Luggage Tracing Tags for android users
in Travel Tips
Can anyone tell me if they have used tracer luggage tags for android? I do not have any Apple electronics. If you have one does it actually work? I am just worried about my luggage with all the missing/delayed bags lately. Thank you.
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I have no direct experience, but I'm considering trackers for my next trip. Although there is an Air Tag app in the Play Store, from what I've read, it doesn't have full functionality on Android devices (you may need an Apple device to set it up!). The best option seems to be Tiles, which are very similar to Air Tags. The downside, from what I've read, is that there are fewer Tile users on their network so when your Tile is out of Bluetooth range, it may not get located by another user. The Tile website is here:
https://thetileapp.com/
We used tiles for a while but never replaced them when the batteries ran out.
One thing to remember about all these tracking devices- they may or may not tell you where your bags are, but that doesn't mean they will help you get your bags back.
The media always likes to interview people whose bags were "lost." They are sometimes lucky to locate them (sitting in a big pile in a warehouse at CDG or LHR, etc.), but get little or no help from the airlines getting them back. The most popular stories are ones about people who fly back to Europe to retrieve their bags and need to go from room to room, digging through piles of (smelly) bags, before finally finding them!! And are the airlines paying for this trip- not on your life! Will the insurance company pay for the r/t ticket??? Doubtful!
Whether it helped get the bags back I don’t know. But a couple on our K&T was able to tell the airline where their bags were due to Apple tags and they arrived several days later at the Four Seasons in the Serengeti.
Some friends had lost luggage on a cruise I was just on. They had Air Tags on their luggage and were able to follow the luggage as it moved towards them. Knowing where the luggage is doesn't help you get it sooner, but it was reassuring to them to know that something was being done and the luggage was coming. It's better than being blind.
Mike, totally agree with you. Same thing happened to us. My husband is the first one in the universe to buy a new electronic gadget and you’re right that you’re helpless obtaining your luggage if it’s delayed. You can just keep eyes on it. I keep AirTags on my keys too. I know people who put them on their dogs collar.
Back to the original question:
After further research, I've come to the conclusion that there are no good solutions for Android owners. Airtags don't work with Android. The available app is only designed to allow you to detect if someone has planted an Airtag on you or your vehicle to prevent nefarious uses. You need an iOS device to use it as intended. Tiles do much the same as Airtags, with a key difference. If you are out of Bluetooth range of an Airtag, anyone using an iOS device that comes within range will update the Airtag's location. Given the prevalence of iPhone users in the developed world, this is likely to happen often, even in an airport lost luggage storage area. Tiles, on the other hand, rely on Tile users to form their network. While there are many of these, their number is a tiny fraction of the iOS community. Location updates are therefore far less certain. CNET has a good video on YouTube explaining the differences:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=8XLpfV6G9TE
As someone said, knowing where your bags are and getting them from the airlines are two different stories. I belong to a Paris Facebook page and even though one woman knew exactly where her luggage was in the building where it was stored, she couldn't get anyone from the airline to actually get it for her. And another guy said he was at Heathrow and literally on the opposite of the wall from where his bags were and couldn't get them. I bought Tile tags for my upcoming Seine cruise but am not holding out much hope if my bags are lost unless I get a helpful airline employee.
Further research:
It appears that the Samsung Smart Tags are a good choice for Android users. They rely on Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets to form their network. A recent press release showed 200 million plus devices in the network. Some real-world tests I saw showed comparable results to the Air Tags. They come in two flavors, regular and plus. The plus has a UWB chip in it that aids in tracking things nearby. If you have a recent high-end Galaxy phone, it supports an AR mode that directs you to lost things nearby. It's really cool, but useless if you don't have the right phone. With the regular one you get a signal strength indication and can beep the tag to help you find it. For most people, the regular model is the best choice. Currently, $30 for the regular, $40 for the plus. Multi packs are available, but there is no savings.
Nice find, Ken.
One thing I like about this Samsung product is it has replaceable batteries, unlike Apple's buy-a-new-one-when-the-battery-dies approach.
Apple tags have replaceable batteries. It uses a CR2032.
I stand corrected.
On further examination, I found that Smart Tags only work with Samsung Galaxy phones. Arrgh! No good solutions for other Android phones.
Just to add to the tag issues discussed here. While it's great to know where your luggage is it wouldn't have helped on our delay last month. We were on the Best of Ireland, Small Groups starting 6/22. Luggage got caught in the mess in Heathrow and didn't arrive in Dublin with us. Filed a report (to go along with probably a thousand or so more bags) and went to our Tauck hotel. Neither us, the hotel concierge nor the tour director could ever get through by phone to the airline or company who was delivering the bags. So, knowing where it was wouldn't have helped. One suitcase made it the night after we arrived and the other took 5 days as it had been marked as someone else's lost bag.