From remote locking and the removal of personal data in the instance of theft, to using the Samsung ecosystem and SmartThings Find, or Find my Mobile if a device has been misplaced.

Here, we share some simple steps you can follow to protect your devices.

How you can remotely lock your Samsung Galaxy device:

• Sign into the Find My Mobile website using either your Samsung or Google account
• Select Lock on the right-hand side of the page and then select Next
• Create a PIN – that will unlock the phone should you get it back – and enter it twice to confirm
• You will then be asked if you’d like to add an emergency contact and accompanying message, which will display on the locked device screen (it is recommended to decline this step so not to provide contact details to a thief)
• When you are ready, select Lock and your device will be locked remotely
• In the event that you are reunited with your device, you will be able to Unlock it using the Find My Mobile website and the PIN you selected above

How to remotely delete the data on your Samsung Galaxy device:

• Go to the Find My Mobile website
• Select Erase Data
• Read the important information provided, and then press Erase
• You may be asked to verify your Samsung account before the reset starts
• All data stored on your device will then be erased to ensure no-one can access your personal information. This includes your financial data from Samsung Pay
  • Note: It is important to frequently back-up your device data, so it is protected if you do need to conduct a remote erasure. You will then be able to retrieve your latest back-up on a new device.

How to remotely change the passwords for your Samsung and/or Google accounts:

• It is recommended that you change the password on both your Samsung and Google accounts – or whichever one is linked to your device (you can do this by accessing your accounts online)
• Once you have changed the passwords, you will be automatically signed out of any devices that the accounts are linked to, except the one you’re using
• This prevents anyone from accessing any device features that require a Samsung or Google account to use and protects private information related to your accounts

How you can track your Galaxy phone or device:

If your device is turned on and is connected to either Wi-Fi or mobile data, its last known location will appear on a map.

• Go to the Find My Mobile website
• Enter the same Samsung account credentials associated with the phone or tablet, or sign in via an account that is assigned as a guardian
• If you have more than one device connected to your Samsung account, all the devices will appear
• Select the name of your desired device to see its location

Once here, you can explore other remote options available:

• Ring: If you don’t know where you put your phone or tablet, make it ring even if it was set to mute
• Back up: Before deleting your data for good, you can easily back up your data
• Extend battery life: The last thing you want is for your device to turn off. Use this feature to get the most out of your phone or tablet’s battery life and increase the chances of finding it
• Retrieve calls or messages: You can view up to 50 recent calls and message
• Set Guardians: You can designate guardians that can remotely locate or ring your phone or tablet

Other ways and services to locate lost phones or tablets:

How to find your phone using your smartwatch:

• Press the Home button on your smart watch
• Swipe and tap Find My Phone
• Tap Start to begin locating your phone – your phone’s ringtone will sound, making it easy to locate
• Once found, swipe down on the Dismiss icon

How to find your phone or tablet using Google’s Find My Device:

• Google’s Find My Device is built into Android devices through Google Play Services. This means you will need a Google account to use this service. You can set a new password, make your device ring, display a message, lock and wipe your device, and more.

Find your smart watch:

If you’ve lost or misplaced your smart watch, you can find it using the Galaxy Wearable app.

• Go to the Galaxy Wearable app on your phone
• Tap Find My Watch. On fitness bands, tap Find My Band or Find My Gear
• If your watch is connected to your phone using Bluetooth, tap Start
• Your watch will begin vibrating so it’s easier to find
• When found, tap the X icon and swipe to the right
• Tap Stop on your phone

Find your Galaxy Buds:

You won’t need to buy new Galaxy Buds if you’ve misplaced them because the Galaxy Wearable app makes finding them super easy.

• Go to the Galaxy Wearable app on your phone or tablet
• Tap Find My Earbuds
• Tap Start
• The earbuds will start beeping, gradually getting louder for a period of 3 minutes. Tap Stop to end the search

Contact the authorities and your network provider:

• Once you have taken the steps above, your device will be completely inaccessible for any unauthorised people that may have it in their possession
• Once the above steps have been completed, report your lost or stolen device to the local authorities and contact your network provider to freeze your contract

For additional device protection, it is recommended that additional insurance is taken out to cover events such as accidental damage, lost or stolen devices.

