Use Samsung’s AirTag rival with any Android phone using this app

Apple’s AirTag debuted in April 2021. Almost four years later, there’s still no viable alternative available in the Android world. Find My Device-compatible trackers have improved, but they still fall short of matching AirTags’ performance. There’s also Samsung with its Galaxy SmartTag 2, which relies on the company’s SmartThings Find network and is incompatible with other Android devices. A new app aims to solve this problem, enabling you to use Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTags with any Android 11+ device.

Developed by Kieron Quinn, uTag goes beyond simply enabling Samsung SmartTags on non-Galaxy phones; it lets you scan for nearby tags, view location history, create custom automations, send notifications for unknown tags, and more. The app achieves this without requiring root or Shizuku access.

uTag installs a patched version of the Samsung SmartThings app on your phone, acting as a companion app itself to enable additional functionality. You don’t need to search for the patched SmartThings app on the internet — the app provides an option to download and install the modded APK during the initial setup. After this, you must log into your Samsung account twice. First in the patched SmartThings app and then in the uTag app.

If you have a rooted Android phone, you can use an Xposed module instead of installing the patched SmartThings app. In case you are uncomfortable with the modded SmartThings APK approach, go through developer Kieron Quinn’s Medium post to understand why it is required.

uTag supports Ultra Wideband for precision finding

Impressively, uTag not only enables you to use Galaxy SmartTag with non-Samsung devices but also unlocks additional features. Ironically, it supports Ultra Wideband (UWB) to help you precisely track the tagged item — something you don’t find in other Find My Device trackers. However, your phone must have UWB to take advantage of this feature.

You can contribute location data to Samsung’s Find My network, helping other Galaxy SmartTag users find their tagged items. This is an optional feature, so you don’t need to share location data if uncomfortable.

Another optional feature is the ability to scan for unknown tags, with the app displaying a notification if it detects a tag is following you.

uTag is available to download for free from developer Kieron Quinn’s GitHub page. Since uTag relies on Samsung’s APIs to work, there’s always a possibility the company can block the app’s access. This is something that only time will tell, but for now, if you have a Galaxy SmartTag, you can use uTag to set up and track it with any non-Samsung phone.