Tile Pro (2024)

Verdict

The Tile Pro would be well worth the cost if it weren’t for all the other options. At a price point that draws it level with trackers like the AirTag with greater functionality, the Pro makes a good upgrade for those already invested in the ecosystem.

Its greater Bluetooth range than other Tile devices and replaceable battery are particularly eye-catching features, but newcomers may want to inspect other options to make sure their needs are being met. Tile Pro’s SOS signal function, and its integration into the Life360 tracking app, still make it a significant player in the tracker market, however.

Introduction

Tile’s largest and most capable location tracker, the Tile Pro is a distinct step up from others in the range.

This new model for 2024 includes Tile’s new SOS functionality, invoked with a triple-press of the Tile Pro’s button, but this is only available if you sign up for the Life360 app rather than the standard Tile one.

The very best thing about the Tile Pro is its claim of an extended Bluetooth detection range: 150m instead of the standard 100m (or 75m for the Sticker). This is important, as Tile locators only work using Bluetooth, with no Ultra-wideband or GPS capability, so being able to ping a receiver at a greater distance increases your chance of finding your lost item.

The Pro is also Tile’s most expensive Bluetooth tracker, with a price that takes it level with the cost of an Apple AirTag or Samsung Galaxy SmartTag. Users of compatible phones might like to look at those offerings, or even Tile’s cheaper options, before investing in the Tile Pro.

Design

• Metal frame
• Plastic casing
• Replaceable battery

Tile devices come in fantastically designed packaging, with a tear strip on the side that gets you straight into the box with a minimum of faffing about.

It can be, perhaps, a little large considering the diminutive device held inside, looking rather like the sort of thing that may once have held 3.5in disks, but it’s nice to see that a bit of thought has gone into creating the wrapping for a product that could have been sold in a much less fancy receptacle.

The Tile Pro itself is almost four times the size of the Tile Sticker, and has a replaceable battery. It has a dual-colour look in common with the Tile Mate, which on our review sample is black and grey, with white and silver also available. It doesn’t get the pink, green and blue offerings of the Mate, which is a shame.

There’s a loop on the corner to attach it to key rings or lanyards (it’s fairly roomy so could even perhaps fit a carabiner), a small speaker grille at the back, and a single concave button at the front. There is a Life360 logo printed in the button recess, and a Tile wordmark at the bottom left, so you’re never in doubt about what you’ve got.

On the back, along with the fingernail hold to slip off the battery door, is a QR code bearing the legend ‘Scan me if found’.

The problems with scanning unknown QR codes aside, running your phone camera over this one gets you to a web page with a custom message and your contact details, working in exactly the same way as the Tile Lost and Found labels. It’s a nice little doubling-up of functionality.

Performance

• Longer range than others
• Easily pressed button
• Still only Bluetooth

Tile is a Bluetooth tracking system, without any other way to report its position to your phone. This means its Bluetooth range is the most important thing about it, as it needs to be in range of your smartphone, or another device connected to the Tile network, for it to work.

The range claimed by the Tile Pro is longer than others in the 2024 range. Extending the range too much, however, opens up another problem; the Bluetooth tracking is good enough to get you into the vicinity of your tracker, but for the last few metres, a Tile relies on sound.

If the Bluetooth range is longer than the distance that the Tile’s speaker can make itself heard at, you’re going to spend more time hunting for it than is strictly necessary. I could detect and hear the Pro from 30 metres away, but as I wandered further, it was the sound that faded faster than the Bluetooth connection. 

In testing, the Pro reported a ‘moderate’ signal strength from around 40m away with a line of sight, but the sound it made was becoming hard to hear and was drowned out completely by a passing car’s engine. Go much further, or lose line of sight among houses, and it vanishes from the tracker display completely, reporting only its last known position on a map and allowing you to schedule a notification if it connects.

40m is still a fair distance, and the Pro beats other models in the Tile line for both detection range and speaker volume, but if you can score a connection at 50 or even 100m (the claimed Bluetooth detection range is a huge 150m), you’re not going to be able to hear the speaker unless you’re in an extremely quiet area with no obstructions.

Software

• Works with Tile or Life360 apps
• Handy new SOS function
• Reliant on Bluetooth

Tile devices have a choice of apps to connect to, though you’re limited to one of them if you want to use the SOS alert function. Hooking it up to the plain old Tile app will still work, at the time of writing at least, but you’re directed to the app of Tile’s parent company, Life360, if you want to use the SOS alert function.

This, with a triple-press of the button on the Tile Pro, sends an emergency message to Life360 users you set in advance. It is limited by Bluetooth availability, of course, as the Tile Pro has no other way of sending a message, but may be useful if you carry one with you along with your phone, or can convince your children to do the same.

Pairing the Tile Pro with the app is extremely easy, requiring one press of the button to put it into a pairing mode, and then tapping the ‘+’ icon in the app. This prompts the Tile Pro to play a jaunty tune when connected, giving you a preview of how loud its built-in speaker can get. 

Tile subscribers in the UK, USA and Australia can also get reimbursed by the company for lost items you’re unable to find even with Tile’s help. For standard subscribers, this tops out at £75/$100/AUS$150, but step up to a Premium Protect subscription and these numbers increase tenfold.

There are a few rules over what’s covered and how to claim, plus you’ll need to register for reimbursement in advance, but it’s a nice thing to have if you’re travelling with something precious but replaceable.

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