Tile’s Scan and Secure Feature Addresses Unwanted Tracking

Tile was designed to give you peace of mind by keeping track of your things. People use Tiles to find the things that matter to them - keys, stuffed animals, wallets, remote controls, you name it, and Tile helps locate those things using a Bluetooth connection to detect when the Tile is in range of your phone or another Life360 app user's phone. This method works well for finding lost or misplaced items, but it is not designed to surreptitiously track people. Using a Tile to track someone’s location without their knowledge is not only against our terms of service, it is also against the law in many regions, and we do not condone the use of our technology in this manner. 

To that end, if you ever feel concerned that someone could be tracking you, we now offer a feature that allows you to determine if that tracking could be through a Tile product. Scan and Secure, which starts rolling out this week to anyone with the Life360 app (even if you do not have a Life360 account), will enable you to scan for unknown Tiles or Tile-enabled devices that may be traveling with you. 

If you ever feel concerned for your safety, we strongly encourage you to contact law enforcement and/or an advocacy organization such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline. 

How Tile’s Scan and Secure Feature Can Help Protect you from Unwanted Tracking 

If you are concerned about unwanted tracking, Scan and Secure is a simple tool you can use to determine if there are unknown Tiles or Tile-enabled devices traveling with you. You don’t need to have a Life360 account or be part of the Tile Network in order to use this feature. It’s accessible to everyone, whether you’re an iPhone or Android user. Simply download the Life360 app (or if you have it already make sure you have the latest version) and you’ll be prompted within the app if you need to change and enable any permission settings for this feature to work. 

Check out our overview to learn how to access Scan and Secure on the app and our FAQ for details on how to use the feature. At the end of the scan, we also offer Safety Tips to learn more about what to do next if the scan did detect suspicious Tiles or Tile-enabled devices traveling with you. The tips outline options to consider as well as resources to connect with for help, so you can make an educated decision that feels safe for your unique situation.

Tile will work with law enforcement through a properly issued court order to identify the owner of a Tile suspected of being nefarious.

Phase One of a Long Term Approach 

We take the safety and security of our users and the general public very seriously, so it was important to us to consult with experts to ensure we were developing a solution through the lens of a potential victim of unwanted tracking. While this feature is for anyone who is concerned for their safety, nearly 70% of all stalking victims know their abuser*. With that in mind, we started by developing a feature that supports potential victims of intimate partner violence. According to Erica Olsen, director for the National Network to End Domestic Violence's Safety Net Project, “If someone is a victim of domestic abuse and they are preparing to leave their partner for example, it’s helpful to be able to choose the time and place that’s safest for them to proactively check if there is a device on them that could track their location. Putting the control in their hands is an important part of increasing safety.”

Scan and Secure is Tile’s first step towards giving people more control over their safety and we are committed to continuing to advance this feature going forward. We’ll work with experts and advocacy organizations on an ongoing basis to further evolve our safety features and ensure we keep privacy and safety at the forefront of everything we do. 

*U.S. Department of Justice Stalking Victimization Special Report