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Samsung’s current equivalent of “Find My Friends” is the People tab in the Samsung Find app. It lets Galaxy users share their location with family and friends who use the app, choose how long sharing lasts, and view a location someone has shared with them. If your group uses different phone brands, Google Maps offers location sharing with recipient and duration controls.
What “Samsung Find My Friends” means
“Find My Friends” is a common way to describe person-to-person location sharing, but Samsung’s app is called Samsung Find. Samsung describes three sections: People for sharing locations with people, Devices for locating Galaxy devices, and Items for finding SmartTags and compatible trackers registered through SmartThings. These are different tasks: seeing a person’s shared phone location is not the same as locating a device or a tagged belonging. Samsung’s feature overview explains the app’s sections and supported devices.
Who can use Samsung Find?
Samsung’s UK support page says Samsung Find is supported on Galaxy phones and tablets running One UI 2 / Android Q or later. It is preloaded on new devices running One UI 6.1; supported devices upgraded to that release can download it from the Galaxy Store. Availability may depend on your region, device and software, so check the Galaxy Store and Samsung support information for your specific setup.
How Samsung Find’s People, Devices and Items sections differ
| Section | What it is for |
|---|---|
| People | Sharing and viewing locations with family and friends who use Samsung Find. A user can set a time limit for how long a recipient can see their location. |
| Devices | Finding your Galaxy devices and, where configured, family devices. |
| Items | Finding SmartTags and compatible trackers registered through SmartThings. |
Samsung Find and SmartThings Find are separate apps with overlapping device-finding functions. SmartThings Find documentation describes sharing access to a registered device with members; that is not the same as a person sharing their live phone location through Samsung Find’s People tab. See SmartThings Find support for device sharing details.
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#1 Best Overall
- Find your things with ease: The SmartThings Find app uses Bluetooth and ultra-wideband (UWB) technology to locate and keep track of your stuff
- Water and Dust Resistant: IP67 rating offers protection against dust and water immersion between 15 cm and 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
- Compatible with Galaxy Devices Only
When Google Maps is a better fit
Google Maps is a practical option when friends or family use a mix of phone brands. The person sharing chooses who can see their location and for how long, and can stop sharing. Recipients can see the sharer’s name and photo, recent device location and battery status; other information may vary with the share. A link share for someone without a Google Account can last up to 24 hours. Google notes that availability may be affected by country or region, Workspace administrator settings and age requirements. Consult Google Maps Help for current steps and limits.
Life360 is another family-oriented option to consider if you want location sharing alongside safety services. Its investor materials describe location sharing, crash detection and emergency support in its product positioning, but do not establish current consumer features by plan or pricing. Check the service’s current terms before choosing it. Life360’s investor filing provides the cited product context.
Rank #2
- Find your things with ease: The SmartThings Find app uses Bluetooth and ultra-wideband (UWB) technology to locate and keep track of your stuff
- Water and Dust Resistant: IP67 rating offers protection against dust and water immersion between 15 cm and 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
- Compatible with Galaxy Devices Only.
Choose an option based on the job and the people involved
- Phone compatibility: Check whether everyone in the group can use the service on their device.
- Person or property: Use person-to-person sharing for a consenting person’s phone location; use device-finding features for a lost device or a tracker for a tagged item.
- Control over sharing: Check who can see the location, how long access lasts and how to stop sharing.
- Children’s accounts: Verify the rules for the child’s account and the relevant parental controls rather than assuming adult settings apply.
- Additional safety features: If you need more than location sharing, compare the provider’s current safety functions and account requirements.
Location sharing with children and privacy
Rules for a child account depend on the platform and how the account is supervised. Google says a child under 13, or under the applicable age in their country, whose account is managed with Family Link can share real-time location in Maps only with their parents. Samsung says a parent or guardian must authenticate or approve attempts to share or stop sharing a child account’s location or associated device with others or family members. See Google’s Family Link guidance and Samsung’s UK Samsung Find page for their respective rules.
Samsung’s 2023 description of SmartThings Find said device location data is shared with others only with the user’s permission, and device IDs change every 15 minutes and are stored anonymously. This is Samsung’s description of SmartThings Find at that time, not a security audit or a statement about Google Maps or Life360. Samsung’s 2023 newsroom article also reported more than 300 million nodes in the SmartThings Find network; that dated company figure is about device finding, not the number of people sharing locations.
Rank #3
- Find your things with ease: The SmartThings Find app uses Bluetooth and ultra-wideband (UWB) technology to locate and keep track of your stuff
- Water and Dust Resistant: IP67 rating offers protection against dust and water immersion between 15 cm and 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
- Compatible with Galaxy Devices Only.
What SmartTag2 can—and cannot—do
Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 is an optional tracker for belongings such as keys or bags. Samsung Find can show tags registered through SmartThings, and Samsung’s SmartThings Find page identifies SmartTag2 as compatible with Galaxy phones and tablets using the latest SmartThings app. A tag helps locate an item; it does not provide a person’s live phone location and is not a substitute for consent-based location sharing. See Samsung SmartThings Find for compatibility information.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 📱 Global Cloud Positioning – Works with both Google's Find Hub (Android Only,Not for GPS & ios)
- 📢 Loud Alert Sound – Built-in speaker with up to 85dB for quick locating
- 🔋 Far Superior Battery Life – Up to 2 years battery life on Android
- 💧 IP65 Waterproof – It provides protection against rainwaterand splashes
- 👮 Data Encryption – With the help of Google's technology, all location information is encrypted
Rank #4
- REDESIGNED TO DO MORE: The redesigned Galaxy SmartTag2 is made so you can keep calm and keep track; Its design makes it easy for you to tag and carry your belongings
- EASY TO USE: It's IP67-rated water- and dust-resistant, activates your compatible IoT devices and stays powered for up to 500 days or even up to 40% more on Non-Power Saving Mode
- RELAX, YOU'VE GOT IT TAGGED: Simply register a new Galaxy SmartTag2 and get started right away with SmartThings Find; With its intuitive tracking experience, you now have a way to keep track of things you love right in the palm of your hand
- SEARCH NEAR WHEN IT'S NOT FAR: Lose something. Switch on Search Nearby and get guided instructions to your item's location via Compass View; If you still don't see it, just ring your Galaxy SmartTag2 to have it send out an audible signal
- Type of battery needed: replaceable CR2032 1 ea Lithium battery (not included)
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
