2y ago

Are there any decent Bluetooth trackers for Android that don't require an invasive app or membership?

I know there are a lot on Ali Express and I'm curious if any are compatible with a FOSS app. I have tried using Tile products in the past but the app and the way they implemented a membership was a bit annoying.

19 comments

Google are implementing their version of apple's airtag soon. It was supposed to go live a few months back. They have held fire however, until apple can reliably detect and warn about them. There are multiple companies planning to use the system as soon as it goes live.
I'm planning on getting some Chipolo tags, once they are shipped. I've taken a dislike to how tile has developed.
- Are there many Android devices that support UWB yet other than the newest Galaxy and Pixel 8 Pro?
  
  Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro do too, but still to your point
  
  My Note 20 has it, and its 3 years old.
- I've taken a dislike to how tile has developed.
  How so? It's been a few years since I used mine.
  
  They're now owned by Life360, a somewhat questionable outfit:
  An article by The Markup reported that Life360 sells its users' precise location data to data brokers. According to Life360's privacy policy, this data "does not reasonably identify you directly". The company later claimed it was no longer selling this type of data.
  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life360?wprov=sfla1
I'm using Tile atm, waiting for Google's version to be released
There's SIM based ones
- Would you need to pay for a second plan? I don't know how that works or if you can have a copy of your existing SIM card
  
  Yes, you will need to pay for a second plan
Not that I could bloody well find
Sadly this is one of the many reasons I moved from a Pixel to the iPhone 15
- That's wild, because Google literally announced an air tag system, and companies like Chipolo have released "air tags" that work with the system, all before the iPhone 15 was even announced.
  So you switched for no reason.
  
  Having a tracker is one thing. If I wanted I could have gotten a Tile or Chipolo, but all of those require the user to install an app and be part of the tracking network for it to be useful, so you’re limited to those who have installed and allowed the app. Apple on the other hand has built in their tag tracking to every single iPhone period, whether they have a tag or not, so the mesh of phones that can track your tag is much, much larger especially in the US. Instead of relying on people to install an app and a segmented product to get their tags location.

19 comments