The tracker market is really starting to heat up. Apple finally unveiled its AirTags yesterday, but if you own a Samsung smartphone, you have another option to check for lost items. SmartTags have been around since January, offering a Tile alternative to everyone in the Galaxy ecosystem. While Apple held its event, Samsung took the opportunity to highlight some new features for its trackers, including search for unknown tags and support for voice commands.
Starting next week, you can use your phone to scan your area for tags that don’t belong to you. Samsung is positioning it as a security measure to make sure no one has put a tag in your backpack to track you home. This is similar to Apple’s lost AirTag feature, which supports NFC to read found tracker. However, unlike this feature, this is not intended to return the tag to its rightful owner – it is necessary to ensure that you are not being followed.
SmartTags are designed to work exclusively within the Samsung ecosystem, so Bixby support for hands-free search arrives next week. If you ask Bixby to find a tracker, it will automatically share its location with you. While Google Assistant would be a nice addition, you shouldn’t hold your breath. If you’ve been waiting for voice commands for SmartTags, this is probably the best you can get.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNRFA1kvDcg
Samsung also used yesterday’s Apple event as an opportunity to showcase its new AR tracking mode for SmartTag +. His UWB-equipped device has been available for purchase since last week, with support for displaying the location of lost items using augmented reality. Whether SmartTags will be successful in the post-AirTags world remains to be seen, but it’s good to see Samsung continue to add features to its trackers.
