My friends keep losing their car keys and wallets, so they're all getting those tile tracker things now. I'm wondering if the Apple AirTag keychain is actually reliable or if it's just marketing. Do they work as well as people say?
The Find My network has like 2 billion Apple devices on it, so yeah, the tracking range is genuinely impressive compared to Tile's smaller network. Big caveat though - AirTags rely on those devices being in range, which means they're basically useless if your friends lose their keys in an actual remote area or somewhere with sparse iPhone coverage. The keychain form factor is solid and the battery lasts forever, but they work best in cities/suburbs where you're guaranteed to have other Apple users nearby constantly pinging their location data.
They actually work really well if your friends have iPhones since the whole Apple ecosystem makes tracking way more reliable than Tile, but if anyone's using Android it's basically useless for them so that's the main catch! The battery lasts forever and they're tough enough to clip on keys without breaking, so they're solid if everyone in your group is in the Apple camp.
Does everyone in your friend group have iPhones? That's the real question. I lost my keys last month and found them within 20 minutes using my AirTag - super convenient, but my roommate has Android and his Tile basically doesn't work unless he's literally standing next to his stuff. If your friends are all in the Apple ecosystem, the keychain version is worth it; the Find My network is legitimately massive and the battery lasts forever. But if even one person's using Android, they'd be better off with Tile since at least that works cross-platform, even if the network's smaller.
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