“We’re proud and excited to see the rapid growth of the SmartThings Find service. In less than two years, 200 million devices have opted in to help fellow Samsung Galaxy users find their misplaced devices — making it one of the fastest growing services at Samsung,” said TM Roh, President and Head of Samsung Electronics’ MX (Mobile eXperience) Business. “Losing a device can be stressful, but SmartThings Find makes it easier to quickly locate and recover your device. It’s just one example of how a connected ecosystem of devices creates meaningful experiences for Samsung Galaxy users all over the world.”

As a rapidly growing location service, SmartThings Find enables Samsung Galaxy users to quickly locate registered Samsung Galaxy devices — from smartphones, tablets, watches and earbuds to personal belongings such as keys or your wallet that have a Galaxy SmartTag or SmartTag+¹ device attached. SmartThings Find leverages Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and ultra-wideband (UWB) technology² to locate your item. If your device is outside of your phone’s range, other nearby Samsung Galaxy users who have opted into SmartThings Find can help you locate it. If you grant SmartThings Find permission, SmartThings Find can also alert users that they have left their device behind.

Ensuring the security of sensitive information like location data is a top priority for Samsung. SmartThings Find encrypts user data and keeps it protected by the defense-grade security platform, Samsung Knox. A device’s location data is only revealed to other people with the user’s permission and the ID of each user’s device changes every 15 minutes and is stored anonymously. SmartThings Find also helps users identify unknown SmartTags that follow them for a certain period of time.

▲Search for unknown tags in the SmartThings Find App.

To find out more about SmartThings Find, visit SmartThings Find website.

About SmartThings:

SmartThings is the premier technology enabling connected living and driving the future of IoT. Its open platform already supports thousands of devices across hundreds of brands and offers endless possibilities to innovators and developers seeking seamless connectivity in a vast IoT ecosystem. The company is committed to bringing smart functionality and capabilities everywhere consumers want to be, while enhancing the user experience. There are currently millions of people in more than 200 countries accessing SmartThings technology daily to create automations and control facets of their smart homes via the SmartThings App and through a range of Samsung products such as phones, TVs and digital appliances. SmartThings offers the most flexible amount of protocols, including the new IoT standard, Matter. Launched in 2012, SmartThings is headquartered in Mountain View, CA and is a founding board member of Connectivity Standards Alliance, an organization of hundreds of companies creating, maintaining and delivering open, global standards for the IoT. For more information, please visit www.smartthings.com.

¹ SmartTag is available for all Samsung Galaxy smartphones, tablets and other devices running Android 8 or later.
SmartTag+ is available on UWB-equipped devices Galaxy S22+ and Ultra, S21+ and Ultra, Note20 Ultra, Z Fold2 and Z Fold3.

² UWB-equipped devices only

“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. “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 favorite devices. This is just one example of the new meaningful mobile experiences that UWB technology will bring to people across the world.”

Easily Find More of Your Devices

After completing a quick registration process, SmartThings users can easily find their Galaxy devices – from smartphones, tablets and smartwatches, down to each individual earbud. Whether you dropped your Galaxy Note20 Ultra behind the sofa, can’t remember where you stashed your Galaxy Buds Live, or left your Galaxy Watch3 somewhere so secure you can’t find it, the SmartThings Find service will help you keep more of your Galaxy devices safe through the easy-to-use SmartThings app.

Offline Doesn’t Mean “Off-The-Grid”

With the SmartThings Find service, you can easily locate your missing device even if it’s offline.⁷ That’s because SmartThings users can now opt in to securely use their Galaxy smartphone or tablet to help others locate their lost devices. Once a device has been offline for 30 minutes, it produces a BLE signal that can be received by other devices. If you report your device as lost via 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. All SmartThings Find user data is encrypted and securely protected, ensuring that the device’s location is not revealed to anyone except its owner.

Find Your Galaxy Faster With More Detailed Directions

Locating your missing device is a breeze with integrated map directions and the ability to “ring” a lost device to find it more quickly. When you lose a device, you can simply open SmartThings Find on your smartphone or tablet and select the device you want to locate. Your smartphone will then show you the exact location of your device on a map. Once you’re close to your device, you can choose to either have your device “ring” or locate it using the AR-based Search Nearby function,⁶ which displays color graphics that increase in intensity when you are getting closer to your device.

