topic Re: Smart Lock not working in Samsung Apps and Services

Smart Lock not working

andrewc31394 — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 14:41:37 GMT

I have the current location I'm at saved under Trusted places, but it doesn't keep my phone unlocked at all. And when I go to add a new location, it loads up a map that shows me off the coast of another continent. Something is clearly broken but I can't fix it when pressing the locator icon.

Re: Smart Lock not working

DENUNZIO — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 14:57:50 GMT

Ditto, mine has never worked also, I just gave up on it.

Re: Re: Smart Lock not working

andrewc31394 — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 14:59:18 GMT

mine worked flawlessly before I mailed my phone back to Samsung to be serviced 😕

Re: Smart Lock not working

userYRg4Nzc8ZG — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 19:18:38 GMT

I always had issues too. I would suggest setting up a Bixby routine instead (if at home location then unlock phone). Never had an issue since.

https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00083201/

Re: Smart Lock not working

aj24hanlo — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 02:54:41 GMT

I, too, have always had a problem with the "Smart Lock" feature. I had a Samsung Galaxy S5 for 5 years and it never kept the phone unlocked while I was at home. Even though I had my home address and several neighbor's home addresses added (almost as large as a small city block), to ensure I had a large enough area to keep the phone unlocked, it never worked. I don't think the feature actually uses the GPS location nor the mobile network connection to get it's location at all; I think it depends on a connection to another device (like Bluetooth or wifi) to get it's "location" (I don't think it's geographic, but is signifying a placemark defined by a connection to a known device). I always wondered why there wasn't a wifi setting to use my home wifi connection to know where it was "located" (there is no setting in the "Smart Lock" settings for wifi connections, but there is for Bluetooth connections). The "Smart Lock" feature always works when it is connected to the Bluetooth in my vehicle or when I have it connected to a Bluetooth speaker at home.

I now have a Galaxy S10+ and I am having the exact same problem. The Bixby work around is a good idea. I also thought of having the phone always connected while at home to a Bluetooth connection such as my old S5, a Bluetooth speaker, an Alexa or Google device or even a smart tv, but then my media and phone sounds go to a different device (not good if I'm in the yard and the other device is out of hearing in the basement).

However, I may have found the solution and I am just now testing my theory. I found a setting for my Samsung account profile to add locations for home, work, school, car and other, that allows adding wifi connections to know your "location" (or for Samsung to know your location, and I am also wondering if it's an actual location or a placemark, again). I never knew those settings were there before. The car setting only allows for one Bluetooth device (i.e. one car; I have a car I drive, my wife has a car I drive, my son and daughter have cars I drive and and then there are all the poll vehicles at work I connect to, so why only allow one Bluetooth device in the settings?) I can get around that in the "Smart Lock" settings because there you can add as many Bluetooth devices as needed. And, using the "other" setting for the Samsung account profile places setting, I can add both of my router's wifi networks, so I have both a "Home 1" and "Home 2" place for it to know when I am at home.

If this works, I will finally be happy (after five years trying), but I am very disappointed with Samsung. What a convoluted thought process. To have those settings in such disparate locations is asinine. (And, I haven't mentioned having to think about the differences between actual locations and placemarks, the algorithm not using the GPS or mobile network locations, and making customers go through such hoops to get their devices working properly. This all adds up to not speaking well for the design of Samsung products.) This is not a "smart" phone.

Re: Smart Lock not working

useroAl9mixhrk — Fri, 14 May 2021 15:09:33 GMT

Thank you, just tried this option and so far it's working

Re: Can we work to prevent software updates from resetting basically everything?

MattJH — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 17:31:00 GMT

I can't open smart lock options in phone menu after recent software update

Re: Can we work to prevent software updates from resetting basically everything?

MattJH — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 17:31:50 GMT

Anybody else have this problem on a S23 Ultra?

Re: Can we work to prevent software updates from resetting basically everything?

MattJH — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 17:33:11 GMT

When I touch Smart Lock in the menu, a screen opens with information but no options.

Re: Re: Can we work to prevent software updates from resetting basically every..

PSmitty — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 18:36:02 GMT

Looks like you're right, I have the s22U, all I get is this

Re: Re: Re: Can we work to prevent software updates from resetting basically e..

MattJH — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 20:38:26 GMT

Yep, same here. They messed something up in the latest software update I guess. My phone kept locking even when I was around my smart lock devices so I tried to check my smart lock settings but can't get in to change anything. Is there anyone responsible for the updates we can let know this is happening?