Technology That Can Help You Track and Find Your Lost Items

It’s called near-field communication (NFC). You’ve also used it if you tapped your phone to pay with your credit card or used an ID card to gain access to your office or a parking garage.

Other devices use their own networks through their proprietary apps and sometimes in partnership with other networks.

• Chipolo has three different flavors of trackers: One that works only with its app, another that uses Apple’s Find My network and a third that uses Google’s Find My Device network that employs all Android devices to find your stuff, so make sure you know which network you want before buying.
• Eufy said in 2024 that it has plans to introduce a compatible tracker for Google’s Find My Device, but it is not yet available. Its SmartTrack Link and Card trackers use Apple’s Find My network and its app users.
• Pebblebee’s tag, clip and card trackers can be used on and utilize either Apple’s or Google’s networks depending on your choice of smartphone.
• Samsung’s SmartTag2 uses only Samsung devices that are part of its SmartThings Find tracking network to discover a lost item. But because Samsung has both relatively inexpensive and high-end phones, that means more than 300 million nodes worldwide as of late 2023, the most recent information available.
• Tile has its own app, which anyone can download even if they don’t have a Tile tracker, but the devices also can be detected on the Amazon Sidewalk network of smart home devices that include Echo smart speakers and Ring doorbell cameras.

Apple had about 57 percent of mobile operating systems in the U.S. vs. 42 percent for Androids in March 2025, according to StatCounter GlobalStats.

GPS trackers are a more expensive option

Heavier and bulkier global positioning system (GPS) trackers can be the solution if you always want to know where an item or animal is. Companies sometimes use GPS trackers to determine where their delivery vehicles are located in real time; pet parents who have escape-artist dogs and cats also might want to track their adventurers throughout the neighborhood.

Because the devices are always on, they need bigger batteries. In vehicles, some models can be plugged into the on-board diagnostics port where they collect data within your vehicle’s electrical system but also don’t need their own big battery; other models can be hard-wired into the dashboard.

They communicate with satellites as well as cellphone networks, so you’ll likely be facing a subscription charge. Your Bluetooth trackers don’t have monthly fees.

Among the personal GPS tracker brands are Fi for dogs only with prices starting at $99 semi-annually, $189 a year including collar; Jiobit from the makers of Tile for $149.99 for the device and $149.99 a year; and Tractive, starting at $49 for a cat mini tracker collar and $108 a year.

Vehicle GPS trackers include Bouncie, Kayo, LandAirSea, Spytec and Tracki. Some, such as LandAirSea, offer a low device price starting at $39.95 but higher subscription rates from $19.95 a month, $179.55 a year.

Others, such as Bouncie, have a higher device price at $89.99 and lower subscription of $9 a month, $108 annually. Tracki has a $184.62 plan that includes the device and two years of unlimited tracking, but you’ll need to recharge the battery every two weeks or so.

Tracking stickers offer low cost, require more patience

Low-tech solutions can be helpful, too, such as the My Property ID Registry, starting at $39 for 10 ID tags. The police-accepted security system works worldwide.

Once you get the ID tags in the mail, register your stuff online, including the serial number of any smartphone, laptop or other device. The police will need that if you file a police report.

If someone finds what you lost, they go to the website listed on the tag, type in the tag ID number, and you’ll be notified via email. Then you can arrange to get it back through the good Samaritan.

LostIt, Pebblebee, Tile and TinyMe are among the companies with low-tech sticker sets that offer more privacy than affixing an address label to your accessories such as a phone, umbrella or water bottle. You register your contact information on the providers’ sites.

These lost-and-found stickers use QR codes that finders can scan to send you email or a text and sometimes call you without revealing who you are. Dip your toes into the idea starting at $8.99 for five at Pebblebee or go for more volume starting at $18 for 26 at TinyMe.

Phones, tablets, smartwatches have ‘find me’ tech built in

Free apps and services such as Find My for Apple products, Find My Device for Androids and SmartThings Find for Samsung devices can help in a pinch.

Should your phone become lost or stolen, you can remotely lock it if you don’t have a passcode on it already; display a message, such as “Please call me for a reward”; wipe its data clean; or track it on an online map. Among the protections in lost mode is suspension of payment cards and other services on the phone.

When you realize your phone is missing, you’ll need to log in on another device or a web browser on a computer with the same account name and password as your phone.

For tracking to work, the device will need to be turned on; connected to the internet, either through a cellular carrier or Wi-Fi; and operating with at least some charge remaining in the battery. If all is set up correctly, you should see your phone’s last known location.

If your phone was stolen, never try to retrieve it on your own. Instead, contact police with any tracking information, such as the address where your device was located.

Map apps let you stride confidently through parking lots

Apple, Inc

If you’ve ever had trouble remembering where you parked your gray SUV in a shopping center lot, outside a concert or at an amusement park, free apps can help you retrace the steps back to your vehicle.

iPhones allow you to use the built-in Maps app to do the job, but you’ll need to set up the feature ahead of time and make sure that you’ve enabled Location Services for the app in ⚙️ Settings. If you connect your phone to your vehicle via Bluetooth or use Apple CarPlay, the Map app will automatically drop a pin where you’ve parked when you turn leave your car.

Google Maps also will drop a pin because it figures out that you’re in a car.

Your parking location will be saved in Google Maps until you remove it. You also can add notes about your car’s location, such as the spot number, and share your parking location with others.

If you choose, you can get notifications for parking information, such as where you parked and for how long, which can be useful if you’ve been feeding a conventional meter for downtown street parking.

Amazon’s Echo Spot not only shows you the time but also lets you see the weather and song titles of any tracks you’re playing.

Courtesy Amazon

Smart speakers can take on your brain overflow

You might already use your smart speaker, such as an Amazon Echo or Google Nest for playing music, setting kitchen timers or reading the news. But it also will remember where you’ve squirreled away things — if you tell it while the location is fresh in your mind.

Say something like “OK, Google” or “Alexa,” and then “Remember that John’s birthday present is in the hall closet on the shelf behind the suitcases.” In the future ask, “Where’s John’s birthday present?” and your smarty-pants speaker will tell you where it is and on what date you mentioned the reminder.

But don’t rely on it too much. If an intruder thought to ask, a smart speaker could become an audible treasure map that could lead the crook to your precious items.

Even if you didn’t put away your smartphone on purpose — perhaps it slipped out of your pocket as you wrestled with the dog — you can ask your personal digital assistant to find it. When you set up your smart speaker via the proper app, it became linked to your phone.

If you’re the only one set up to talk to Google Assistant, you’re ready to roll.

Say, “OK, Google, find my phone,” and listen for that sweet sound. Your phone will ring even if it’s set to Do Not Disturb.

Pat yourself on the back. You just saved yourself 15 minutes.

This story, originally published Feb. 18, 2020, has been updated to include new information.