The best Bluetooth trackers for 2024

The best Bluetooth trackers for 2024

If you’ve ever been derailed from an on-time departure by a set of lost keys or misplaced wallet, you’ll benefit from a Bluetooth tracker. These small gadgets attach to your stuff and use your smartphone to keep tabs on where they are. There’s a growing number of these gadgets available now, and we tested out some of the most popular options to find our top picks and help you decide which is the best Bluetooth tracker for you.
<h2>What to look for in a Bluetooth tracking device</h2>
Bluetooth trackers are small discs or cards that rely on short-range, low-energy wireless signals to communicate with your smartphone. Attach one to your stuff and, if it’s in range, your phone can “ring” the chip so you can find it. These tracking devices offer other features like separation alerts to tell you when you’ve left a tagged item behind, or where a lost item was last detected. Some can even tap into a larger network of smartphones to track down your device when you’re out of range. Depending on what you want the tracker to do, there are a few specs to look for when deciding which to get.
<h3>Device compatibility</h3>
Like most things from the folks in Cupertino, <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/apple-airtags-trackers-first-look-hands-on-130036848.html">AirTags[/url] only work with products in the Apple ecosystem. The company has opened up <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?siteId=us-engadget&pageId=1p-autolink&featureId=text-link&custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3N1cHBvcnQuYXBwbGUuY29tL2VuLXVzL0hUMjExMzMxIzp-OnRleHQ9U3VwcG9ydGVkJTIwdGhpcmQlMkRwYXJ0eSUyMHByb2R1Y3RzJnRleHQ9VGhlJTIwZm9sbG93aW5nJTIwcHJvZHVjdHMlMjBhcmUlMjBjb21wYXRpYmxlLHdpdGglMjB0aGUlMjBTREQlMjBGaW5kaW5nJTIwc3lzdGVtIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI2M2IxMjRmOC0yNjVkLTQ5YTctOWQxMS01MmU2NzFiZWMwYzYifQ&signature=AQAAAcs6otxYTaPJkVFkCTdYh98uCdvHslF2hmlbiiNv9pbj&gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fsupport.apple.com%2Fen-us%2FHT211331%23%3A%7E%3Atext%3DSupported%2520third%252Dparty%2520products%26text%3DThe%2520following%2520products%2520are%2520compatible%2Cwith%2520the%2520SDD%2520Finding%2520system&uuid=fDQCO0BMVEVlXsrB8153">access[/url] to its Find My network to third-party manufacturers, including Chipolo, though. Its One Spot and Card Spot finders work with Apple's large tracking network, but only pair with Apple devices. Chipolo’s classic trackers will work with either Android or Apple devices, as will Tile trackers.
<h3>Finding network</h3>
Crowd-sourced finding capabilities are what make headlines, with stories about recovering stolen <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://9to5mac.com/2022/05/09/airtag-stolen-gear/">equipment[/url] or tracking lost luggage <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.newsweek.com/couple-tracking-lost-luggage-journey-apple-airtag-wow-viewers-1733614">across the globe[/url]. Using anonymous signals that ping other people’s devices, these Bluetooth tracking devices can potentially tell you where a tagged item is, even if your smartphone is out of Bluetooth range. Apple’s Find My network is by far the largest, with over a <a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/iphone-count-over-1-billion-045552737.html">billion[/url] iPhones in service all running Apple’s Find My app by default. So unless an iPhone user opts out, their phone silently acts as a location detector for any nearby AirTags.
While Android phones <a data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1" href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/android-dominates-globally-but-apples-gaining-ground-102346830.html">outnumber[/url] iPhones globally, they don’t have a similar, unified network yet. During this year’s I/O conference, Google <a data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/google-io-2023-everything-announced-at-the-event-193758196.html">announced[/url] upcoming upgrades to its Find My Device network, starting with better anti-stalking measures, some of which it <a data-i13n="cpos:8;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/google-rolls-out-anti-stalking-measures-for-airtag-and-other-bluetooth-trackers-194936293.html">recently debuted[/url]. The complete roll out of the FindMy-rivaling network has been delayed until the end of this year. We know of a few trackers that will take advantage of the new system and once they’re available, we’ll test them out and update this guide.
In the meantime, Tile offers the second-largest finding grid, with every smartphone that runs the Tile app acting as incognito locators. After Life360 <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Life360;elmt:;cpos:9;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=7d4ad158-ef3c-4076-800c-a48ae1e8937e&siteId=us-engadget&pageId=1p-autolink&featureId=text-link&merchantName=Life360&custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5saWZlMzYwLmNvbS9ibG9nL3RpbGUtam9pbnMtbGlmZTM2MC8iLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjYzYjEyNGY4LTI2NWQtNDlhNy05ZDExLTUyZTY3MWJlYzBjNiJ9&signature=AQAAAaLuzYhZHtCY8DzbPEFyJNZQUyP8S6LIkul-aTdLXRaG&gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.life360.com%2Fblog%2Ftile-joins-life360%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.life360.com/blog/tile-joins-life360/">acquired[/url] Tile, the 47 million users of that app were added to the 50 million existing Tile users, creating a sizable network.
In our tests, AirTags offered nearly real-time location data and were quickest to find items abandoned in spots around Albuquerque, including a bar, bookstore and coffee shop in Nob Hill, along with various outdoor hangouts on UNM’s campus. Bluetooth tracking Tiles were able to locate our lost items most of the time, though not with the same pin-point accuracy as AirTags. Chipolo’s Spot trackers operate on the same Find My network and perform on par with the AirTags.
Chipolo’s classic trackers, on the other hand, don’t have much of a crowd-sourced network to speak of. Yet as we used the trackers, the size of the finding network started to feel less important in the face of typical, everyday use cases. It was their ability to out-perform in every other way that boosted Chipolo’s classic trackers to the top of our list.
<figure> An assortment of bluetooth trackers arranged in a grid on a wooden background. Trackers include black Tile trackers in various shapes, two silver and white AirTag trackers and a round blue Chipolo tracker attached to a set of keys with a multitool key chain. " data-uuid="e92fd876-b075-3bd1-9c92-355d3b241508