is a senior reporter focusing on wearables, health tech, and more with 13 years of experience. Before coming to The Verge, she worked for Gizmodo and PC Magazine.
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Some people rarely lose things. Wallets are always exactly where they’re supposed to be, keys never go missing, and remotes never slip between the couch cushions. And then there’s the rest of us — the folks who can’t ever seem to find the thing that was right there a few seconds ago. For us, there are Bluetooth trackers.
Bluetooth trackers have been around for a long time, and they all generally work the same way. You stick the tracker onto an object, pair it with your phone, and then, when you lose said object, you can go into an app and ring the tracker. But these days, Bluetooth trackers can do a lot more. Some have ultra-wideband chips that enable precision tracking, so you can find exactly where in a room your item is. Increasingly, trackers also tap into large networks — like Apple’s and Google’s — making it easier to locate lost items outside the home. Many will notify you if they detect you’ve left the device behind or come with QR codes that link to your contact information so people can easily return lost devices.
What I’m looking for How I test trackers Collapse Bluetooth trackers are meant to find lost items. To test that, we lose items — both organically (some of us really do misplace wallets and keys daily) and in more controlled test environments. For the latter, one example is testing how these trackers perform in office environments or in multi-story houses. Sometimes, we also enlist the help of family and friends to “hide” objects to evaluate precision finding features. We’ll also enlist help to simulate and evaluate unwanted tracking alerts. In our testing, we’re also looking to assess factors like Bluetooth and network (ie., FindMy, Tile, etc.) range, battery life, and how loud chimes / alerts are. Range and sound Collapse Are you limited to Bluetooth range, or can you make use of wider networks like Apple’s Find My, Google’s Find Hub network, or Amazon Sidewalk? Is it hard to hear the tracker when you ring it? Anti-stalking features Collapse A technology that lets you track small objects can be abused to track people without their consent. Tracker companies know this, and an increasing number now come with anti-stalking features. These features may never prevent abuse 100 percent of the time, but we investigate whether these features were crafted with care, how well the company educates users about them, and if the company is proactive about updating them according to feedback from experts. Subscriptions Collapse Do you need to pay a subscription to get all available features? If so, is it worth the moolah? Battery Collapse Most Bluetooth trackers last at least a year, but not all of them let you replace the battery. That means you have to buy a whole new tracker when the battery dies. I prefer the ability to replace batteries whenever possible.
As a consummate Loser of Things, I’ve tested my fair share of Bluetooth trackers on wallets, keys, and luggage. Here’s what I’d recommend if you, too, have a hard time finding things.
The best tracker for iPhone users
When Apple launched AirTags in 2021, it really did shake up the category. That’s because AirTags are equipped with Apple’s Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip and tap into Apple’s vast Find My network. That’s a potent combo. And even though you can now get third-party accessories that work with the Find My network — including the Pebblebee trackers featured later in this guide — AirTags are still the best, thanks to UWB.
Basically, UWB enables precision tracking while Find My compatibility expands range far, far beyond Bluetooth’s limitations. With precision tracking, all you have to do is open the Find My app, tap “Find,” and you should see an arrow pointing you in the exact direction you need to go to find your item. Using the Find My network also means that so long as there’s an Apple device nearby, a lost AirTag can ping its location to Apple’s iCloud servers without notifying the owners of those other devices. And there are over a billion Apple products out there.
That accuracy is super convenient. My keys fell out of my pocket while running once, and I didn’t notice until my phone pinged me to say my keys were no longer with me. While I wasn’t able to use the precision tracking outdoors, I could see the last reported location in the Find My app. Twenty minutes had already passed, but I still was able to find my keys. I haven’t had that degree of success with any other item tracker.
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