Just like Find My iPhone, the Find My Mobile app by Samsung is a tool that functions as a last resort for users who have misplaced their Galaxy smartphones. In the past, however, this only worked if your Galaxy device was online—either through WiFi or cellular data.
Now, as first spotted by XDA Developers, the nifty app will now with with Galaxy phones that are offline.
So, how does this work without network connectivity? Samsung hasn’t given an official explanation yet, but it supposedly works by leveraging off a network of nearby Galaxy devices. Additionally, if enabled, your phone can also help others locate their Galaxy phones—so long as you’re in the vicinity. An educated guess would be that Bluetooth technology is involved in some sort of a triangulation technique, but that’s all it is for now: speculation.
What’s also interesting is that previously-connected wearables and headphones (from the Galaxy lineup) can also be found using the Find My Mobile app, thanks to the update. Again, this doesn’t require your Galaxy phone to be connected, although I’m assuming that this only works with the latest Galaxy Watch(es) and Galaxy Bud (Live).
To take advantage of the new feature, you’ll need to turn on “offline finding” (it’s turned off by default). First, make sure that you have the latest update for the Find My Mobile app: version 7.2.05.44.
Once you’re on the latest version, you should receive a notification that prompts you if you want to turn on offline finding. Tap on the notification to open the settings page, and enable the offline finding feature.
Unfortunately, the offline finding feature only appears to work in the U.S. and South Korea. Perhaps this is due to regulations, or perhaps Samsung is testing out the feature before a global rollout—regardless, it’s a feature that could come in handy for those of you who regularly lose your mobile devices.
There may also be privacy concerns on the ability to track a device’s location, even if said device is offline. However, Samsung has a decent track record with security, with Samsung Knox being an example of the company’s efforts to provide top-notch security on its mobile devices.
So, what do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.
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