Tile plans to introduce article tracks with ultra-broadband support

Tile is set to compete with Apple’s AirTags and plans to introduce an improved series of object trackers that include an Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip for more precise tracking.

Tile concept art for the UWB tracker, via TechCrunch

Apple’s ‌AirTags‌ are rumored to include the U1 Ultra Wideband chip which has been added to the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models. Apple’s UAirTags‌ U1 will be able to offer better tracking capabilities than is possible with Bluetooth alone, which means it’s a technology Tile needs to combine to stay competitive.

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

Earlier Tile item trackers relied solely on Bluetooth, which is not as accurate as UWB due to the spatial data that the new technology is able to collect.

Because UWB offers spatial detection capabilities, it will be able to locate missing items indoors or outdoors, even when you don’t hear the tracker ringing. It might 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 make it easier to find items in a larger space, such as a multi-story house.

The Tile app, on the other hand, will allow users to jump into an AR-compatible camera view that will help guide them to the location of the item using overlays, like directional arrows and a view. AR 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 future trackers from Tile. Apple last year provided third-party developers with access to the U1 chip on the latest iPhones.

Concept art for Tile’s new object tracker suggests that it will resemble Tile’s existing trackers with a square shape, center button, keychain attachment, and adhesive-compatible flat back.

Tile plans 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 article trackers to work in the Find My app, but it looks like Tile will take advantage of its own app for article tracking purposes.

There is no word on when Apple plans to release ‌AirTags‌, and there have been signs of it in several versions of iOS. There were plenty of rumors suggesting we’d see them before the end of 2020, but Apple has delayed a release. Earlier this week, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the “ AirTags ” would be released at some point in 2021.