What you need to know
- Samsung is adding new safety and convenience features to its SmartThings Find service.
- The new Unknown Tag Search feature will let you scan for SmartTags that don't belong to you but might be moving along with you.
- You can also now use Samsung's Bixby voice assistant for finding your belongings hands-free.
Samsung's SmartThings Find service, which was launched in October last year, now has over 70 million helper devices. The company has also introduced two new features that are aimed at making the service even better with enhanced privacy and convenience.
The new Unknown Tag Search feature scans for unknown SmartTags that may be moving along with you, ensuring nobody can secretly track your location. It works similarly to 'Item Safety Alerts' added to Apple's Find My service with iOS 14.5 beta last month. You will be able to access the feature from the SmartThings app starting next week.
Samsung's Bixby voice assistant has also gained support for Galaxy SmartTag searches. You can now easily find your belongings by calling out the SmartTag's name to the voice assistant. For example, if you have a SmartTag attached to your car keys, all you need to say is "Hi Bixby, where are my car keys?" and Bixby will set off the tag's ringer.
Jaeyeon Jung, Vice President and Head of SmartThings Team, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics, said in a statement:
Samsung is proud that SmartThings has become an industry-leading ecosystem. We are just beginning to scratch the surface of its potential and cannot wait to unveil more in the near future.
While Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag+ was the first object tracker to launch with UWB support, it will now have to face stiff competition from Apple's new AirTag. Announced at the company' Spring event yesterday, the Apple's answer to the best Bluetooth trackers is equipped with ultra-wideband (UWB) technology for "precision accuracy."
