Tile plans to compete with Apple’s well-known AirTags and plans to introduce an upgraded range of article trackers that include an ultra-wideband (UWB) chip for more accurate tracking.
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Tile concept art for UWB tracker via TechCrunch
Apple’s AirTags have rumors that it includes the U1 ultra wideband chip added to the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models. Apple’s U1 AirTags can offer better tracking capabilities than just Bluetooth, meaning it’s technology that Tile needs to stay competitive.
According to TechCrunch, Tile’s upcoming article trackers will also use augmented reality features to guide users to the site of a lost item with the Tile mobile app. Apple is working on a similar solution and based on the code we found in different versions of iOS, the ‘AirTags’ will also rely on the augmented reality to make it easier to find missing devices and accessories.
Previous tile trackers relied only on Bluetooth, which is not as accurate as UWB due to the spatial data that the newer technology can collect.
Because UWB provides spatial awareness features, it can detect missing items inside or outside, even if you cannot hear the tracker. This can help if the missing item is buried under something – such as a couch cushion – or inside something like a chest of drawers. It can also help to find items more easily in a larger space, such as a home with multiple floors.
The Tile app, meanwhile, will allow users to launch to an AR-enabled camera view that will help guide them to the location of the item using overlays, such as directional arrows and an AR view of the item ‘s place.
The iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models have U1 chips, and some Android phones support UWB, so these devices will be compatible with Tile’s upcoming trackers. Apple gave third-party developers access to the U1 chip in the latest iPhones last year.
Draft art for the new Tile tracker suggests that it will look similar to the existing Tile trackers with a square shape, center button, a keychain attachment and a flat back that is compatible with glue.
Tile plans to launch the new article trackers later this year, and it will be compatible with iOS and Android devices. Apple has implemented a new system that allows article trackers to work within the Find My app, but it sounds like Tile will be using its own app for article location purposes.
There’s no word on when Apple plans to release ‘AirTags’, and there have been signs of that in several versions of iOS. Many rumors suggested that we would see them before the end of 2020, but Apple had an exemption. Earlier this week, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the AirTags would be released in 2021 at some point.