Yes Air Tag is very good and fulfills the function of course. The only reason is that I do not like iPhone and due to Air Tags I am stuck with it. If there was anything that was comparable to Air Tag in android I would get it.

The new Galaxy Tags 2 made by Samsung are supposed to be the Samsung answer to Airtags. It's using the same T&C trick that Apple does that pretty much ensures all Galaxy devices are participating whether they want to or not. At least that is my understanding of how it's supposed to work. I may be getting a set for Christmas to try out. I've used a Tile in my suitcase for the last couple years and have never been let down while in an airport or tourist area. Sometimes at home it doesn't work as well since only those that actively download the app are the tracking base. Having one of the top device makers user bases opted in by default makes me think the Samsung would work better.

My brother recently picked up some smarttag 2 (Samsung). He says they're not bad. Maybe not the same coverage as the airtags, but good enough for him. If they could be linked into the same network as Ring/Nest, things would likely be even better.

I think the advantage Apple has it that so many people use it and I am sure that if there was an Android for all Android phones that would certainly overtake the Air Tag. Samsung though good as it has not the wide market that Apple has if I am correct?

Apple's advantage is that Airtag-relay reporting on nearby devices is aut:cool:-enabled on Apple devices so if your tag is near any iPhone 7 or newer, that phone can (and almost certainly will) track its location. This makes the pool of tracking relays extremely large, certainly larger than any similar opt-in system.

That is correct. In the USA Apple has a 2:1 ratio of new devices sold vs samsung - but that is still MILLIONS of samsung devices reporting on this network. If you stand ten people in an airport and only two of them have Samsung phones - that is still PLENTY for this kind of tracking. It is a much better situation than Tile - even with Tile's "Amazon Sidewalk" support.

But I think the big one is that Google pushed out a change to Play Services last year that enabled all Android phones to do this (Samsung, Motorola, OnePlus, Nokia, Sony, etc). https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023...work-are-here/

That article states that Tile will join Google Find My network. But not with their legacy devices. I also looked at Chipolo and beware they have SPOT branded devices that work ONLY with Apple's network right now, and are waiting for Google to finalize the Google/Apple interoperability standard before they ship more of the POINT devices on the Google network. https://9to5google.com/2023/05/10/an...vice-trackers/

I am sure that Android is going to get it out eventually and then I will switch back to android. The only reason why I have an iPhone is this reason.

SmartTags won't be linked with either. Ring is owned by Amazon, Nest is now Google but anything with Google would have to be open source and an opt in service, not an opt out which is what makes Apple so good at this.

I got my set of SmartTags and will be trying this this week as I travel for work. I'll post back here with my results on or about the 1/22.

I took one from my brother... It has potential but there is one flaw which I stated somewhere. You have to have both the software and a Samsung phone. If you could just use the software but not have a Samsung phone, I think it could take off. This is the same BS Apple is trying to pull with air tags. The name recognition is there vs Tile. The features set is there. Forcing people to use a Samsung device is dumb.

I don't see Apple with the "same BS"... They have it linked to FindMy to keep it seamless and not as another service or app. Almost all users use FindMy and thus they opt into the network that includes AirTags. Smart move by Apple

My point is you're trying to limit the item to your own ecosystem. Apple being the ultimate in this "douchey" move as per the comments by Tim Cook. See, if they were to open up the ecosystem of their products, if they truly have the better product, people will gravitate to them. Instead, they pull this dumb BS about trying to lock you into their ecosystem. I might need to use some of these products due to work commitments, but if it wasn't for that, would I get into their products? Nope.

They (both Apple and Samsung) think it's a smart move but it just discourages me and many others.

I do not like iPhone and if Android can get their tag I would gladly switch. The Air Tags with Apple works brilliantly and the coverage is enormous. A lot more than Samsung. I do not mind even to pay a very small subscription fee for such an android tag.

You could also just hedge your bet and use the Pebblebee...

From their website FAQ:

Using Pebblebee on Android: Currently, we cannot ship "Pebblebee for Android trackers" without ensuring they meet the new security requirements. However, our Pebblebee iOS products—Clip, Card, and Tag for iOS—can still be used on Android via the Pebblebee app. Though not compatible with Google’s Find My Device, you can still track belongings, access features like History Location, Find Phone, and Left Behind alerts.

Google's "FindMy" network has been delayed

Completely agree, if Samsung allowed anyone to connect the trackers to the SmartThings app regardless of device manufacturer it would probably take off. Also, not only do you have to have a Samsung phone, it has to be a relatively new Galaxy S or higher. I tried with my kids A54 and it said not supported, same with the spare S8 I have sitting around.
When Airtags first came out there was no notification that everyone that had not disabled FindMy was being used to piggyback the tracking. That's why the user base is so much bigger for Apple. You can't disable tracking everyone else's stuff without losing the ability to track your own phone, laptop, tablet. How many Iphone users even now know that they are tracking everyone else's airtags for them? Half?

First, I agree with your general premise here, the integration made AirTag adoption much smoother.

However, you can have ‘Find My Phone’ working without using and supporting the larger locator mesh locator service. The later is a separate toggle to use the ’Find My network’, which can be toggled off. I am not certain as it’s been a few years, but I think it was still reasonably clear back when this first launched too (which is when I disabled the toggle).