Fitbit gets free lost-item tracking feature
FitBit has entered into a partnership with Tile, a popular international lost-item tracking service, to provide owners of the FitBit Inspire 2 watch with the tracking service for free as of March 22.
Since 2012, Tile has specialized in selling small "tiles" that have a Bluetooth function and can be attached to nearly anything. As long as the app is downloaded on either an iOS or Android device, you can make the Tile ring directly from your phone anytime you want to locate it. It even works reversely; if you have the Tile but can't find your phone, you can use it to make your phone ring.
One person on Amazon praises this feature for saving her family from a robbery, as the burglar had got ahold of the keys and accidentally pressed the Tile, making the connected phone ring out loud and wake everyone up.
Tile also offers a crowdsourced tracking feature which extends beyond the confines of your home and Bluetooth range, allowing you to find an item that has been lost anywhere around the world—as long as someone else with the Tile app passes within 50 feet of it. The company claims to have found up to six million items daily with its services. The only caveat is that this advanced functionality requires a Tile Premium subscription of $2.99/month or $29.99/year. There is also a $99.99/yr Premium Protect subscription which promises to reimburse you up to $1000 if it's unable to locate a lost item.
However, every Tile you buy (and now the FitBit Inspire 2 as well) automatically comes with the following free features:
- Enable Notify When Found and enlist the power of the Tile Network when your Tile is lost
- Follow the Proximity Meter to find a Tile that's within range without making a sound
- Find your Phone by double-tapping your Tile's button to find your phone or tablet when it is within range of your Tile
- Share your Tile with 1 person so they can ring that Tile and help expand your finding network
This partnership with FitBit is the first time that Tile incorporates its services into a wearable. Since Google purchased the FitBit watch brand earlier this year, it has since expanded to selling the watches directly through Google Store. Now, with this move, it seems to be trying to broaden its partnerships and offer better services to FitBit than ever before, at no additional cost to the user.
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