Samsung has announced SmartThings Find to help locate Galaxy devices such as smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and earbuds. SmartThings Find will be an opt-in part of the SmartThings app, the update for which is rolling out globally on devices running Android 8 or later. SmartThings Find uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and ultra-wideband (UWB) technologies to help find devices. The service can even be used if the missing Galaxy device is offline, as long as it has enough battery to send Bluetooth and UWB signals.
Users have to register in the SmartThings app, after which they will be able to find their Galaxy devices if they get lost. Samsung noted that even an individual earbud can be found through the SmartThings Find service.
SmartThings Find can even be used if the Galaxy smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, or earbuds are offline. Samsung explained that the device produces a Bluetooth Low Energy signal that can be received by other devices once it has been offline for 30 minutes. If you report your device as lost through SmartThings Find, any nearby Galaxy smartphone or tablet that has opted into helping find misplaced devices can alert the Samsung server about its location, which will in turn notify you.
Six million users across Korea, the UK, and the US have tested the service via a two-month early access programme, as per Samsung. “Utilizing the latest in BLE and UWB technology, SmartThings Find will make your life less stressful when it comes to searching for misplaced Galaxy devices,” said Jaeyeon Jung, Vice President and Head of SmartThings Team, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics, in a statement. “With the added advantage of using AR6 in conjunction with maps and sounds to guide you back to your devices, SmartThings Find is a simple and visual solution that will help you easily locate your favourite devices.
Home automation start-up SmartThings is a subsidiary of Samsung since 2014. It connects wirelessly with a range of smart devices and enables them to work together. The SmartThings mobile app works with voice commands using Alexa or Google Assistant as well.
If you lose a Galaxy device, you can open SmartThings Find on the smartphone or tablet and select the device you want to locate. Samsung says you’ll be show the exact location of your device on a map. When you’re close to the device, you can either have it ‘ring’ or locate it via the AR-based Search Nearby function, which will display colour graphics that become more intense as you get closer to the device.
Samsung said that it will expand these capabilities to tracking tags from early next year, which will help users locate non-Galaxy items as well. According to the South Korean tech giant, all SmartThings user data is encrypted and the device’s location will not be revealed to anyone except its owner.
Apple and Google also have similar services that help users locate their devices.
Is this the end of the Samsung Galaxy Note series as we know it? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
