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Air tags are great for luggage, had a flight cancelled at Edi departure gate and told case would be put onto re scheduled flight next day.
At check in next day they said no it wasn’t and they didn’t know where it was, showed them a live location of the case, (the storage room esteem m&s and the luggage shop).
They were insistent it wasn’t there, went along with someone and put my hands on it with 15 seconds of the door being opened as I was getting it to make a noise.
In addition, i travel a lot for business, and every time at luggage collection, I can just sit down, relax and wait on the cases coming, rather than crowding round the belts tutting like the rest.
Sure they might not be suitable for some applications, but to write them off as being rubbish or no use is very wrong, and don’t knock them until you’ve tried them.
Which tags would folks recommend for Android (google pixel) users?
Did someone hint Google might be launching a tracker?
Did someone hint Google might be launching a tracker?
No, nobody said that. What is in the planning is ALL android phones will suddenly be able to use the same tracking, without it needing to be Samsung to Samsung etc. Meaning all modern android handsets will work the same. So, an Android equivalent to airtag will then be possible. This could be made by Google or Tile etc, and in reality several companies will probably make them. Android users won’t be locked down like apple users are currently.
This won’t happen until late this year or early next year, and I will personally be waiting until then. Others have suggested android alternatives for now in the thread, but they won’t give you a perfect experience like we should get in the coming months.
Thought this was an interesting, and relevant, article that appeared on my feed this morning:
“Baggage mishandling rates last year hit the highest in a decade globally as the airline industry scrambled to recover after the pandemic, a report shows”This would need a solution to be made and mandated by Google to work.
Forgot to add, they are talking about having this ready by the end of this year.
Thankyou for sharing this information. As an Android user I am pleased to hear this and I will wait until launch before purchasing some trackers.
I had a tile (circle red one) but the app stopped being supported – annoyingly
However, I now have an apple airtag, it is useful, perhaps a bit laggy…however it does not show history or the last 24 hours of movement..
Is there a tracker which can do that?
I am pretty sure my Gego does that. Shows me on a map with lines where and when it moved recently.
Also updates faster than the Airtags. I had my watch ping with Gego telling me it had arrived at ORD just as I left the jetbridge. The Airtags meanwhile – one was still showing DUB, one was showing itself in the middle of Lake Michigan. The Airtags updated themselves to ORD shortly after I arrived at the baggage carousel (which was mere minutes as had disembarked at a domestic gate)
I don’t think you understand how concentrated Apple user base is. The top ten counties make up the majority (+85%). If you are going to be anywhere off the beaten track in most non-western countries then the odds of an Apple product passing within ten meters of your airtag is much lower. Tile penetration will be nearly as bad
It’s a fair argument to say Apple devices may not be present when you go hiking or visit remote places.
But the topic is about luggage retrieval and the forum is about travel, so I’d say number of airports with no Apple devices will be very low.
I used to have a western view of Apple devices, but I later realised how aspirational the products are (right or wrong) in developing countries and even used Apple devices have a huge market in such places.I noted the topic! Airtags won’t pick up your own phone from the hold if you are in the cabin and as someone else just noted, they are slow to register, so you are reliant on the phones of the baggage handlers and ground crew. You do not have to go to very remote airports before your first ping is the same time you see your bag in the baggage hall. I have Airtags and found this in multiple airports in Turkey and Eastern Europe – let alone anywhere “developing”
Also great to leave in your car rental, especially when at Orlando theme parks. What was my row number again….
I’ve got 9 flights coming up in the next month all with checked luggage. Starting to get a bit nervous! How accurate is the tracking?
For context, I’m half blind and if this can help me find my suitcase on the carousel I’m going to apple this evening!
I’ve got 9 flights coming up in the next month all with checked luggage. Starting to get a bit nervous! How accurate is the tracking?
For context, I’m half blind and if this can help me find my suitcase on the carousel I’m going to apple this evening!
It will tell you it’s on the carousel, I doubt it will show as a moving tag as it goes around the carousel.
I’ve got 9 flights coming up in the next month all with checked luggage. Starting to get a bit nervous! How accurate is the tracking?
For context, I’m half blind and if this can help me find my suitcase on the carousel I’m going to apple this evening!
It will tell you it’s on the carousel, I doubt it will show as a moving tag as it goes around the carousel.
