Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag 3 is now on sale in the US, offering a smaller and lighter build than earlier generations along with 550 days of battery life, an NFC-powered Lost Mode, Left Behind Alerts, and an IP67 dust- and water-resistance rating. The tracker also works with iOS devices, though Apple users get only a limited set of the product's features.
Ring Phone, Left Behind Alerts, and Compass View are reserved for Galaxy users, according to ZDNET. Compass View depends on Bluetooth Channel Sounding, an upgraded Bluetooth distance-finding technology. Samsung has adopted the low-cost tracking boost, but its Channel Sounding implementation stays inside the Galaxy ecosystem, which undercuts the technology's intended purpose.
Google's Pixel Tag and Motorola's Moto Tag 2 also use Channel Sounding, but those manufacturers make it available to all compatible Android phones. Samsung's SmartTag 3 does not rely on Android's vast but fragmented Find My Device network. Instead, its version of Channel Sounding runs exclusively on the Galaxy Find Network.
Full access to the Galaxy Find Network is limited to Galaxy devices, much as full access to Apple's Find My tracking features is reserved for Apple devices. Google's Find Hub, by contrast, accommodates Android phones from multiple manufacturers, including Samsung. A Samsung press release cited by ZDNET puts nearly 900 million Galaxy devices on the Galaxy Find Network, each sending constant Bluetooth signals that feed crowdsourced location data and extend the SmartTag 3's reach.
Only owners of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy S26 Ultra, and Galaxy S26 Plus can unlock the SmartTag 3's Channel Sounding capabilities through Compass View. All four phones support Bluetooth 6.0 and Channel Sounding, as will future Galaxy phones with the technology. Paired with a base-model flagship phone, an older Galaxy phone, or an iPhone, the SmartTag 3 behaves like any other Bluetooth tracker.
Google's Find Hub stands out for its scale, working with headphones, earbuds, Bluetooth trackers, smartphones, and smartwatches from multiple manufacturers. Different ecosystems still limit tracking to basic functions, such as showing where a device was last seen before it was powered off or emitting a chime. Live location data and accurate direction and distance finding from a smartphone are not possible in those cases.
At this year's WWDC, Apple announced Channel Sounding support for iPhones with its N1 networking chip and third-party Bluetooth 6.3 devices. Bluetooth 6.3 devices are not yet on the market and will not be for a few years. Google's Find Hub still needs maturing, ZDNET noted, citing last year's expansion of opt-in opportunities for crowdsourced data, the coming arrival of Find People on Wear OS, and upcoming "Notify when left behind" alerts.
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