What is Tile thinking (Tile response)

[Marli]

I have a handful of Tiles, and I couldn't find any statement from them regarding the Find My network, and if they were going to get on board. I was hoping they wold to have all trackers in the one app, and the size of the find my community is much bigger.

I contacted them directly and the response is below. It's a pity they are going it alone.. I think it will cost them in the end.

"
Hi Marli*,
At Tile, we’re focused on providing world-leading finding products and services that work on all platforms, including Android, Windows, and iOS, and integrate with a variety of voice-enabled partners. And as such, we won't be joining the Find My Network. If you have any additional questions, check out our Help Center: https://tileteam.zendesk.com/hc/en-us.
Cheers,
JA"


* Not my real name

 

[Apple_Robert]

I am not surprised. To join the Find My Network (in their business eyes) would be to admit that their product can't really compete. They will find out soon enough, that their business is already dying.

 

[zakarhino]

What are Tile thinking? They're thinking integration with Find My means they're simply a manufacturer of plastic rather than a company providing a platform/service; one is clearly a better position to be in as a business than the other. The day Tile joins Find My is likely the day they've thrown in the towel. I don't think Tile will die out unless Google clones Apple's Find My program (let's be honest, this is inevitable).

 

[matrix07]

..we’re focused on providing world-leading finding services ... ...as such, we won't be joining the Find My Network.

Doesn't these 2 sentences contradict each others?

 

[macsplusmacs]

They want free advertisement by whining like little kids towards apple without a valid reason. they are also relying on lazy journalists to take the bait. which too many would.

 

[Abazigal]

What are Tile thinking? They're thinking integration with Find My means they're simply a manufacturer of plastic rather than a company providing a platform/service; one is clearly a better position to be in as a business than the other. The day Tile joins Find My is likely the day they've thrown in the towel. I don't think Tile will die out unless Google clones Apple's Find My program (let's be honest, this is inevitable).

I think bluetooth trackers will eventually become a feature that you integrate into other products, rather than a product in itself.

Tile has seen the writing on the wall. It’s clear that they were never going to get the install base necessary to make such a product work as advertised.

 

[Marli]

I agree, they dont want to be just a manufacturer of a commodity bit of plastic.. but their only chance of survival is to get on Find my, or maybe Samsungs network.. With Apple and Samsung now with trackers, they wont survive on their own.. who would buy them now with these, obviously someone, but not enough someones..

 

[macOS Lynx]

I agree, they dont want to be just a manufacturer of a commodity bit of plastic.. but their only chance of survival is to get on Find my, or maybe Samsungs network.. With Apple and Samsung now with trackers, they wont survive on their own.. who would buy them now with these, obviously someone, but not enough someones..

I disagree. There’s still good benefits for Tile.

For starters, they do have their network, which while it isn’t as large as Samsung’s or Apple’s, it’s something they’ve built over nearly a decade with a lot of users.

Also, Apple and Samsung have one, small round tracker, and that’s it. Tile has ones that are stickers, one that’s thin for wallets, and they have partnerships with a lot of companies to have Tiles built-in to luggage, earbuds, etc.

Also, Tile has a paid service that basically acts as insurance, and if they can’t find the item, they’ll reimburse you, up to $1,000.

I mean, I’m dumping my Tile for an AirTag, but I wouldn’t say they’re done, or that they aren’t worth it. They do have a lot still that puts them above Apple’s and Samsung’s offerings for some.

 

[fishkorp]

Also, Apple and Samsung have one, small round tracker, and that’s it. Tile has ones that are stickers, one that’s thin for wallets, and they have partnerships with a lot of companies to have Tiles built-in to luggage, earbuds, etc.

But that’s the point of the Find My network. Literally anyone can make a product that works with it. Apple doesn’t have to make different shapes and sizes, other company can do it an join the network. Have an idea for a product? Fill out the form and pay the $99 fee to join the program. It’s that simple. Find My devices will grow rapidly, just knowing the network is “free” and has over a billion nodes around the world.

 

[matrix07]

They do have a lot still that puts them above Apple’s and Samsung’s offerings for some.

But that will be enough in the grand scheme of thing though? I'm feeling Tile network at the moment is a disadvantage rather than a positive.
And as a smart person above ? said, there's nothing to prevent any 3rd party to build trackers of any size for Find My or Samsung's.

