Affiliate Disclaimer If Samsung Find My Phone is not working, it may be due to the location being turned off or the service not being enabled. If you’re tracking your Samsung device on the SmartThings Find website, problems can arise with either the lost Samsung device or the device you’re using to track the missing phone.
The Samsung Find My Mobile feature is essential to use for protecting your data in case your phone is lost or stolen. Thus, it’s crucial to determine why it is not working and find a solution.
It’s even more critical to locate a missing child’s device, since you could be using it to track your child’s whereabouts.
In this article, we compiled the most common concerns about the Samsung Find My Phone feature and consulted Android expert Alex Dushyn to find solutions.
We’ll also show you the best alternatives for finding missing Samsung devices.
Issue 1: Phone Not Showing on Samsung Find My Mobile
“I have recently lost my phone… I thought it was stolen. I checked my phone service later that night and discovered it was offline, so I locked it and left a security message. I went to check it again a couple of days later, and the phone is no longer listed! What the hell does that mean? And why is Samsung such a terrible company where they don’t feel the need to explain this, and I’m resorting to chat for help.”
– a user with the nickname “sausagedawg” described an issue with a lost and removed Samsung phone.
Expert Answer: Your Phone is Off
When a Samsung device is off, Find My Mobile cannot locate it. This could be because the phone is switched off, the battery is dead, or the Airplane mode is turned on.
If the phone is switched off, it cannot connect to location and internet services. However, if it was recently on and had connected to the internet, you would see the last known location.
If the phone disappears from SmartThings Find, it’s possible that the device was erased, and Find My Mobile Samsung will not work. It’s always best to have mobile internet data and a password, PIN, or pattern lock to prevent someone from switching off the phone and turning off internet connectivity.
Issue 2: Inaccurate Location
“Wondering if anyone is having same issue with GPS/location with Samsung find app saying my phone is in a different place.
Not sure how to fix it. I reset location settings n told Google who corrected my Google Home address on Google Maps and that.”
– a user with the nickname “bluenosedd” described a GPS/location issue with the Samsung Find app.
Expert Answer: Restart & Manage Location Services
If Samsung Find My Mobile is showing the wrong location despite resetting location settings, the phone is likely using a cached location. This means the system is using an old location. The best way to fix the cached location is to restart your phone.
Additionally, Samsung Find My Mobile may display the incorrect location if location services are not set to high accuracy. To set location to high accuracy:
- Open Settings > Location.
- Tap on Location Services. Under Improve Accuracy, push the toggles next to Wi-Fi Scanning and Bluetooth Scanning to the right to turn them on.
Issue 3: Samsung Find My Mobile Cannot Locate Missing Phone
“I had my phone stolen. I am trying to find it, but do I have to set it up on the missing phone in order to do so. What I keep getting is my old phone’s location, which I still have.
Is it possible to add the phone to Find My Phone as I have all the details.”
– a user with the nickname “RipleyBootecia” described difficulties locating a stolen phone using Samsung’s Find My Phone service.
Expert Answer: Samsung Find My Phone is Not Enabled
When Samsung Find My Mobile is not enabled, it cannot locate a missing device. Typically, Samsung Find My Mobile activates automatically when you sign in to your Samsung account.
However, if you switch to a new device and use your Google account to activate the device instead of your Samsung account, the Find My Mobile service will not be activated.
To ensure Samsung Find My Mobile is active:
- Open Settings and tap Accounts and backup.
- Tap on Manage accounts.
- Scroll down to Add account. Click Samsung Account.
- Follow the prompts to add the new account. Samsung Find Mobile will turn on automatically once you add your Samsung account.
Note: You cannot add a Samsung account remotely. Therefore, if your phone got lost without a logged-in Samsung account, you cannot use Samsung Find My Mobile to locate it. Additionally, you can only have one Samsung account per device.
