Samsung Electronics announced the latest update to SmartThings, its global connected living platform now serving 470 million registered users and supporting more than 430 Works with SmartThings (WWST)-certified brands worldwide. The update is available now and introduces SmartThings Now at the top of the Home tab, refreshes the app’s Home tab experience, and expands local control capabilities — helping users access relevant information, take action more easily, and manage connected devices with greater reliability.

“This update marks another step in SmartThings’ ongoing efforts to move beyond a home experience where users search for and launch features,” said Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President and Head of the SmartThings Team, AI Platform Center, Samsung Electronics. “By delivering relevant information and controls at the right time, SmartThings is pushing the boundaries of more intelligent home experiences and empowering users to manage their everyday lives more naturally.”

A Redesigned Home Tab Experience, Led by SmartThings Now

SmartThings Now appears as cards at the top of the Home tab, building on Home Insight to offer greater personalisation by combining relevant information with actions users can take right away. It suggests relevant information and actionable controls based on the user’s current situation, delivering a more intuitive and convenient experience.

If a Family Care member, such as an older parent, shows no device activity for an extended period, SmartThings Now surfaces a care card for the caregiver with options to check in or call. When the user arrives near a home location pre-registered in the SmartThings app, SmartThings Now suggests turning on the lights and air purifiers in advance. Once the user acts, it prompts them to create a routine so the same actions can run automatically in future. This is all part of an experience designed to naturally guide users to the next relevant step based on their choices and context, making it easier to discover and use the features they need.

SmartThings Now also supports personalised optimisation based on usage patterns. It analyses the past week’s activity to suggest updates to Home tab Favourites, including devices, services, and routines. For example, it may recommend removing an air conditioner card if usage drops as the cooler months approach. Users can also manage their routines through the Routine Insight card in SmartThings Now^[1] by navigating to a detailed view of their routine activity over the past week to review and delete routines they no longer need.

The updated Home tab reorganises key information into a more streamlined view, covering dashboards, device cards, and service cards, with each type displayed in a format optimised for easier browsing.^[2]

Service cards use a more space-efficient design to clearly display more services on a single screen and present information such as device status and numerical readings. Additionally, Live Wallpaper changes naturally throughout the day, adding a more dynamic visual touch to the experience.

The update also introduces a Floating Bar that places frequently used features at the bottom of the screen, bringing them within easy reach for one-handed use on larger smartphones and reflecting the latest One UI design direction.

Enhanced Local Control Helps Keep Devices Responsive 

SmartThings is now introducing local control technology that helps users continue to operate connected devices more reliably when there are changes to the home network environment or disruptions to external internet service.

When a mobile device and a SmartThings Hub are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, the mobile device can communicate directly with the hub rather than routing controls through the cloud. Compared to cloud-based control, local control can improve response times by approximately 30%^[3]. This helps enable continued control of connected devices during temporary network fluctuations.^[4]

SmartThings automatically switches between local and cloud-based remote control based on whether the user’s mobile device is at home or away. The updated Offline Device Diagnostics page helps users restore devices that have gone offline by updating network information for all registered devices at once.

Samsung has also added support for Matter 1.6, the latest smart home connectivity standard from the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), enhancing stability and Group Control performance. The update adds support for four new device categories:

• Energy Meters for real-time power monitoring
• Closures for specialised door and gate types
• Irrigation devices such as sprinkler systems
• Soil Sensors for measuring ground conditions.

_{^[1] Routine Insight is accessible through SmartThings Now and the Automations > Suggestions tab in the SmartThings app.}

_{^[2] The updated Home tab experience, including SmartThings Now, is available across SmartThings-supported devices such as mobile devices, Samsung Smart TVs, Family Hub refrigerators, Samsung appliances with 7-inch or 9-inch screens and Windows devices.}

_{^[3] Local control is available on Android and iOS devices with the SmartThings app installed, for SmartThings Station, SmartThings V2, V3 and V4 Hubs, and hub-enabled Samsung Smart TVs and Family Hub.}

_{^[4] Based on tests conducted by Samsung under controlled conditions. Actual performance may vary depending on the user’s environment.}

Samsung Electronics announced an update to its global smart home platform SmartThings to provide improved experiences that help users better care for their families and themselves in everyday life. With the latest update, SmartThings has strengthened its Family Care service so users can better support parents they live apart from. It also integrates additional key SmartThings features into Now Brief, the personalised briefing service available on Galaxy mobile devices, to further enhance the convenience and comfort of the customer’s daily life.

“Samsung’s AI technology goes beyond everyday convenience to help users care for themselves and their families with greater peace of mind,” said Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President and Head of the SmartThings Team, AI Platform Centre, Samsung Electronics. “SmartThings will continue to strengthen its role as a platform that seamlessly connects customers’ daily lives with AI, and it will keep expanding differentiated services on an ongoing basis.”

Enhanced Family Care Makes It Easier to Check-In on Loved Ones

Family Care connects SmartThings with a range of home appliances and mobile devices to provide notifications regarding the activities of users’ aging parents and reminders for medication and hospital visits — as well as location-based alerts. With this update, the service enables even more thoughtful care.

Additionally, Samsung’s new Care on Call^[1] feature allows users to more closely check on the status of the care recipient through a simple phone call. When a caregiver using the service calls the care recipient, a floating pop-up that displays key information like the time of the first activity of the day, the most recent activity time and the local weather — all at a glance — appears before the call begins. This helps caregivers ask more meaningful check-in questions and respond accordingly.

SmartThings can also continuously monitor devices like air conditioners, air purifiers, dehumidifiers and humidifiers for indoor temperature, humidity and air quality. If unusual usage patterns are detected, the caregiver is immediately notified and can remotely control the relevant device.^[2]

To further enhance the level of care provided to loved ones, the Care Insight feature been enhanced to provide even more actionable, long-term data within the Family Care service. It analyses factors like temperature and humidity levels, paying attention to whether they deviate from optimal ranges. It also tracks significant changes in activity levels and connected device usage compared to the previous week.

