Samsung has announced the Galaxy SmartTag3, and it is the first tracker in the line that works with iPhones. The tag is smaller than the SmartTag 2, drops the key-ring cutout, and claims a much longer battery life. It goes on sale in Korea first on October 7, with the US following and other markets arriving in 2027. The release does not include a price.
What iPhone Support Actually Covers
Samsung’s release names the mechanism directly. Here is how the company describes it:
For the first time in the Galaxy SmartTag lineup, Galaxy SmartTag3 also brings cross-OS compatibility for Galaxy and iOS devices, making it easier for families and groups to access core finding and sharing features across platforms. Through SmartThings Find, users can check and share a tag’s location and use Search Nearby across supported devices.
That is not full parity with a Galaxy phone. A footnote in the same release names three features as unavailable on iOS: Compass View, Ring Phone and Left Behind Alert. An iPhone owner can see a tag’s location and share it, and can use Search Nearby, but those three are Galaxy-only.
Two Samsung Announcements That Do Not Line Up
Two facts sit next to each other here, and Samsung has not connected them. Today’s release points iPhone users to SmartThings Find for tag locations.
Separately, Samsung has told users it is retiring the Tracker service inside the SmartThings app on October 31, on both Android and iOS. We covered that notice in Samsung’s SmartTag tracker service sunset. Today’s SmartTag3 release does not address how the two relate.
For a buyer, that is a reason to wait rather than a reason to worry. The most-promoted feature of this tracker involves a Samsung app whose tracker service is changing at the end of October. If iPhone support is your reason to buy, hold off until Samsung spells out what the iOS experience looks like after that date.
Galaxy SmartTag3 Specifications
- Design: squircle body with no key-ring cutout, so a case is needed to attach it to keys
- Durability: IP67 rated
- Battery: up to 550 days of standard use, or up to 790 days in Power Saving Mode, per Samsung
- New features: Place Notifications for zone entry and exit alerts, Search Nearby, longer-range finding over the Galaxy Find Network
- Colours: Black and White
- Availability: Korea from October 7, US to follow, additional markets in 2027
Extended Compass View Needs One of Four Phones
Samsung is promoting an upgraded Compass View range of 60 metres. That is up to four times farther than the SmartTag 2, using Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding alongside UWB. The figure comes with a real limit attached.
Per SamMobile’s rundown of Samsung’s specifications, the extended 60-metre range works with only four handsets:
- Galaxy S26+
- Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Galaxy Z Fold 8
- Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra
Other Galaxy phones still get Compass View, just at the standard range. On iOS, Compass View is not offered at all.
It is a familiar pattern worth naming. The marquee number in the spec sheet applies to a handful of current flagships. Everyone else pays the same price for the baseline experience.
Source: Samsung Newsroom