 

[Marli]

Apple have put trackers in the extreme mainstream, no one from here will buy a Tile. Yes they do have some better form factors, but in a year, so will Apple and Samsung. Tile is now basically dead, they just don't know it.

They need to get on the Find my network, be creative with their form factors, be cheaper than Apple, maybe they can value add by also running their own app/network at the same time(if possible)..

BTW, who pays for the Tile service??

 

[Bonestle]

Tile is sad in an epic way

 

[George Dawes]

Looks like blackberry mk 2 , underestimate apple at your peril ...

 

[Abazigal]

Looks like blackberry mk 2 , underestimate apple at your peril ...

I will say that unlike Blackberry, Tile saw the writing on the wall a mile away. There just isn’t anything else they can do about it. Hence the lawsuit as a last ditch attempt to stay relevant.

 

[macOS Lynx]

But that’s the point of the Find My network. Literally anyone can make a product that works with it. Apple doesn’t have to make different shapes and sizes, other company can do it an join the network. Have an idea for a product? Fill out the form and pay the $99 fee to join the program. It’s that simple. Find My devices will grow rapidly, just knowing the network is “free” and has over a billion nodes around the world.

But that will be enough in the grand scheme of thing though? I'm feeling Tile network at the moment is a disadvantage rather than a positive.
And as a smart person above ? said, there's nothing to prevent any 3rd party to build trackers of any size for Find My or Samsung's.

And until bigger brands make their devices compatible with the Find My network, Tile still has the better ecosystem. Right now you can use Find My with some crappy Belkin earbuds, a generic tracker, and a bike. Tile has partnerships with Skullcandy, Plantronics, Bose, HP, Nomad, Fossil, etc.

Considering Apple’s past endeavors in open platforms - and the lack of people who support them - I don’t expect these major brands to use Find My (not to mention it’s Apple’s policy that if you use a find My, you can’t also use your own in-house app as well).

Also, while yeah there are a lot of Apple devices out there and the Find My network is great, 80% of the world can’t use Find My/AirTags anyways, since it’s an Apple only service. There’s no way in hell an Apple-hardware-only service could completely eliminate a platform-agnostic service.

finally, Galaxy Tags *only* work with Samsung devices, and as far as I can find, doesn’t support third party devices. Tile also has the insurance program and other features it’s two biggest rivals don’t have.

 

[macOS Lynx]

Apple have put trackers in the extreme mainstream, no one from here will buy a Tile. Yes they do have some better form factors, but in a year, so will Apple and Samsung. Tile is now basically dead, they just don't know it.

They need to get on the Find my network, be creative with their form factors, be cheaper than Apple, maybe they can value add by also running their own app/network at the same time(if possible)..

BTW, who pays for the Tile service??

How is Tile dead when AirTags only work on iPhones/Apple devices and Galaxy Tags only work on the most recent Galaxy devices?

so all the Huawei/Xiaomi/LG/Oppo/Motorola/Pixel/etc. just don’t get to track stuff anymore?

Tile will get less iOS customers but to say they’re going to go under because of this is honestly just a demonstration that you don’t really know much about this sector of products.

 

[matrix07]

80% of the world can’t use Find My/AirTags anyways, since it’s an Apple only service.

80% sounds great but how many there are potential buyers, not just owners of cheap phones?

The problem with Tile is they're now competing with OS level functionality, with app which will never win. And AirTag is not that more expensive than Tile, and from a lot of Tile own customers their products suck so I think you can compute.
True that not many companies want to work with Apple because of their stance on privacy but in this product privacy is Apple strength, not weakness.

 

[matrix07]

so all the Huawei/Xiaomi/LG/Oppo/Motorola/Pixel/etc. just don’t get to track stuff anymore?

Those two will have their own to lock their customers in. They don't need Tile.

Google could have one as well. And that's the problem with Tile, anyone can make this service and be better than Tile because Tile doesn't have any secret sauce.

 

[Hexley]

Tile should not worry. Less than 20% of the world's smartphone are iPhones.

 

[macOS Lynx]

80% sounds great but how many there are potential buyers, not just owners of cheap phones?

The problem with Tile is they're now competing with OS level functionality, with app which will never win. And AirTag is not that more expensive than Tile, and from a lot of Tile own customers their products suck so I think you can compute.
True that not many companies want to work with Apple because of their stance on privacy but in this product privacy is Apple strength, not weakness.

