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.}