We recommend exploring the types of cover Samsung offers, to choose the best option for you and your device.

For further information, please visit Samsung Support.

Powered by SmartThings, the premier technology enabling Connected Living, around 230,000 devices are located through this feature every day.

“We’re incredibly proud of how quickly the SmartThings Find service has grown in less than a year, helping people all over the world locate hundreds of thousands of misplaced devices every day,” said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “SmartThings Find is yet another example of how Samsung is continuing to create meaningful new experiences that help make life more convenient and less stressful.”

The fast-growing SmartThings Find service enables users to pinpoint registered Galaxy smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, earbuds, PC’s and even S Pen Pro, as well as personal belongings—like keys, wallets and even children’s backpacks—that have a Galaxy SmartTag or SmartTag+ device attached. SmartThings Find, a standout feature of the SmartThings ecosystem, uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and ultra-wideband (UWB) technology to locate misplaced devices. Even if the device is out of range of your phone, other opted in Galaxy smartphone or tablet users can help find nearby lost devices. 

Teg Dosanjh, Director of Connected Services and Technology, Samsung UK and Ireland, said: “We’re delighted to have continued our rapid growth and reached significant scale of the SmartThings Find network so quickly. Having launched SmartThings Find in the UK last autumn, we now have over 1 million users here in the UK, many of whom are new to the SmartThings platform. This really highlights the growing mass appeal and value of smart tech in people’s lives. The ability to find misplaced belongings easily and between family and friends is so relevant for us all, and we’re proud to be able to offer such a powerful and easy solution with SmartThings Find.”  

SmartThings Find is continuing to evolve with the addition of the newly launched SmartThings Find Members service, which now enables users to invite friends and family to become members of their SmartThings account, so they can help find misplaced devices together. Users can now invite up to 19 other people to become members and locate up to 200 devices. Once someone has accepted your invitation to SmartThings Find Members, you can pick which specific devices they can see, all based on your consent.

SmartThings Find Members is particularly useful for families, as they try to keep up with pets, misplaced children’s toys or keep track of their car keys, as it shares the ability to find misplaced devices between family members.

For more information about the SmartThings app and SmartThings Find service, visit www.smartthings.com/partners/smartthings-find

SmartThings Find Becomes One of the Fastest-Growing Location Services

SmartThings Find[1], one of the standout features of the SmartThings ecosystem, enables Galaxy users to locate registered Galaxy smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and earbuds quickly and easily using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)[2] and ultra-wideband (UWB) technologies. It can also help find personal items such as keys, bags and bicycles that have one of Samsung’s small, Bluetooth-powered Galaxy SmartTag devices attached.

SmartThings Find users can help others find lost or misplaced items by opting in via the SmartThings app. Once opted in, any nearby Galaxy device will alert the SmartThings server about a missing device or tag’s location, with the user receiving a notification of its whereabouts.[3]  Since its launch in October 2020, more than 70 million devices have been registered globally and with a quick consent, Galaxy users can participate in the SmartThings Find network, making it one of the fastest-growing location services in the world.

SmartThings Find is Enhanced with New Safety and Convenience Features

In addition to its device expansion, people are increasingly using SmartThings Find to keep tabs on their most important possessions. In fact, over half of Galaxy SmartTag users attach it to their house keys or car keys, closely followed by backpacks, wallets and bicycles. Now, beginning next week, Galaxy users will benefit from two new SmartThings Find features that will not only make finding these items more convenient, but will also give them peace of mind when it comes to their safety[4].

First, users will now be able to use Bixby[5] for convenient hands-free, voice-activated Galaxy SmartTag searches. Users can easily and quickly find their belongings which are assigned to an item via Bixby; for instance, if the user asks “Hi Bixby, where’s my bike?” Bixby will immediately find and share its exact location by ringing it.

In addition, the new Unknown Tag Search feature can detect when a Galaxy SmartTag that doesn’t belong to you is moving along with you. With the press of a start button, Unknown Tag Search will scan for unknown SmartTags and provide a list.

As a reminder, all SmartThings Find user data is encrypted and securely protected through a randomized private ID, which changes every 15 minutes, ensuring that the device’s location is not revealed to anyone except its owner.

