At some point, all bicycle owners have experienced the anxiety of potentially losing their bikes. It’s often difficult to track down a missing bicycle, leading to approximately 35,000 bikes1 per year being abandoned on the streets and eventually ending up in landfills in Korea.

 

Samsung Electronics is offering a new solution to help alleviate these concerns for bike owners. Recently announced at the Samsung Developer Conference 2023 (SDC23), the Galaxy SmartTag2 — a mobile accessory that tells users where their belongings are located based on Bluetooth and SmartThings Find without the need for GPS — is a new way to help prevent bike loss.

 

With a much smaller size compared to the previous model, the upgraded tag can be easily attached anywhere. The Galaxy SmartTag2’s search location has become even more accurate, thanks to ultra-wideband (UWB) support. With Lost Mode, your contact information and messages can be shared with anyone who locates your belongings when he or she tags the Galaxy SmartTag2 with an NFC-enabled smartphone.

 

Read on to learn how the Galaxy SmartTag2 can help you get into gear for your ride and safeguard your bicycle.

 

 

STEP 1. Connect the Galaxy SmartTag2 to Your Galaxy Device, Then Attach the Tag to Your Bike

To activate the Galaxy SmartTag2, start by registering the device in your SmartThings app. The process is straightforward: the SmartTag2 will automatically be detected when placed near your Galaxy smartphone or tablet. Simply bring the tag to your phone or tablet during the initial registration, and a pop-up window with installation instructions will seamlessly guide you through setup.

 

[User Guide] Guard Your Bike Gear With the Galaxy SmartTag2

▲ A device registration pop-up will appear when you hold your Galaxy SmartTag2 close to your Galaxy smartphone.

 

Follow the onscreen instructions to register the SmartTag2 on your SmartThings app. Next, give a name to the object you’re tagging, for example, “Bike.” You can modify this name whenever you like.

 

[User Guide] Guard Your Bike Gear With the Galaxy SmartTag2

▲ The Galaxy SmartTag2 can be connected to your device without a lengthy installation process. You can also designate a unique name for your device.

 

Once the setup is complete, it’s time to attach the SmartTag2 to your bicycle. The Galaxy SmartTag2, known for its sleek and compact design, can be safely placed inside your bike’s pouch or discreetly under the seat, keeping it out of plain sight.

 

[User Guide] Guard Your Bike Gear With the Galaxy SmartTag2

▲ Place the Galaxy SmartTag2 inside a bicycle bag or attach it under the seat

 

If you want to completely conceal the Galaxy SmartTag2, try using the dedicated protective case.2 Simply place the tag inside this protective case and attach it behind your bike’s bottle cage to completely hide the tag.

 

[User Guide] Guard Your Bike Gear With the Galaxy SmartTag2

▲ (From left) The Galaxy SmartTag2 can be placed inside a protective case. The Galaxy SmartTag2’s protective case can be hidden and attached to your bike’s bottle cage.

 

[User Guide] Guard Your Bike Gear With the Galaxy SmartTag2

 

 

STEP 2. If You Can’t Find Your Bike, Try Checking Its Location and Searching the Route Using SmartThings Find

What if you’ve lost your bicycle? The first step is to open SmartThings Find within SmartThings app on your smartphone and quickly pinpoint your bike’s current location.

 

[User Guide] Guard Your Bike Gear With the Galaxy SmartTag2

▲ You can check the location of your bike with SmartThings Find.

 

Once you’ve identified the location of your lost bike on the map, you can quickly head to that spot using the Navigate feature for directions. SmartThings Find supports popular apps such as Naver Map, Kakao Map and T Map, allowing you to choose your preferred map and making it easier to retrieve your bicycle.

 

[User Guide] Guard Your Bike Gear With the Galaxy SmartTag2

▲ You can check the route to the location of your bike using the Navigate feature on SmartThings Find.

 

 

STEP 3. Find the Location of Your Lost Bike More Accurately Using the AR Camera

If you’ve reached a location near the spot where your lost bicycle is shown on the map app but still can’t pinpoint its exact whereabouts, click Search nearby to track it down using the signals transmitted by the Galaxy SmartTag2.

 

[User Guide] Guard Your Bike Gear With the Galaxy SmartTag2

▲ The Search nearby feature shows you the location of your lost object more accurately by detecting the strength of the signals from the Galaxy SmartTag2. By using it in combination with the Ring feature, you will be able to find your belongings even quicker with the sound coming from the location of the Galaxy SmartTag2.

 

Featuring UWB technology, the Galaxy SmartTag2 offers the Find Using Camera feature, which uses augmented reality (AR) to help you find your things with greater accuracy and ease. After tapping Find Using Camera, you can track down your lost bike by following the arrows on your screen.

 

[User Guide] Guard Your Bike Gear With the Galaxy SmartTag2

▲ You can find your bike using the Find Using Camera feature.

 

 

STEP 4. Add an Extra Layer of Security With Lost Mode

Lost Mode adds another level of security in protecting your bicycle. With this new feature, you can add your contact information and messages — making them accessible to anyone who finds your bike and scans the Galaxy SmartTag2 using an NFC reader on their smartphone.

 

Thanks to the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) capabilities, the tag will detect and send notifications to other Galaxy users passing by your bike. Lost Mode also prevents other Galaxy users from connecting to your Galaxy SmartTag2 by locking the pairing process.

 

[User Guide] Guard Your Bike Gear With the Galaxy SmartTag2

▲ When you scan the Galaxy SmartTag2 with an NFC reader on your smartphone, you can access the owner’s contact information along with any personalized messages.

 

The Galaxy SmartTag2 comes with additional security features. The Notify when left behind feature alerts you if your bike moves too far from your smartphone. Additionally, the Location history feature allows you to review your bike’s location history from the past week, providing extra assurance that your valuable bike stays safe and sound.

 

[User Guide] Guard Your Bike Gear With the Galaxy SmartTag2

▲ (From left) The Notify when left behind feature and the Location history feature

 

[User Guide] Guard Your Bike Gear With the Galaxy SmartTag2

 

Thanks to the Galaxy SmartTag2, you can ride your bike with peace of mind — knowing that you can track its location anytime, anywhere. Stay tuned to Samsung Newsroom for more tips and tricks for the Galaxy SmartTag2.

 

 

1 Average number of abandoned bicycles collected from 2019 to 2021 (Source: Statistics Korea Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS), as of September 2022)
2 Protective case accessories for the Galaxy SmartTag2 are sold separately.

Source: Samsung Mobile Blog