Tile Plans to Introduce Item Trackers With Ultra Wideband Support

Tile is poised to compete with Apple's long-rumored AirTags and is planning to introduce an upgraded series of item trackers that include an ultra wideband (UWB) chip for more precise tracking.

tile item tracker

Tile concept art for UWB tracker, via TechCrunch

Apple's AirTags are rumored to include the U1 ultra wideband chip that has been added into the iPhone 11 and ‌iPhone‌ 12 models. Apple's U1 AirTags will be able to offer better tracking capabilities than is possible with Bluetooth alone, which means that it is technology that Tile must match to remain competitive.

According to TechCrunch, Tile's upcoming item trackers will also use augmented reality capabilities to guide users to a lost item's location using the Tile mobile app. Apple is working on a similar solution and based on code that we've found in various versions of iOS, the AirTags too will rely on augmented reality to make it easier to find missing devices and accessories.

Prior Tile item trackers have relied solely on Bluetooth, which isn't as accurate as UWB because of the spatial data that the newer technology is able to collect.

Because UWB offers spatial awareness capabilities, it will be able to locate missing items inside or outside, even when you can't hear the tracker's ring. This could help when the missing item is buried under something -- like a sofa cushion -- or inside something like a dresser drawer, for example. It can also help to find items more easily in a larger space, like a house with multiple floors.

The Tile app, meanwhile, will allow users to launch to an AR-enabled camera view that will help to guide them to the item's location using overlays, like directional arrows and an AR view of the item's location.

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 provided third-party developers with access to the U1 chip in the newest iPhones last year.

Concept art for the new item tracker from Tile suggests it will look similar to Tile's existing trackers with a square shape, center button, keychain attachment, and a flat back that is compatible with adhesive.

Tile is planning to release the new item trackers later this year, and they will be compatible with iOS and Android devices. Apple has implemented a new system that allows item trackers to work inside the Find My app, but it sounds like Tile will be taking advantage of its own app for item location purposes.

There is no word on when Apple plans to release AirTags, and there have been signs of them in multiple versions of iOS. Many rumors suggested we'd see them before the end of 2020, but Apple has held off on a release. Earlier this week, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the AirTags would be released at some point in 2021.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Five Things to Expect From Apple's 'Awe Dropping' September 9 Event

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
Apple today announced its "Awe Dropping" iPhone-centric event, which is set to take place on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. There are a long list of products that are coming, but we thought we'd pull out five feature highlights to look forward to. That Super Thin iPhone - Apple's September 9 event will see the unveiling of the first redesigned iPhone we've had in years, ...
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Apple Event Logo Hints at Two iPhone 17 Pro Features

Wednesday August 27, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
Apple's logo for its upcoming September 9 event hints at two rumored iPhone 17 Pro features, including new color options and a vapor chamber cooling system. Of course, this is all just speculation for fun, as we count down the final days until the event. New Colors Last month, Macworld's Filipe Espósito reported that orange and dark blue would be two out of the five color options...
Alleged iPhone 17 Pro Antenna Design

Two All-New iPhone 17 Colors Seemingly Confirmed

Monday August 25, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple will offer the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max in a new orange color, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman made the claim in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, adding that the new iPhone 17 Air – replacing the iPhone 16 Plus – will come in a new light blue color. We've heard multiple rumors about a new iPhone 17 Pro color being a shade of orange. The ...
crossbody strap

iPhone 17's 'Crossbody Strap' Accessory to Feature Magnetic Design

Thursday August 28, 2025 7:49 am PDT by
Apple's cases for the iPhone 17 lineup will be accompanied by a new Crossbody Strap accessory with a unique magnetic design, according to the leaker known as "Majin Bu." Apple's Crossbody Strap reportedly features an unusual magnetic design; it likely has a "flexible metal core" that makes it magnetic along its entire length. At the ends, "rings polarized oppositely to the strap close the...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3: Four Key Design Changes Anticipated

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:05 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022 other than a shift from Lightning to USB-C, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will launch AirPods Pro 3 later this year, and apart from new features like heart rate monitoring, we're also expecting a few design changes. The fourth‑generation AirPods offer useful clues to Apple's design cues for ...

Top Rated Comments

DevNull0 Avatar
61 months ago

I wonder what the meetings at Tile have been like over these past couple years Lol. To my knowledge this is their only product and it’s about to get side-stepped by Apple.

I’m sure they’ll be very successful still, but I’d be pretty ticked off haha.
I've used tile since long before air tags were a rumour. Tile has always been crappy, and the past couple of years they've gotten incredibly bad.

They want a few dollars a month to unlock most of the functionality in the app. I deny the app GPS data since I really don't see the need for them to constantly track my location just to make my tile beep when it's nearby. I get constant nag messages about that.
I turn my phone's bluetooth off once in a while because it sometimes interacts badly with my home theatre receiver. The tile app goes nuts with notifications when I do.
And since an update about 18 months ago, 95% of the time, the tile is unable to make my phone beep even though it's a core function. This is after making sure the app is running, bluetooth is on etc. So all it's good for is to make the tile beep from the phone.

Normally, I'm not an early adopter of Apple products, but I cannot wait for airtags to be released so they can put Tile our of our misery.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BC2009 Avatar
61 months ago
It looks very much like Apple delayed AirTags to add support for third-party implementations as well and included Tile as the partner in that.

I'd put my money on Apple announcing Find My support for third-party U1-enabled trackers and bringing Tile out on stage at their announcement.

Apple is trying to avoid anti-trust regulation in a big way right now and I can't see them gambling their more lucrative businesses on the potential revenue of AirTags.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac Prodigy Avatar
61 months ago
The better to track you with, my dear! ?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac Prodigy Avatar
61 months ago

will those be released before airtags
You mean "if" AirTags drop haha.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dammit Cubs Avatar
61 months ago
I use tile and have been using it for years. I love it but it's not without it's fault. I hate...hate......HATEEEEE the quality of this product. If Tile is reading this - I want to make this clear, every single product does not last a full year because the flexing in the product causes the speaker to fail...FAIL! so as I'm searching for it, I can't hear it.

This is why I want some AR specific logic so I can use my phone to see where it is.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iiiiiMAC!!!!! Avatar
61 months ago

It looks very much like Apple delayed AirTags to add support for third-party implementations as well and included Tile as the partner in that.

I'd put my money on Apple announcing Find My support for third-party U1-enabled trackers and bringing Tile out on stage at their announcement.

Apple is trying to avoid anti-trust regulation in a big way right now and I can't see them gambling their more lucrative businesses on the potential revenue of AirTags.
Quite a prediction
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)