Is Samsung Restricting UWB Tracking for Third-Party Tags?

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Are you using a non-Samsung tracker tag with your Galaxy phone and noticed it doesn’t offer precise location tracking? Well, this is reportedly because Samsung is limiting full UWB functionality on Galaxy phones unless you use its SmartTag. As such, you might only get approximate distance measurements rather than the precise location that the technology can provide.

Samsung might be restricting UWB precision for third-party tags on Galaxy phones

A Redditor (via Android Authority) has recently claimed that their Galaxy S24 Ultra falls back to a limited UWB Lite mode when trying to use third-party tracker tags, such as the Moto Tag. “Samsung appears to be disabling the UWB Direction Engine (TSS – Time Synchronization System) unless a Samsung SmartTag is detected,” they noted.

According to Redditor, during diagnostic checks using ServiceMode, the phone shows limited capabilities for non-Samsung hardware. When detecting a Moto Tag via Google Find My Device, the TSS remains disabled. For the uninitiated, TSS enables full IEEE 802.15.4z UWB direction finding, including angle of arrival, elevation, and AR arrows. If it lacks, the device falls back to UWB Lite mode, meaning you get only approximate distance.

The Redditor further said, “Samsung is gating the UWB HAL/firmware interface based on the accessory detected”. Moreover, the company appears to override Android’s UWB stack at the vendor level. As a result, this breaks Android interoperability and IEEE 802.15.4z compliance.

That said, other users previously claimed that their Moto Tags play nicely with UWB on Galaxy phones. Some noted that they were able to enable precision finding after uninstalling and reinstalling Find Hub. In fact, when I used my own Moto Tag with a Galaxy phone lately, I did not experience precision-tracking issues.

It seems the problem may depend on specific software builds, device settings, or tag firmware versions. As of now, it’s unclear why the Redditor saw different results during diagnostic checks. Most users, however, appear to have no issues. I will be keeping a close eye on my Moto Tag’s performance in the coming days. If I notice any location issues, I’ll be sure to let you know.

Written by

Jeff Springer

Jeff Springer is the Founder and Managing Editor at SammyGuru. Pursuing his passion for mobile tech, he started covering Samsung and Android on his Youtube channel in 2014 and continues to post daily Samsung tutorial videos. As a past staff writer at XDA Developers and Android Police, Jeff has a wealth of experience managing written content as well. In 2023, Jeff started SammyGuru to offer a different type of Samsung news site. He firmly believes that providing great value to readers is the core mission of our coverage. Jeff lives in Phoenix, AZ with his wife and two kids. In his small amount of free time, he collects fountain pens, stationery, and Pokémon cards.

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