FInd your lost wallet with your iPhone using SwitchBot Wallet Finder Card

i have one aviation label Puts it on my keychain to keep track of my keys, but apparently the AirTag is too big and bulky to fit in a wallet. this is SwitchBot Wallet Finder It’s for.

Disguised in a slim credit card form factor, the SwitchBot Wallet Finder connects to the Find My app on your iPhone so you can track its location, and it even comes with a speaker so you can make it sound Beep to help you find your wallet when it inevitably gets lost somewhere in your home. Continue reading my review…

settings

Setup is very simple. While it ostensibly supports its own apps and Android, I only used it through the Apple Find My app built into my phone. I didn’t even download the SwitchBot app at all. To set it up, open Find My, click Add New Item, and hold the button on the Wallet Finder card for a few seconds.

You then select a name and emoji icon for later recognition. By default, it suggested “Benjamin’s Key,” but I renamed it to “Benjamin’s Wallet,” selected one of the available emojis adjacent to the wallet, then pressed “Continue,” and I was done. Then it slipped into the empty card pocket in my wallet.

How it tracks location

As a reminder, the Find My accessory does not have GPS. Instead, they broadcast a low-energy Bluetooth signal that is picked up by nearby Apple devices such as iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The location is then transmitted securely and privately to the Find My network so you can find and recover your lost items.

Even if you’re miles away, as long as someone nearby has an Apple device, you can find your wallet on the map in the Find My app. There’s also no ongoing subscription or other fees to worry about (unlike some competitors).

As the success of AirTags proves, the Find My network works very well, and so does the SwitchBot Wallet Finder. If your item is stationary and located near one of the billions of iOS devices in the world, its location will soon appear in Find. However, if the item is moving, the location update will be slightly delayed from real time.

You can also use the Find My app to mark your items as definitely missing. Then, if someone else finds your wallet and wants to help return it to its rightful owner, they can use the “Identify Found Item” feature in Find My, which will display your contact information to Help arrange for its return to you. The upcoming iOS 18.2 update even adds the ability to create shareable links to send to others to help track down your lost items.

Use the speaker to find nearby

Unlike AirTag, Wallet Finder does not include an ultra-wideband radio. This means it lacks the precise finding capabilities that AirTags offer at close range.

However, the integrated speaker in the wallet finder is enough to find a lost wallet. The card makes a fairly loud sound when within Bluetooth range. It’s slightly quieter than what an AirTag makes, and is naturally a bit muffled when inside a closed purse, but it’s still audible enough that you can hear it from a good distance.

For the (embarrassingly common) situation when I lose my wallet somewhere at home, I can now just open the Find My app, press Play Sound, and instantly hear where it is Room.

“Find My” can also be used with Siri voice assistant, which is more convenient. For example, I can yell “Where is my wallet?” on my HomePod and it will start pinging for me.

Security and tracking

Like AirTags, Wallet Finder is pitched as a device to help find lost items. It is not designed to solve the problem of theft or malicious tracking of other people. If the card is separated from its owner for a period of time, the speaker will emit a sound to make people aware of its presence. It also triggers an “Unknown object moving with you” alert on any nearby iPhones.

It’s also worth pointing out that other people with the card can deactivate the Find My connection by pressing buttons in a specific off sequence.

in conclusion

If used for its intended purpose, then SwitchBot Wallet Finder It is a very effective and value for money method. While it’s obviously designed to be carried in a purse, it even has a built-in hole cutout if you do want to attach it to some kind of lanyard or keychain. I highly recommend it.

Perhaps the only drawback to note is that the Wallet Finder Card has no replaceable battery. It is a disposable consumable item and is rated for approximately 3 years. But the thing in your wallet is valuable enough that when it eventually expires, it might make financial sense to buy another one. You just have to be happy with environmental waste.