_{^[1] Care on Call is available on Galaxy smartphones running One UI 8.5 or later. Internet calls are not supported.}

_{^[2] Remote control is available when the caregiver has been set up to remotely control the care recipient’s devices.}

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., announced that SmartThings, its global connected living platform, has received the international standard ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification for information security management systems (ISMSs).

ISO 27001 is the leading global standard for ISMSs and was established by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). The standard provides companies with guidance to manage the risks to information assets systematically and achieve information protection goals.

This certification was received from the British Standards Institution (BSI), a world-renowned standardisation and certification organisation. To be certified, a company has to meet the standard across a total of 123 detailed items, including policies for information security, access control for information assets and incident response, among others.

With this certification, Samsung has proven that the information protection of its SmartThings Cloud operates in accordance with international standards while providing integrated connected experiences. This official recognition will further boost trust and strengthen business competitiveness — not only with SmartThings users but also partners.

“The importance of cloud technology and information protection is increasing in a rapidly changing business environment,” said Harold Pradal, President of Assurance Services at BSI. “We recognised that the operation capability and security level of Samsung SmartThings are excellent.”

“SmartThings receiving the ISO 27001 certification is the result of our sustained focus on the protection of information in a hyper-connected world with exponentially increasing intelligence.” said Seungbum Choi, Executive Vice President and Head of Device Platform Center at Samsung Electronics. “But this is just another step in our drive to fortify the platform’s security. We will continue to find new ways to ensure that SmartThings’ personalised services are provided even more safely.”

Samsung Electronics today was recognized by Interbrand, a global brand consultancy, as one of the top five in the Best Global Brands 2022. Each year, Interbrand announces the world’s top 100 brands, and Samsung’s brand value was evaluated for USD 87.7 billion, which represents 17% growth compared to USD 74.6 billion in 2021, ranking the company in fifth place for three years in a row.

The achievement was based on Samsung’s restored financial performance, which is now near pre-pandemic levels, and higher demand for memory due to an increase in data usage. In 2021, Samsung scored a brand value growth of 20% compared to 2020, and this year, continues the double-digit growth. Samsung first entered the top 10 list in 2012, placing in the ninth position, and has managed to rise in the chart each year, reaching sixth place in 2017 and fifth place in 2020.

“Samsung Electronics was able to record two consecutive years of double-digit growth in brand value, all thanks to the support from our global customers,” said YH Lee, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Samsung Electronics. “In return, the entire company will work together as a team to provide a better and more satisfying customer experience.”

Various Factors Evaluated by Interbrand to Build the Samsung Brand Value

At the end of 2021, Samsung Electronics merged its SET Division and created the Device eXperience Division to increase synergy among its products and provide a next level of experience to customers. Furthermore, Samsung also launched the Customer eXperience-Multi Device Experience Center to strengthen its multi-device connection experience.

Along with these measures, Samsung has integrated the SmartThings across its product categories, creating an inclusive ecosystem and a multi-device experience. SmartThings also empowers consumers to get the most out of their Samsung devices, as well as third-party products they may already own.

In addition, Samsung’s Future Generation Lab has been created to foster authentic conversations around the activities of the next generation. The insights from the lab have been applied to the products and marketing activities.

As well as innovative products based on consumer experiences, the development of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, automotive and robotics through consistent investment also played a role in Samsung’s growth.

Samsung’s Recognized Efforts in Each Product Division for a Better Customer Experience

Mobile

• Camera innovation of Galaxy S22 series based on customers’ insights, and Nightography campaign rollout Cementing leadership in the foldable mobile phone category
• Partnership with Google and Microsoft to strengthen users’ connected experience
• Respecting the value of user security and privacy through Samsung Knox

Network

• Pioneering network innovation path in virtualization and openness with large-scale commercial experiences
• Driving 5G industry with its market-leading 5G portfolio from RAN and Core to automation tools
• Realizing the ESG commitment through intelligent network solutions for energy efficiency

Visual Display

• Continuing innovation of premium TVs, including Micro LED, the Neo QLED 8K/4K
• Strengthening its product portfolio based on customers’ lifestyle, such as The Frame, The Freestyle
• Providing new gaming experiences to consumers, including the Samsung Gaming Hub and the Odyssey Ark

Home Appliances

• Expanding Bespoke product categories beyond kitchen to entire home including clothing care, floor care and air care
• Delivering sustainability values through its products (achieving high level of energy saving rate for major products, guaranteed warranties for digital inverter compressor, reduced microplastic emission from washing machines in collaboration with Patagonia)
• Creating excitement among Bespoke fans through participation-focused online and offline campaigns

Semiconductor

• Investing in next-generation technologies and production capabilities to ensure stable supplies for cutting-edge applications (constructing new $17B manufacturing line in Texas, KRW 20-trillion R&D complex in Giheung)
• Delivering industry-leading semiconductor innovations that enhance product performance and energy efficiency (industry’s first 3nm GAA mass production)
• Developing innovative memory solutions to address the explosive growth of data-intensive tasks in areas such as AI and ML (CXL memory, HBM-PIM, second-generation SmartSSD), and expanding strategic partnerships to tackle new industry challenges
• Pushing boundaries of logic solutions that can offer enhanced user experiences and new opportunities (5G Exynos Modem, Exynos 2200, 200MP ISOCELL HP3)

Interbrand’s Best Global Brands are listed according to the evaluation of each brand value, which is a result of comprehensive analysis of the financial performance of the company, the influence of the brand on customer purchases and brand competitiveness.