Samsung has reversed its position on Galaxy SmartTag3 compatibility. The company now says the tracker works only with Galaxy phones among Android devices, and that it has no plans to widen that.
The new statement came after Android Authority tested a Pixel 11 Pro with a SmartTag3 and got an incompatibility message. The outlet went back to Samsung, and a spokesperson answered without hedging:
“SmartTag3 currently connects to and works only with Galaxy devices among Android smartphones, and there are currently no plans to support other Android devices.”
That contradicts what Samsung said days earlier. On October 6 we reported that SmartTag3 would work with any Android phone able to install SmartThings and Samsung Find from the Play Store. That report rested on an on-record Samsung statement given to the same outlet. Samsung has now withdrawn that position, so treat the earlier post as superseded by this one.
Why Samsung changed its SmartTag3 answer
Android Authority’s reading is that the first statement never held together. It names Samsung Find as one of the two required apps, and that app, the outlet points out, has only ever supported Galaxy and One UI devices. By its account, wires got crossed inside Samsung before the answer went out.
The practical outcome is the same either way. A SmartTag3 paired to a non-Galaxy Android phone is not a supported setup today. Compass View, the feature that points you toward a tag, was already Galaxy-only. It needs Android 12 or newer plus UWB or Bluetooth Channel Sounding on a Galaxy handset.
Pricing and Availability
None of the launch details have changed. Only the compatibility claim has.
- Single tag: $29.99
- Four-pack: $99.99
- Colors: White and Black
- Korea: on sale from October 7, 2026
- United States: early November 2026
- Other markets: during 2027
What this means if you were planning to buy one
The headline addition to SmartTag3 was iPhone support, a first for the line. That part still stands, and it is exactly why the wider-Android claim sounded believable. A tracker that reaches across to iOS looks like one that should manage a Pixel.
It does not. On any other non-Galaxy Android phone, SmartTag3 is not a tracker you can use. Samsung now says it has no plans to change that.
The cost of the mixed messaging landed on buyers. For several days the only on-record answer in circulation said non-Galaxy Android phones were fine. Anyone who ordered on that basis this week has a tracker their phone will not work with.
Sources: Android Authority, Android Authority’s earlier report, Samsung Newsroom