The SmartThings Ecosystem is Continuing to Evolve

SmartThings Find is just one feature of the ever-expanding, trusted SmartThings ecosystem, which has deepened its capabilities and evolved into an IoT service across Galaxy smartphones and tablets, Samsung TVs and home appliances.

In the UK, SmartThings has expanded beyond popular uses like Smart Home controls or Smart Car features, to analyze users’ electricity usage patterns and recommends more energy-efficient control options for connected devices.

“Samsung is setting precedence with our SmartThings ecosystem, making it one of the fastest-growing location services in the world, and we are only just scratching the surface of what’s possible,” said Teg Dosanjh, Director of Connected Services and Technology at Samsung Electronics. “Continuing to create meaningful services and putting customer experience at the heart of our innovation is what we do best,” he added.

For more information about the SmartThings app and SmartThings Find service, please visit: www.samsung.com/smartthings.

###

About Samsung SmartThings

Samsung is committed to delivering valuable experiences for its customers, which is why SmartThings is built into all flagship products. SmartThings is the easiest way to connect and control a wide range of devices from Samsung and other leading smart brands, all from one app – making life simpler, safer and more entertaining.

With expertise and experience across consumer technology and IoT, SmartThings hardware and software validates Samsung’s leadership in offering people a single, seamless and intelligent experience, allowing them to live a smarter, more connected life.

With millions of users on the platform to date, and thousands joining every week, SmartThings is one of the largest open ecosystems of connected devices, available on both Android and iOS, and compatible with the leading voice assistants. By openly publishing APIs and schemas, developers are enabled to utilise and evolve the platform’s offering, supporting SmartThings’ mission to help users save time, effort and money.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom UK at http://news.samsung.com/uk.

[1] Requires initial setup on a Samsung Galaxy smartphone running Android 8.0 or higher & RAM of 2.0GB or above and opt-in for location tracking through the SmartThings Find service of the SmartThings app.

[2] Galaxy SmartTags have a Bluetooth range of up to 120m without obstacles. Actual performance may vary depending on the environment where they are used

[3] All data in SmartThings Find is encrypted and protected, so the device’s location isn’t revealed to anyone but you

[4] Requires the latest version of the SmartThings app, which will be available via the Samsung Galaxy Store and Google Play Store.

[5] Supported on Galaxy smartphones running Android 8.1 or higher.

LONDON, UK – November 24^th, 2020 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd – As the nation settles into another national lockdown, the impact of being at home more than ever before is evident, particularly when it comes to memory, with a third (33%) agreeing they are more forgetful this year compared to last.

With months of various levels of restrictions in place, research by Samsung reveals[2] over half (56%) of people in the UK are losing around two personal belongings per week, which has doubled since pre-lockdown. Top reasons for this new wave of forgetfulness has been identified as stress (56%), the general lockdown restrictions (44%) and fatigue (41%), with the added pressure of remembering new items as a priority, such as hand sanitizer or a face mask, affecting over a third (36%).

“This year has taken us all by surprise. We’re working from home or not being able to work at all, whilst having to follow all sorts of new rules and procedures. For many of us, the lines between work and personal lives are blurring, with outdoor time and ‘free time’ limited,” comments Cognitive Behavioural, Psychodynamic & EMDR Practitioner, Dr Becky Spelman.

“We’re spending more time in close quarters with housemates, partners, friends or family than we’re used to, coupled with worry and concern for either vulnerable loved ones or our jobs, or both. In this context, it’s unsurprising many of us have limited mental bandwidth for keeping track of our possessions.”

According to the research, smartphones are most likely to be misplaced, even in the home, followed by the dreaded TV remote – likely to be tucked down the side of the sofa – as well as keys for the car and house.

From smaller keepsakes that are low in cost but high in emotional-value, to those devices that have been invested in, some items have been missing for as long as two years before finally being reunited with their owner. As a result, over half (55%) of Brits have ended up coughing up cash, and a lot of time trying to replace them.

