Owners of Samsung Galaxy smartphones will soon be able to attach Bluetooth low energy (BLE) or ultra-wideband (UWB) tags to items such as keys, bags, and pet collars so they can use their phones to locate them quickly and easily. Tracking tags

The new Galaxy SmartTag is a “Bluetooth locator”—in other words, it’s a Tile-like dongle you can attach to your belongings to keep track of where they are. It will be part of the Galaxy S21 pre-order bundle. — if you commit to buying one of the new phones from now until January 28th, you’ll get a SmartTag for free.

A BLE-enabled smart tag is the first to be released. A “more precise” UWB-enabled Smart Tag+ will be available later in the year.

“If you think your lost item is nearby, just tap the ring button on your phone and follow the familiar sound of your ringtone at a volume you control,” Samsung explains.

Smart Tags also enable users to access Samsung’s SmartThings Find feature and the Galaxy Find Network to locate items that are out of Bluetooth range.

SmartThings Find was rolled out in October 2020 and uses “any nearby Galaxy smartphone or tablet that has opted into helping find misplaced devices” to “alert the Samsung server about its location, which will, in turn, notify you,” Samsung explains.

“All SmartThings Find user data is encrypted and securely protected, ensuring that the device’s location is not revealed to anyone except its owner,” the company adds.

The BLE device can also be attached to a connected Internet of Things (IoT) device and used to control it “with just a click of a button, so you can turn on the lights in your home before you even step inside”. Tracking tags