I have Air sign On my keychain to keep track of my keys, but obviously the AirTag is too big and bulky to fit inside a wallet. That’s what SwitchBot wallet finder It is for now Discounted to just $17.99 All (Disclosure: Affiliate links in this article are used in association with SwitchBot.).
The SwitchBot Wallet Finder disguises itself as a slim credit card, connects to the Find My app on your iPhone, so you can keep track of its location, and it even has a speaker so you can sound an alert to help you find your wallet when it inevitably gets lost somewhere in your house. Read on for my review…
Prove
Setup is very simple. Although it ostensibly supports its own app and Android operating system, I’ve only used it through the phone’s built-in Apple Find My app. I didn’t even download the SwitchBot app at all. To get set up, you open Find My, tap Add Item, then press and hold the button on the Wallet Finder card for a few seconds.
You can then choose an emoji name and icon to identify it later. By default, it suggested “Benjamin’s Keys,” but I renamed it to “Benjamin’s Wallet,” chose one of the available emojis next to the wallet, pressed “Continue,” and I was done. Then, it slides into one of the empty card pockets in my wallet.
How to track location
As a reminder, Find Accessories does not have GPS. Instead, it broadcasts a low-energy Bluetooth signal that is picked up by nearby Apple devices, such as iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The location is then transferred securely and privately to the Find My network, so hopefully you can locate and recover your lost item.
Even if you are miles away, as long as there is someone with an Apple device nearby, it will be possible to locate the wallet on a map in the Find My app. There’s also no ongoing subscription or other costs to worry about (unlike some competitors).
As evidenced by the success of AirTags, the Find My network works really well and the SwitchBot Wallet Finder is just as effective. If your item is stationary, and near one of the billions of iOS devices in the world, it won’t take long for its location to appear in Find My. If the item is moving, location updates are slightly delayed from real time.
You can also use the Find My app to mark your item as clearly lost. Then, if someone else finds your wallet and wants to help return it to its rightful owner, they can use Find My’s item selection feature which will provide your contact information to help arrange for it to be returned to you. The upcoming iOS 18.2 update also adds the ability to create a shareable link to send to others to help track down lost items.
Find a nearby place using speakerphone
Unlike AirTag, Wallet Finder doesn’t include a broadband radio. This means that it lacks the precise search feature that AirTag provides when you are in close proximity.
However, the Wallet Finder’s built-in speaker is sufficient for the task of finding your lost wallet. When the card is in Bluetooth range, it emits a reasonably loud tone. It’s a little less loud than the AirTag, and naturally gets a little muffled when hidden inside a closed wallet, but it’s still audible, more than enough for you to hear from a good distance.
For the (embarrassingly common) case when I misplace my wallet somewhere inside my house, I can now just open the Find My app, tap “Play Sound,” and instantly listen to the room it’s in.
Find My also works with the voice assistant Siri, as an added convenience. For example, I could shout “Where’s my wallet?” on my HomePod, and it will start doing the command for me.
Safety and traceability
Just like AirTags, Wallet Finder is marketed as a device to help recover lost items. It is not designed to address the problems of egregious theft or tracking. If the card is separated from its owner for a period of time, the speaker will emit a noise to make people aware of its presence. This will also trigger “Unknown item is moving with you” alerts on any nearby iPhones in the vicinity.
It’s also worth noting that someone else who has the card in their possession can deactivate Find My Connection, by pressing the button in a specific shutdown sequence.
conclusion
If it is used for its intended purpose, the SwitchBot wallet finder It is very effective and great value for money. Although it’s obviously designed to be kept inside a wallet, it has a built-in slot if you want to put it on some sort of lanyard or keychain. I highly recommend it.
Perhaps the only drawback you should be aware of is that the Wallet Finder card does not have a way to replace the battery. It is disposable and is rated for approximately 3 years of use. But the contents of your wallet are valuable enough that it probably makes financial sense to simply buy your wallet when you eventually die. You just have to be okay with yourself regarding environmental waste.
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