• On average, Brits fork out £76 a year – the equivalent of £4,788 over the course of an adult lifetime. Over half (56%) even admit to losing a valuable item, replacing it and losing it again!
• In terms of time – the average person in the UK spends the equivalent of 140 days of their lives looking for lost items, equating to just shy of nine minutes every day

But it’s not just finance or time that goes into losing valuable or important items, it’s the emotions that go with it, making people feel frustrated (62%), stressed (32%) and panicked (28%). Nearly 60% of Brits also admit it can cause arguments in their household, with one in five (19%) confessing they often blame their partner when something valuable goes missing.

Commenting on the emotional impact, Dr Becky Spelman believes, “although everyone loses things at times, and we may laugh about it, losing things can be extremely stressful, and even make people feel as though they are spiraling out of control. The fact that most of us are already living with heightened anxiety because of the pandemic makes everything that much worse.

Despite thinking being at home would make finding lost items easier, Brits have uncovered misplaced belongings in all manner of places – including a bin, their pet’s bed or even in a shoe, with the average adult set to misplace two things that they never find again.

With tech items such as smartphones, watches and earbuds included in the list of most-lost items, people are turning to technology to help. SmartThings Find from Samsung is the easy way to keep track of devices, whether further afield or within close proximity inside the home. Using the free-to-use SmartThings app, users can pinpoint the exact location of compatible devices by using integrated map directions and Bluetooth, giving precise directions.

If the item is in a notoriously hard-to-find spot, such as under the sofa (or in a shoe!) the app will enable the lost device to ‘ring’ when it’s within Bluetooth range – which is perfect for the 60% of Brits who agree lost devices usually end up never being more than 2ft far away.

Kyle Brown, Head of Connected Living Solutions at Samsung Electronics UK and Ireland. comments: “At Samsung, we are always looking at ways to make our customers lives that little bit easier, developing services and technology to cater to their needs.

Losing items can be an emotional time, and we can see from this research just how big an impact that can have. SmartThings Find allows our customers to find other devices from the Galaxy ecosystem via a simple-to-use app, alleviating the inevitable stress that can come with misplacing a valuable item and it is our goal to increase the possibilities of SmartThings Find in the near-future, to support this even further.”

With services and technology available to help find misplaced items or devices, it’s a surprise that just 7% of people in the UK currently use them. Available for Samsung customers, SmartThings Find is a free-to-use service which helps locate lost devices from the Galaxy ecosystem. For more information, visit: https://www.samsung.com/uk/smartthings/

[1] Calculated using average minutes per day spent searching for missing items, multiplied by average length of adult lifetime

[2] Research was fielded online among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults living in the UK. Fieldwork was carried out in partnership with OnePoll and was in field from 05/11/2020-10/11/2020

LONDON, UK – October 30, 2020 – Samsung Electronics today announced the launch of SmartThings Find globally. Already available in the UK, the tool helps you quickly and easily locate Galaxy devices.[1] After 6 million[2] users across Korea, the U.K. and U.S. signed up for early access to the service, SmartThings Find is ready for a global launch on devices running Android 8 or later. SmartThings Find uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)[3]and ultra-wideband (UWB)[4] technologies to help people find select Galaxy smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and earbuds.

“Utilising 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 AR[5] 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. 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 through their smartphone – such as other devices like 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[6]. 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[7]. 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 chose to either have your device “ring” or locate it using the Search Nearby function6, which displays colour graphics that increase in intensity when you are getting closer to your device. For those with a Galaxy Note20 Ultra or Galaxy Z Fold2, users can also use AR-Finding for advanced search mode.

Availability

SmartThings Find is already available in the UK, however from today, a new software update for the SmartThings app will be released for Galaxy smartphones and tablets running Android 8 or later around the world1. In addition, from early next year, Samsung will further expand these capabilities to tracking tags, which will help users locate their favourite 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] 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.

[2] 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.

[3] 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.

[4] UWB feature is available on the Galaxy Note20 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold2.

[5] Only available on devices supporting UWB.

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

[7] Galaxy Buds required to be out of their case in order to broadcast BLE signal

LONDON, UK – September 2020 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd has made significant updates to its SmartThings platform, complimenting the recent launch of a new ecosystem of powerful mobile devices, including the Galaxy Note20 Ultra, Tab S7/S7+ and Galaxy Watch3.

With over 130 million users of the free platform worldwide, SmartThings enables users to easily manage their connected devices whilst at home or on the go, all through one, simple-to-use app. The ever-expanding ecosystem, which is compatible with over 80% of smart products, receives regular system updates, maximising the user’s connected experience.