Issue 4: Phone Hasn’t Finished Registering to Samsung Account
“I am curious to see if the issue I am experiencing with the Samsung Find App is also affecting others. The app for me loads, but provides me with an error “Your phone hasn’t finished registering to your Samsung account yet. Try again later.”. However, my device is registered to my Samsung Account.”
– a user with the nickname “Danny_A” reported an error message about incomplete phone registration in the Samsung Find app.
Expert Answer: The Phone is Registered to Samsung Twice
Your Samsung device may have been registered to your Samsung account twice. This can occur if you have multiple Samsung accounts and have registered the phone under both accounts.
To remove the error, delete both accounts and re-register the device.
Issue 5: Unlock Function Unavailable
“I’ve recently tried to enable the unlock function in find my mobile app, however the unlock option is not available. I’ve tried to enable from my phone but that options was not found either. is there something i’m missing?
below screenshot are what’s available in the app. thanks.”
– a user with the nickname “patrick1231” reported the unavailability of the unlock function in the Find My Mobile app.
Expert Answer: Unlock Function is No Longer Available
The unlock feature, which allowed Samsung users to unlock a Samsung remotely on SmartThings Find, was removed from the service in October, 2023. If you’re locked out of your phone, the only option now is to factory reset the device.
Factory resetting a device will allow you to use a new PIN.
To factory reset a Samsung without the PIN, you’ll need to contact Samsung Authorized Service Center and verify your identity. Once the device is factory data reset, all data will be deleted. However, you can recover data from the last backup of your Samsung account.
Issue 6: SmartThings Find Not Working on Galaxy Watch
“I have setup and registered my watch 6, and it is working correctly. However, SmartThings does not see it as a registered device. Does anyone know what can be done? Product Support sends me to Account Setup, who then sends me back to Product Support. Super Frustrating!”
– a user with the nickname “NabberNate” reported an issue where SmartThings did not recognize a properly registered Galaxy Watch 6.
Expert Answer: Galaxy Watch Has to Be Paired to Samsung Phone
For SmartThings Find to view a Galaxy Watch as a registered device, it must be paired with a Samsung phone. It also has to be logged in to the same Samsung account as your phone.
Open the Galaxy wearable app on your phone and check if your watch is a connected device. If not, tap Add New Device and follow the prompts to complete the pairing.
What to Use Instead of SmartThings Find
When Samsung Find is not working, finding an alternative is your best option.
If you need to track a missing Samsung phone, Google Find My Device is the best alternative to SmartThings Find. To use it, you need a Google account connected to the lost Samsung phone. Then, log in to the Find Device website on this URL: https://www.google.com/android/find/ and choose the lost item.
Other way, try the Timeline feature from the Google Maps menu. You can see your Samsung location history, which makes it easy to recover the missing phone.
Can’t find it? Use Scannero.io to send a message to the lost phone with a reward for the person who has the phone and your alternative contacts.
If you need to track a child’s Galaxy, uMobix is the perfect choice. This parental control tool works in the background and collects the location data from the monitored Samsung phone in real-time. To use uMobix, install the app on your child’s Samsung phone.
Conclusion
When Samsung Find My Phone is not working, it can be pretty stressful. The solutions we’ve outlined here work on an issue-by-issue basis.
The best thing you can do is to prepare your phone to be found on SmartThings Find. Always ensure that you have mobile internet data and a lock on your phone.
If you can’t find a solution for Samsung Find My Phone, use Google Find My Device. It can locate a lost Samsung and provide similar features to SmartThings Find.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You can’t track your Samsung phone if it’s turned off or offline.
You can track a Samsung phone if location is off using the offline finding feature. Bluetooth has to be turned on on the lost device, and the phone has to be in a busy location such as an airport or diner.
Your phone can’t locate someone if they are not sharing their location with you.
Find My Phone on Samsung says no location found because location services are turned off.
To reset your phone using Samsung Find My Mobile, log in to your account on SmartThings Find and choose the erase data option. You may be asked to verify your Samsung account.
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