Samsung is bringing new location services to smartphone owners with the release of the Samsung Galaxy S7 that will have location service Glympse integrated into the product. This follows Samsung announcement of Samsung Connect Auto an OBDII port device with telematics features including car locating and driver coaching.
Users of the app can share their current location and estimated time of arrival (ETA) with others from the My Places widget and the Car Mode app for a limited time. A software update will bring the same features to older Samsung devices, like the Galaxy S6 or Note 5 through the Glympse app.
“The integration with Car Mode allows Samsung to highlight the capabilities of S Voice. It presents another option for users to use a Samsung capability, instead of the voice recognition engine provided by Google.The partnerships with HERE and Glympse show that Samsung is keen on bringing contextual services to the users of its handsets out-of-the box” says Gerrit Schneeman, senior analysta at IHS Technology.
Glympse allows Galaxy S7 and update users to share their location from several apps, including:
- MyPlaces: Samsung’s MyPlaces widget allows Galaxy S7 owners to save favorite Glympse contacts, so users can quickly and easily share their location at the touch of a button.
- Car Mode: The driver-friendly interface provides voice controls and larger button sizes to make it easy to share location with anyone by simply accessing the phones contact list, selecting a recipient, setting the timer and hitting or saying, “Share my location with [Name].” The recipient does not need to have Glympse to be able to view; they receive a link that can be opened in a mobile or web browser that allows them to view the driver’s location temporarily and ETA in real-time.
Schneeman says because Glympse is integrated into the Samsung user interface, using the service is easy. The availability of a dedicated widget for the home screen keeps the service in the conscience of the user, increasing the chance for continued usage.
This is Samsung’s second partnership to make location services a part of the user experience on Galaxy devices. The company also partners with HERE for a navigation application for the Gear S smartwatches.
Samsung is looking for ways to differentiate its handsets from other Android handset makers and bring an innovative user experience to market in competition with the iPhone. Location services are an area where the company does not have to compete with other well established apps and services, in music or video, for example.
Glympse has partnered with many top-tier companies, including Amazon Echo, Blackberry, BMW/MINI, Comcast, Ford, Garmin, GM, Gogo Inflight, Google, Jaguar/Land Rover, Mercedes, Samsung, Verizon, Vodafone, and Volvo which have integrated the Glympse brand and enterprise platform into their own products and applications. Glympse provides location information to a variety of Fortune 500 companies, including Blackberry, BMW/MINI, Ford, Garmin, GM, Gogo, Google, Jaguar LandRover, Mercedes, Pebble, Verizon, Vodafone, Volkswagen, and Volvo.