Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 3 works with iPhone but leaves another popular phone in the dust

Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy SmartTag 3, the next generation of its Bluetooth tracker. It’s the first to move to the iPhone, which is a big deal considering SmartTags have only ever worked with Samsung devices. However, before you get excited about Samsung finally opening things up, there is one very important user group that will always be left out: other Android users.

Yes, you read that correctly. Although Samsung has made the SmartTag 3 work with the iPhone, the company is still leaving other Android devices behind, including Google’s latest Pixel 11. It’s a strange decision, and one that makes no sense when you really think about it, especially with Google’s upcoming Pixel Tag expected to work with any phone running Android 9 or later. So, what does Samsung’s option give you?

Well, for starters, the SmartTag 3 will launch with a design that is approximately 35% smaller and 33% lighter than the SmartTag 2, as well as a battery that can last up to 550 days. It can also direct you to a lost object nearly 200 feet away, about three times farther than the last model, and new alerts let you know when a tagged object moves or leaves an area you set.

The biggest feature you can expect on the Galaxy SmartTag 3 is Samsung’s improved Compass View. This will help you see how far away a beacon is and even point you in the right direction to reach it. The SmartTag 3 will use Bluetooth 6.0, allowing it to be discoverable up to 196 feet away, about three times farther than the SmartTag 2. This increased range will only work on four phones at the moment – ​​the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Fold 8, S26 Ultra and S26 Plus – although Samsung says it could expand to other devices in the future.

Samsung also added a few new alerts, like Place Notification, which will let you set a zone and then be pinged when a tagged item enters or leaves it. The new motion detection alert will let you know when the tag is moved when you’re away from your phone, and the improved location history will let you know where the tag was for the last seven days. Features like the Left Behind alert are still included, so your phone will tell you if you leave and leave something behind, as long as a tracker is connected to it.

The rest of the SmartTag features are also retained. Lost Mode allows anyone who finds your tag to scan it with their phone to see the contact information or the message you left for them. You can also set the label button to trigger SmartThings routines for your smart home devices. And if you want the battery to last even longer, Power Saving Mode will extend it from 550 days to 790, although you’ll lose Compass View when it’s on.

If you own a Samsung device, the SmartTag 3 will likely continue the SmartTag 2’s reputation for being one of the best Bluetooth trackers you can buy right now. With the new features, improved battery life, and smaller size, it’s almost a no-brainer for Galaxy users. But how beneficial will this be for iPhone users?

While you can track and share the beacon’s location with friends and family, other in-device features, such as Left Behind alerts, Compass View, and even Ring Phone, won’t be available on iOS. These are pretty crucial features to miss, especially when Apple’s AirTags are right there.

Even then, using a SmartTag 3 with an iOS device will still require it to feed from the Galaxy Find network. This means that only Galaxy devices close to the tag will detect its location when it moves away from your paired device. This isn’t a big deal, since the company claims a network of over 900 million Galaxy devices to ping, but it’s something to keep in mind. The other important thing to consider is how the SmartTag 3 actually finds your stuff. While Samsung will use its Samsung Find app on supported Galaxy devices, iOS users will have to track items through Samsung’s SmartThings app. It remains to be seen how versatile or easy this will be.