Actually it will! Since iPhone 11 it has the Precision Finding feature and will show you a compass-like moving arrow and distance in metres/cm as it goes around the carousel.
I’ve got 9 flights coming up in the next month all with checked luggage. Starting to get a bit nervous! How accurate is the tracking?
For context, I’m half blind and if this can help me find my suitcase on the carousel I’m going to apple this evening!
It will tell you it’s on the carousel, I doubt it will show as a moving tag as it goes around the carousel.
Actually it will! Since iPhone 11 it has the Precision Finding feature and will show you a compass-like moving arrow and distance in metres/cm as it goes around the carousel.
You can also make it beep on demand which could be reassuring confirmation if impaired vision leaves you struggling to be sure that’s really your suitcase. To be fair, a sufficiently garish suitcase culd also solve that issue 😀
I’ve got 9 flights coming up in the next month all with checked luggage. Starting to get a bit nervous! How accurate is the tracking?
For context, I’m half blind and if this can help me find my suitcase on the carousel I’m going to apple this evening!
I can only comment on AirTag, outside SE Asia where iPhones are more prevalent I usually saw the case as it was loaded at the aircraft, then tracked as it approached the baggage hall and onto the carousel. In SE Asia it would show at my departure location with the time it had last ‘pinged’ my iPhone until it was loaded onto the carousel. As above once it’s reappeared in your phone tracking is very accurate, I’ve now started sitting down and only heading to the carousel when it has ‘pinged’.
Tile tags do not work well enough (there a technical reasons).
Tie Mate is on offer £11.99
Their precision is great as long as somebody with an iPhone is nearby. I often know when my luggage is outside waiting to be loaded on the plane or onto the carousel.
I am always very relieved when I know the luggage made it to the plane or to my arrival airport. On the other hand, I am worried when I don’t see up-to-date location information!
On my last return to LHR, I saw shortly after landing that my luggage was still in Madrid and I was in the lost baggage queue before the carousel even started to deliver bags.
I’ve got 9 flights coming up in the next month all with checked luggage. Starting to get a bit nervous! How accurate is the tracking?
For context, I’m half blind and if this can help me find my suitcase on the carousel I’m going to apple this evening!
Thank you everyone that’s really useful info and will get some tonight! This will make travelling so much easier and avoid people looking at me when I pick up someone else’s case!
One thing I will throw into the mix, is be wary when replacing batteries in Apple AirTags. The Duracell ones with the Baby Secure packaging don’t work unless you clean the surfaces, I did this the first time by licking, it wasn’t pleasant. I now have some isopropyl alcohol to clean new batteries before fitting. Standing by for the comments about licking batteries!
Tile pro is currently on sale at £40 for a two pack (from Tile or Amazon). 120 metre range and replaceable batteries.
One thing I will throw into the mix, is be wary when replacing batteries in Apple AirTags. The Duracell ones with the Baby Secure packaging don’t work unless you clean the surfaces, I did this the first time by licking, it wasn’t pleasant. I now have some isopropyl alcohol to clean new batteries before fitting. Standing by for the comments about licking batteries!
I’m genuinely worried for you. Why would you lick batteries!
It was the only thing I had to hand to remove the Baby Secure coating!
I’ve got 9 flights coming up in the next month all with checked luggage. Starting to get a bit nervous! How accurate is the tracking?
For context, I’m half blind and if this can help me find my suitcase on the carousel I’m going to apple this evening!
Not sure about the apple ones, but the Samsung smart tags can be tracked like a radar on your phone once they are range of your phones device. Very handy. Its shows distance and height on the app screen when in range. Outside of your own device range you are reliant on the tag pinging of other Samsung devices.
Sorry, I just hit the report button instead of the reply button! Can we get a “are you sure?” dialog when hitting report?
Tile pro is currently on sale at £40 for a two pack (from Tile or Amazon). 120 metre range and replaceable batteries.
What I wanted to say: Tile cannot compete with AirTags for technical reasons.
Just to prevent disappointment: You need an iPhone for AirTags – Androids will not work. I did not see whether you said in which ecosystem you are operating.
Thank you everyone that’s really useful info and will get some tonight! This will make travelling so much easier and avoid people looking at me when I pick up someone else’s case!
Which app are you using @kiley? On the standard Samsung ‘find’ app I can’t see how to get that detailed info
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