Skip to main content

Where's the pizza guy? Glympse live location tracking comes to Samsung Smart TVs

samsung smart tvs glympse support 40  j6200 series un40j6200 led tv
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Imagine that you’ve sat down to watch the game, and are waiting on your friends — or the food you ordered — to show up. Instead of having to pull out your phone to check their ETA, you’ll now be able to get live updates directly on your TV, thanks to a deal between Samsung and the location-sharing service Glympse to bring the app to select Samsung Smart TVs.

Glympse lets users send a link to their contacts via short message service (SMS) technology that enables real-time tracking of their location, and will even offer suggestions for the best possible routes for driving or public transportation. Glympse is also used by companies like Comcast to send customers updates to better gauge arrival times for technicians.

To begin getting Glympse notifications on their Samsung Smart TV, users can simply download the app to their TV and link their phone number. The TV will then display Glympse alerts received from their contacts — no more having to whip out your phone to double check if the Pizza Hut delivery is on its way. While the app is required in order to send SMS messages containing Glympse links, the links themselves can be opened without having to have the app installed.

Glympse users can also group their various devices, including their Samsung Smart TV, into Glympse family groups, which allow users to check in with their current location, sending a notification to all other devices included in the group. This can be set up directly on the TV by sending invitations using contacts’ phone numbers.

While Glympse is now available on numerous Samsung devices, including the Galaxy S7, Gear S2 and S3, and Family Hub devices, this marks the first time the service will be available on smart TVs. These devices join a growing number of other devices and services that now offer support for Glympse’s service, including Google, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Garmin, and even car manufacturers like Mercedes, Land Rover, and more.

Glympse is available now from the Samsung TV app store.

Editors' Recommendations

Brendan Hesse
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brendan has written about a wide swath of topics, including music, fitness and nutrition, and pop culture, but tech was…
What is the Samsung Smart TV web browser?
A man watching the Samsung 75-inch Q84A in his living room.

If you have a Samsung TV, there’s an interesting feature that could save you some time: the ability to browse the internet right from your TV at any time with Samsung's native browser.

Hopping onto a browser on your TV often requires an additional device (like a set-top box or game console) or some type of screen mirroring. But with Samsung’s Tizen-powered TV web browser, you can go online immediately without any complex workarounds. That means it takes only seconds to look up scores, check acting histories, look for tips on games in Samsung's Gaming Hub, and more. Here’s everything you should know!
Samsung Smart TV web browser basics

Read more
Samsung’s 2nd-generation SmartSSD can process data right on the drive
A black Samsung 2nd generation Smart SSD

Forget CPUs. Say goodbye to ARM systems on a chip (SOCs). Samsung just dropped its second-generation smart SSD, and this sounds like a game changer.

The SmartSSD processes data right there on the hard drive. Programs saved to your PC don't need to lose speed transferring to your CPU in order to launch. Games can render graphics directly from the drive, freeing up GPU cores. It's like a party on your SSD and everyone is invited.

Read more
Vizio has new smart TVs and soundbars for 2023, but the best may be yet to come
Vizio 2023 M-series TV hanging on a wall.

Vizio has announced its 2023 collection of new M-, V-, and D-Series smart TVs and M-Series soundbars, all with trickle-down features from the company's flagship products -- but totally absent were any new P-Series products.

Judging from what the company provided, it's continuing its aggressive pricing strategy while adding some small but valuable improvements, like better Wi-Fi, Bluetooth integration, and expanded variable refresh rate (VRR) support. That's great to see, and anyone considering a TV or soundbar purchase in the next few months now has more options, but it left us wondering, when will Vizio share its enhancements for its top-of-the-line P-Series Quantum and Quantum X TVs?

Read more