Samsung copies Apple in adding anti-stalking feature to SmartThings

Samsung has updated its SmartThings Find service to include an anti-stalking feature, one that Apple is believed to be incorporating in the long-rumored "AirTags."

Updated on Tuesday, the SmartThings changes add a number of elements to Samsung's connected device platform, with the main focus being on Find, its location-based tool for relocating devices. Similar in concept to Apple's Find My, SmartThings Find can be used to locate registered Galaxy smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and earbuds, as well as things using the Galaxy SmartTag.

In the list of updates, Samsung includes something called the "Unknown Tag Search feature," which is intended to detect nearby Galaxy SmartTags and other related devices that are moving with the user, but aren't registered to them. Such trackers could be an attempt by someone else to secretly keep tabs on the person's movements, without their knowledge.

The feature is extremely similar to "Item Safety Features" found in iOS betas since November 2020. The feature was believed to allow the user to be alerted if they were seemingly carrying an "AirTag" that didn't belong to them, and to suggest that the user could contact law enforcement over the tracking.

Samsung's other Find-related change is the ability to use Bixby to perform SmartTag searches hands-free. For example, a user could ask Bixby "Where's my bike?" to refer to a tag associated with that object, which can trigger Bixby to make the tag ring out a noise.

Much like Apple's use of encryption for Find My, Samsung's SmartThings Find encrypts user data with a randomized private ID, one that changes every 15 minutes.

The timing of the update's release could be intended as a spoiler for Apple's "Spring Loaded" event occurring later in the day. Among the products anticipated to launch are "AirTags," Apple's smart tag for item tracking within the Find My app.

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13 Comments

AF_Hitt 144 comments · 7 Years

About 3 years ago

I'm all for the "Samsung copies Apple" narrative and fully agree they have been both blatant and shameless about it for decades now... but how can they "steal" something from Apple that Apple hasn't even announced yet? Say what you will about ideas and implementation, but the fact of the matter is that Samsung has had a product available to purchase on the market well before Apple has in this case. Now, saying that, I am sure Apple's implementation will be much more elegant and effective.

goodbyeranch 249 comments · 9 Years

About 3 years ago

So its a litle silly to say samsung is copying an apple feature for an unreleased product which samsung has already released. I'm not here for "narratives" I'm here for apple news. thx. In other "News": "Apple copies Intel by making chips!" "Apple copies Facebook by releasing a VR headset!" "Apple copies Tesla by making a car!" Please.

retrogusto 1138 comments · 16 Years

About 3 years ago

AF_Hitt said:

I'm all for the "Samsung copies Apple" narrative and fully agree they have been both blatant and shameless about it for decades now... but how can they "steal" something from Apple that Apple hasn't even announced yet? Say what you will about ideas and implementation, but the fact of the matter is that Samsung has had a product available to purchase on the market well before Apple has in this case. Now, saying that, I am sure Apple's implementation will be much more elegant and effective.

If you’re nimble enough and have access to leaked information, it’s certainly possible. For example, if I made a copycat smartphone similar to iPhone, I could conceivably move the ear speaker to the top edge of the screen and make the notch smaller, and if I can release it before September (and assuming the current rumors about the next iPhone prove accurate), I would have done just that. Official announcements and product releases aren’t the only conduits for information exchange, nor are they a definitive indicator of who had an idea first. Details about AirTags have been circulating for a while now, and if anyone has the ability to quickly bring something like this to market, it’s a company like Samsung.