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Samsung debuts SmartThings Find to help you locate lost Galaxy devices
- Samsung is now rolling out its new SmartThings Find service globally.
- The service helps locate lost Galaxy devices using Bluetooth Low Energy and UWB tech.
- It will be available to all Galaxy users through an update to the SmartThings app.
Samsung today announced the launch of SmartThings Find. It’s a new service that uses ultra-wideband (UWB) tech and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to quickly locate your misplaced Galaxy phones, smartwatches, earbuds, or tablets.
SmartThings Find was under beta testing until now. Samsung says nearly six million people have tried it out in the US, UK, and Korea. Samsung says it’s now ready for a global launch.
Starting today, Samsung will roll out a new software update for the SmartThings app with the SmartThings Find service. Once you get the feature, you’ll be able to access it by tapping the banner at the bottom of the home screen in the SmartThings app.
Users will have to complete a brief registration process, after which they’ll be able to locate their Galaxy devices, down to each individual earbud.
“Whether you dropped your Galaxy Note 20 Ultra behind the sofa, can’t remember where you stashed your Galaxy Buds Live, or left your Galaxy Watch 3 somewhere,” Samsung says SmartThings Find will guide you to your lost device with integrated map directions and the ability to ping it.
The service also features an AR-based Search Nearby function that displays color graphics that increase in intensity as you get closer to your lost device. It can even locate offline devices. Once a device has been offline for 30 minutes, it will produce a BLE signal that can be received by other Galaxy devices. If you report your device as lost via SmartThings Find, any nearby Galaxy phone or tablet that has opted to help find misplaced devices will be able to alert the Samsung server about its location.
You can see how SmartThings Find works in the video embedded above.
Availability
The service will be available on Galaxy phones and tablets running Android 8 or later and Galaxy Watch devices running Tizen 5.5 or later. It will also work with the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus and Buds Live, but not the original Galaxy Buds. The UWB-assisted tracking feature will be available only on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 2. Other Samsung devices will use Bluetooth-based tracking as they don’t feature UWB tech.