Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag3 Finally Works With iPhones, and That’s the Real Upgrade

Samsung’s item trackers have always had one glaring weakness: they only made sense if everyone in your house owned a Galaxy phone. The new Galaxy SmartTag3, announced alongside the Galaxy Tab S12 today, fixes that. For the first time, a SmartTag works with iPhones too.

It’s also smaller, lighter and rated for a battery life measured in years rather than months. But the iPhone support is what changes who should buy one.

Smaller, longer-lasting, and rounder

Samsung says the SmartTag3 is about 35% smaller by volume and 33% lighter than the SmartTag2, in a new rounded “squircle” shape. The trade-off, per Android Headlines, is that the built-in keyring hole is gone. You’ll need one of Samsung’s optional silicone or loop cases, or a third-party holder, to hang it on your keys.

Battery life is rated at up to 550 days in normal use and up to 790 days in Power Saving Mode, and SammyGuru reports the battery is replaceable. It keeps IP67 dust and water resistance.

What iPhone owners get, and what they don’t

Mixed-platform households are the obvious winners. Android Headlines and SammyGuru both report that iPhone users can check a tag’s location, share access and use Search Nearby. That means a Galaxy-owning parent and an iPhone-owning teenager can finally keep track of the same car keys.

Some features stay Galaxy-only, though. Compass View, Ring Phone and Left Behind Alert aren’t available on iOS. If you’re an iPhone owner with no Galaxy devices in the house, Apple’s AirTag remains the more natural fit, since it plugs into Apple’s own Find My network.

The range trick needs a new Galaxy

The most impressive spec comes with an asterisk. The SmartTag3 supports Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding, which extends Compass View directional guidance to about 60 meters (196 feet), roughly triple the previous generation. Ultra-wideband still handles precise finding up close.

But Channel Sounding only works with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, S26+, Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra right now. On older Galaxy phones, you’ll get a very good tracker, not a magic one.

Samsung is also adding pet-friendly tricks. GadgetReview reports the SmartThings app can log basic movement, active time and sleep duration for a tagged pet, and a Place Notification feature sends alerts when a tag enters or leaves an area you define. Don’t expect fitness-tracker data; there’s no heart rate or anything like it.

Price, timing and a shutdown to know about

Android Headlines and GadgetReview put U.S. pricing at $29.99 for one tag or $99.99 for a four-pack, with availability by early November in black or white. SammyGuru, which reports a South Korea launch on October 7, says Samsung hasn’t locked official U.S. pricing, so treat those numbers as expected until Samsung’s store lists them.

One more thing if you already own SmartTags: 9to5Google reports Samsung is ending the SmartThings app’s Tracker service on October 31. Your existing tags keep working through Samsung’s Find app on Galaxy phones, but location checks and notifications inside SmartThings will stop. It’s a good moment to make sure your tags show up in Find.

Should you buy it?

If your household is all Galaxy, the SmartTag3 is a modest but welcome upgrade, and the battery alone makes it the one to get over a discounted SmartTag2. If your home mixes Android and iPhone, it’s the first Samsung tracker that makes real sense. Just budget a few extra dollars for a case, because this one won’t hang on your keyring by itself.

Sources: Android Headlines, GadgetReview, SammyGuru, 9to5Google. Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash.