Tile (company)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer electronics, Software |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Mike Farley (co-founder) |
| Headquarters | San Mateo, California , United States |
Area served | International |
Key people | C. J. Prober (CEO) |
| Products | Bluetooth tracking devices (Tile Pro, Mate, Slim, Sticker), Tile app |
| Owner | Life360 |
| Parent | Life360 |
Tile, Inc. (branded as tile) is a U.S.-based company that develops Bluetooth-enabled tracking gadgets designed to help users keep track of personal belongings such as keys and backpacks. Its mobile application, compatible with both iOS and Android platforms, assists users in locating misplaced items by displaying their last known position. The initial Tile devices were introduced in 2013, and by 2015 the company broadened its offerings to include features aimed at finding smartphones. In 2017, Tile unveiled the Tile Sport and Tile Style models. As of 2019, the primary product lineup consists of the Pro, Mate, Slim, and Sticker variants.
Since September 2018, C. J. Prober, formerly an executive at GoPro, has held the CEO position, taking over from co-founder Mike Farley. Under Prober's guidance, Tile has forged new partnerships and attracted investments, notably from Comcast. In November 2021, Life360 acquired Tile for $205 million with plans to incorporate Tile’s tracking technology into its family safety services. Based in San Mateo, California, Tile operates internationally and continues to pursue growth in the consumer electronics sector through innovative product development and strategic acquisitions.
Function
Tile manufactures small hardware devices called "Tiles" that can be affixed to everyday items such as keychains, allowing users to locate them via the Tile app. The app utilizes Bluetooth Low Energy 4.0 technology to detect Tiles within a specific range that varies by model. Each Tile is equipped with an integrated speaker that can be activated to emit a sound for nearby retrieval. The second-generation Tiles produce audio at 90 decibels—three times louder than their predecessors—and introduced a "Find My Phone" function that causes the connected smartphone to ring when triggered.
When a Tile is outside of Bluetooth range, the company uses a "crowd GPS" system: lost Tiles are detected when in proximity to any smartphone running the Tile app, which then anonymously updates the item's location for the owner. Additionally, users have the option to share access to Tiles with others, enabling multiple individuals to track shared belongings.
The first generation of Tiles contained non-replaceable batteries lasting approximately one year; users received alerts prior to battery depletion and were offered discounted replacements. Returned units were recycled as part of Tile’s commitment to sustainability. In October 2018, Tile redesigned its Mate and Pro models to include user-replaceable batteries; however, these versions have reduced water resistance compared to sealed models that require factory battery replacement.
Funding
Tile’s creators utilized Selfstarter, an open source crowdfunding platform, to finance their project through pre-orders. By July 7, 2013, they had raised over by selling preordered Tiles to around 50,000 supporters via their website.
In 2014, Tile secured $13 million in Series A financing led by GGV Capital, followed by an additional $3 million investment from Khosla Ventures in 2015.
Dispute with Apple
In May 2020, Tile lodged a complaint with the European Union, accusing Apple of anti-competitive practices by not allowing Tile’s app full functionality on Apple devices while enabling its own Find My service by default. Apple refuted these allegations. In September 2020, Tile became part of the Coalition for App Fairness, which campaigns for fairer terms regarding app inclusion on digital marketplaces.
Security Breach
In 2024, an unauthorized individual gained entry to Tile's internal system responsible for managing location tracking data and customer details by exploiting login credentials associated with a purported former staff member. This security incident resulted in the exposure of customer information including names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and purchase records. Tile has stated that only its customer support system was affected and has taken measures to deactivate the compromised credentials to block any further unauthorized intrusions.