Samsung Revamps SmartThings Experience

Samsung Electronics has announced a major update to its SmartThings connected-home platform, introducing SmartThings Now, a redesigned Home tab and expanded local-control capabilities. The platform has 470 million registered users and supports more than 430 Works with SmartThings-certified brands worldwide.

SmartThings Now appears at the top of the Home tab as a series of personalized cards that combine relevant information with suggested actions. The feature can recommend checking on a family member, activating devices when a user approaches home or creating routines based on repeated actions. It can also analyze recent usage patterns to suggest changes to favorite devices, services and routines.

The updated Home tab includes redesigned dashboards, device cards and service cards, along with a Floating Bar for easier access to frequently used features. Samsung said the update is available across supported mobile devices, Smart TVs, Family Hub refrigerators, selected Samsung appliances and Windows devices.

Samsung is also adding local control features that allow compatible mobile devices to communicate directly with a SmartThings Hub over the same Wi-Fi network. The company said this can improve response times by about 30% in controlled tests and help maintain device operation during temporary internet disruptions. The update also supports Matter 1.6 and adds compatibility for energy meters, specialized closures, irrigation devices and soil sensors.