Packed with enhanced refinements and meaningful innovations, the latest update includes SmartThings Find, a new feature which easily tracks a missing device from Samsung’s ecosystem, and SmartThings Daily Board, an always-on overview of user’s connected homes which can be viewed via their tablet devices.

“At Samsung, we are committed to listening to the feedback and desires of our customers and are constantly evolving our SmartThings offering to meet these needs.” said Kyle Brown, Head of Connected Living solutions (AI & IoT), UK & IRE at Samsung Electronics. “Our latest updates reflect convenience and functionality – whether that’s finding a missing device, or using advanced automations to control your home – the aim is to give customers a simple and smart solution to every-day tasks.”

Keep track of devices with SmartThings Find

Whether it’s a smartphone or smartwatch, tablet or Buds, users can now keep all their Galaxy devices safe with one easy-to-use new feature. Via the app, SmartThings Find allows Galaxy devices[1] to be tracked and controlled remotely, which makes finding missing devices a breeze. Taken directly through to Google Maps, Find gives directions to the missing Galaxy device and once within range, uses Bluetooth to identify its specific location. Users can then use the ‘ring’ function to activate a noise from the device, to confirm it is theirs.

Not only does SmartThings Find work on products such as tablets and smartphones, but it can also differentiate smaller products such as Buds Live, recognising the left and right Bud as separate objects. This means if a user loses one earbud, SmartThings will be able to differentiate and navigate to the correct device.

As an added bonus, missing devices can also be found and located if they have lost signal or gone out of range. With SmartThings Find, customers can identify a device’s last location and use the Samsung community for support in helping to locate it. If it’s within proximity, other SmartThings users can pick up the lost device’s signal via Bluetooth and send an anonymous notification so the owner can find it with ease.

Stay organised with SmartThings Daily board

As part of the latest update, users can now access a SmartThings summary as part of their tablet’s Daily Board, offering an always-on overview of their connected home. From appliances such as ovens and fridges, to lighting and heating, this new feature provides an overview of all SmartThings compatible devices in the home, that users can control and manage in one, easy-to-use place.

For added convenience, users can dock their tablet in a communal place such as a kitchen, living room or hallway, so that the whole family can have access to the summary. This simple dashboard puts the control back into the hands of the user, allowing them to manage their home and take connected living to the next level.

Enjoy advanced control with automations and scenes

A key benefit of the SmartThings platform is automations, simplifying everyday tasks and giving the user ultimate control of their home.

Automations are built on a structure of ‘IF’ or ‘WHEN’ and ‘THEN’, creating commands for SmartThings to automatically pre-empt your requirements – for example: “IF / WHEN it is sunset, THEN turn on the lights” or “IF / WHEN motion is detected, THEN turn my light on”

With the latest iteration of Samsung SmartThings, users can now integrate local weather[2] and multiple locations into its commands to.

Weather: Users can programme automations by simply creating a command in the SmartThings app based around the weather;

For example: “IF / WHEN the window is open and the heating is on, THEN turn it off,” or ‘IF it rains and the window is open, THEN notify me.”

Locations: With the ability to now automate based on multiple locations, such as a home, office or even the pub, users can enjoy greater convenience than ever before. The opportunities are endless.

For example, users could add automations such as “WHEN’ I leave the office THEN switch on my Infinite oven to heat to 180 degrees,” or “WHEN I leave my friend’s house, THEN turn on the porch light”.

With SmartThings, users can enjoy a truly connected home and experience a wealth of benefits from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to sleep. Offering people remote control of all their connected devices means that users can realise greater peace of mind and ease of living so they can spend more time focusing on the things that matter to them.

To find out more about SmartThings visit https://www.smartthings.com/uk/smart-home.

For more information, www.samsung.com/uk/smartthings.

[1] SmartThings Find is compatible on any Galaxy handset or Tablet on Android 10, such as Galaxy Note20 5G, Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G and Tab S7/S7+, and the following products from Samsung’s wider Galaxy ecosystem: Galaxy Watch3, Galaxy Watch Active2, Galaxy Buds Live

[2] Local weather data from leading provider, The Weather channel