Those two will have their own to lock their customers in. They don't need Tile.

Google could have one as well. And that's the problem with Tile, anyone can make this service and be better than Tile because Tile doesn't have any secret sauce.

Which are valid points - but to say Tile in danger as a result is just wrong.

We can watch and see how this industry grows, but it’s way too early to say something like that. At MOST, you have less iOS customers - and even then, if an iOS user has a product that supports Tile (like one of Bose or HP’s products) they’re still likely to use it too (unless those companies dump Tile for Apple, which is very unlikely).

 

[Dappledan]

I have a handful of Tiles, and I couldn't find any statement from them regarding the Find My network, and if they were going to get on board. I was hoping they wold to have all trackers in the one app, and the size of the find my community is much bigger.

I contacted them directly and the response is below. It's a pity they are going it alone.. I think it will cost them in the end.

"
Hi Marli*,
At Tile, we’re focused on providing world-leading finding products and services that work on all platforms, including Android, Windows, and iOS, and integrate with a variety of voice-enabled partners. And as such, we won't be joining the Find My Network. If you have any additional questions, check out our Help Center: https://tileteam.zendesk.com/hc/en-us.
Cheers,
JA"


* Not my real name

No offense but who cares what they think or why they haven’t made a statement

 

[macsplusmacs]

And until bigger brands make their devices compatible with the Find My network, Tile still has the better ecosystem. Right now you can use Find My with some crappy Belkin earbuds, a generic tracker, and a bike. Tile has partnerships with Skullcandy, Plantronics, Bose, HP, Nomad, Fossil, etc.

Considering Apple’s past endeavors in open platforms - and the lack of people who support them - I don’t expect these major brands to use Find My (not to mention it’s Apple’s policy that if you use a find My, you can’t also use your own in-house app as well).

Also, while yeah there are a lot of Apple devices out there and the Find My network is great, 80% of the world can’t use Find My/AirTags anyways, since it’s an Apple only service. There’s no way in hell an Apple-hardware-only service could completely eliminate a platform-agnostic service.

finally, Galaxy Tags *only* work with Samsung devices, and as far as I can find, doesn’t support third party devices. Tile also has the insurance program and other features it’s two biggest rivals don’t have.

1 billion finders are about to be turned on by default.

Android market share does not matter in this case. Installed Tile apps, that are set to respond/subscribe? are what matters.

I estimate around 9:12am 4/30/21 apple will have a larger finding network than Tile ever will.

 

[michael31986]

How is Tile dead when AirTags only work on iPhones/Apple devices and Galaxy Tags only work on the most recent Galaxy devices?

so all the Huawei/Xiaomi/LG/Oppo/Motorola/Pixel/etc. just don’t get to track stuff anymore?

Tile will get less iOS customers but to say they’re going to go under because of this is honestly just a demonstration that you don’t really know much about this sector of products.

I thought Samsung tags work with any android device?

 

[Polly Mercocet]

The main reason they're not joining the Find My network is because Apple's rules dictate you cannot be part of Find My and run your own independent app at the same time.

So for Tile the choice to join Find My would mean giving up their own network on all iOS devices.

Obviously this harms their own ecosystem and ultimately supports a competing one, so the decision makes logical sense.

I suspect if Apple was not so strict and allowed them to both run their own app and join Find My, things would be different, but that's not what Apple decided to do.

This will also impact the future of trackers. Joining Find My means being exclusive to it on iOS. Google will likely create a competing service companies could join for the Android side. But as Apple and Google are competitors and will likely take different approaches (I highly doubt Google's solution will be so privacy friendly) the question then arises, will these companies be able to merge data between the two platforms or will they have to pick a side? Or sell one set of products for iOS and one for Android?

An Android network that works along the lines of Apple's would have way more devices by sheer volume as well, so if companies do have to pick one or the other, the obvious incentive would be pick Google's then provide an iOS app that simply allows access to tracking data from Google's network for iPhone users.

Would be much easier if there was an open protocol used on iOS and Android but that's not the world we live in.

 

[scott523]

If Chipolo can launch a Find My compatible tracker to coexist with their current trackers, so can Tile.

The bottomline for Tile is they just don't want to lose subscription revenue that they currently have in place. Not sure how they're making but I refuse to pay a tracker subscription.

For me personally, I'm not giving up my Chipolo tracker for an AirTag unless Find My has out of range alerts capability.