Availability

Starting today, a new software update for the SmartThings app will be released for Galaxy smartphones and tablets running Android 8 or later around the world.¹ After that, users can access the SmartThings Find service by tapping the banner at the bottom of the home screen in the SmartThings app. In addition, from early next year, Samsung will further expand these capabilities to tracking tags, which will help users locate their favorite items, not only for Galaxy devices, but also others as well.

“We are excited to also be working closely with leading companies in the item-finding space to both expand this experience and enable you to find more of the belongings you care about most,” said Jaeyeon Jung, “We look forward to sharing more information soon.”

For more information about the SmartThings app and SmartThings Find service, please visit here.

¹ Availability may vary by market and carrier.

² Available on Galaxy smartphones and tablets running Android 8 or later, Galaxy Watch devices running Tizen 5.5 or later and Galaxy Buds+ and Galaxy Buds Live.

³ As of October 28, 2020, the number of registered users surpassed 6 million, which is a result of a two-month early access program in Korea, the U.K. and U.S.

⁴ BLE finding capabilities are available on Galaxy smartphones and tablets, running Android 8 or later; Galaxy Watch devices running Tizen 5.5 or later; and Galaxy Buds+ and Galaxy Buds Live.

⁵ UWB feature is available on the Galaxy Note20 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold2.

⁶ Only available on devices supporting UWB.

⁷ A device is “offline” when it is disconnected from a mobile network, or in the case of Galaxy wearables, disconnected from your Galaxy smartphone.

Featuring the most advanced technology to date, Galaxy Note9 S Pen with remote control takes Samsung’s leadership in smartphones to the next level. Now with Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) support, the all-new S Pen delivers an even richer, more powerful experience. So what’s the script behind the innovation? Our engineers reveal their secrets below.

01. The Problem

Tapping, swiping, and pinching have become powerful gestures in the age of smartphones, but there’s one major limitation: they only work when users can physically touch the phone. While there have been numerous attempts in the past to overcome this constrain with selfie sticks, tripods, and other gadgets, we felt there could be a simpler solution.

02. The Goal

With the Galaxy Note9, we wanted to make the S Pen more versatile to broaden the range of interactions users have with their smartphones. If users can communicate with their phones from a distance without the burden of carrying bulky accessories, the added flexibility would allow them to do more with their devices. Even when they can’t reach the smartphone, they can still enjoy the benefits of Galaxy Note9’s premium features.

03. The Idea

We decided to combine Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) with the S Pen to turn the stylus into a remote control. BLE needs extra power to work, which meant we had to incorporate a battery inside the stylus while keeping the premium writing experience and other functions Note users have come to love. Recharging the battery also has to be quick and easy.

04. The Solution

The Bluetooth function requires a different level of power, which made the design of the S Pen’s circuit challenging. While we were able to find space for a Super Capacitor, we couldn’t fit a separate circuit inside to power the new features of the S Pen without changing its iconic design. This meant we had to come up with a tailored solution.

After numerous tests and experiments, we developed an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit to deliver different levels of electric current for writing mode and charging mode. This also allows the S Pen’s button to detect proximity to the Galaxy Note9 and switch automatically from electromagnetic resonance mode to Bluetooth mode when the stylus is far away from the smartphone.

05. The Result

Equipped with Bluetooth capabilities, the latest S Pen delivers unmatched freedom and functionality. Whether it’s taking group selfies, giving PowerPoint presentations or controlling music and videos, the stylus can control the Galaxy Note9 within a 10m radius¹.

Customizable clicks also allows users to change the Bluetooth functions to suit their needs, while the recently launched S Pen SDK (developer.samsung.com/galaxy/spen-remote) enables third-party developers to adapt the stylus’ capabilities for different applications. With a 30-minute battery life (or up to 200 clicks) and ultra-fast charging, the S Pen is ready to go all the time.

¹ S Pen remote function reaches up to 10 meters in an open space. Performance subject to circumstances. S Pen battery life may vary depending on use patterns. S Pen remote function support may vary by app.