tile’s Premium Protect plan delivers all the above, but with up to $1,500 item reimbursement for $164.99 a year. 

Tile uses the Life360 network to keep track of your valuables. This means over 70 million Life360 users are automatically opted in. Even when a stranger’s phone doesn’t have a Tile tracker or app installed, it’ll still ping them so you can locate your Tile.

With a Life360 subscription, your whole family will see the location history of your valuables on the in-app map. Paying for a Life360 subscription will get you emergency services dispatch, roadside protection, and reimbursement if something happens to your valuables. However, you’ll still have access to plenty of features (like SOS alerts) without a plan. In our opinion, it’s not completely necessary unless you want to be able to phone 000 or you’re paranoid about losing a valuable item. 

Setting up Tile trackers is seamless. The most time-consuming part is creating an account if you don’t have one. Just input using your email address and scan the QR code in the included pamphlet. 

The new Tiles are cute, compact, and come in a range of vibrant new colours. If you're after the Slim or Mate, you can choose from Navy Blaze, Pink Punch, Aqua Lemon, and Green Surf at the checkout. Unfortunately, the Sticker only comes in black.

We tried out the Mate, Slim, and Sticker. For us, the Mate came out on top. However, it’s clear that no matter what you misplace, Tile has you covered. Want to keep a tab on the location of your wallet or passport? Slip a Tile Slim in there. Want to keep track of your remote or console? Slap a Tile Sticker on it. For most folks, the Tile Mate is a winner. It's loud, light, and an affordable option for iOS and Android users alike.

The most intriguing part of the new Tile range is the SOS function. To activate it, just triple-press the button on your Tile, and it’ll notify every member in your Life360 circle. If you want your Tile to call 000 for you, you’ll need to fork out $13.99 a month for a Gold or Platinum Life360 membership. 

I was keen to see how the new and improved Tile range measured up against the Apple AirTag. The AirTag relies on the Apple ecosystem to locate the tracker. Even though Tile’s ecosystem isn’t as big, it has the bonus of Android and iOS compatibility. Tile uses a Bluetooth connection to find the exact location of your tracker. So long as you’re in range, you can find what you're looking for. For the Tile Mate and Slim, it's 106m, and for the Sticker, it's 76m. 

We tested the Tile Mate and Slim in two locations. For the first location, I popped it in the backyard and headed to the opposite end of the house. Even without a clear path, the chime could still be heard. For the second location, I hid it in a public park. With ambient traffic in the background, it could still be heard up to 50 meters away and detected around 100 meters away, give or take. 

The Sticker is noticeably quieter than the others, and the app stopped detecting it after about 30 metres. Keep this in mind before you go slapping the Sticker on your valuables. While we’re not the biggest fans of the Sticker, it does have its place on often-used household items, like video game consoles, controllers, or TV remotes. 

We like the flexibility of the Mate and Slim, so the Sticker was a bit of a letdown. If you want to slide it into your wallet one day and your passport the next, you can. But with the Sticker, what’s done is done. Once you stick it onto a surface, you can’t remove it and place it somewhere else.

Though the Mate is a top choice for most people, the Sticker and Slim are a worthwhile purchase depending on your needs. I travelled overseas recently and would've loved to have owned the Tile Slim. I didn't lose my passport, but I’m a paranoid person when it comes to valuable goods. This was where the AirTag was useful. I stuffed it in my luggage and I could see where in the world it was – but the passport? I had to hold onto that baby with my life. If I could see that the passport was travelling with me and not left behind in an airport bathroom, it could have eased a lot of anxiety.

According to Tile, you should be able to use digital assistants to find your Tile. However, it didn't matter how close I was, I couldn’t get Siri and Tile to cooperate. After some Googling, it’s clear that other Tile users experienced this issue, too. If you use Alexa or Google you might have better luck, but Siri shortcuts proved unsuccessful.

The new Tile range lives up to the hype. If you’ve never owned a Tile, the Mate is a great place to start. They’re an affordable way of ensuring you’ll never lose your keys or phone again. That seems like a pretty good deal for as little as $39.95.