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Imagine coming home after a long day to find your lights and air purifier already switched on, or receiving a gentle reminder to check in on an elderly parent. With Samsung's latest SmartThings update, managing a connected home could become a little more intuitive.
Samsung Electronics has rolled out a new update to its SmartThings platform, introducing SmartThings Now, a redesigned Home tab with improved local device controls.
With 470 million registered users worldwide and support for over 430 Works with SmartThings (WWST)-certified brands, SmartThings continues to evolve beyond simply being an app for switching connected devices on and off.
The latest update focuses on making smart home management more personalised, convenient and responsive, with features that anticipate what users might need based on their daily routines.
SmartThings Now: A Home That Understands Your Routine
One of the biggest additions is SmartThings Now, appears at the top of the app's redesigned Home tab. Rather than having to search through menus to find the right controls, users will see personalised cards highlighting relevant information and suggesting actions they can take immediately.
For example, imagine you're on your way home after a long day. As you approach your registered home location, SmartThings Now could suggest switching on the lights and air purifier before you arrive.
If you find yourself doing this regularly, the app may even recommend creating an automated routine so you won't have to repeat the same steps every day. It's a small convenience, but one that could make everyday smart home living feel a little more seamless.
A Little Extra Peace of Mind for Families
Another thoughtful feature involves SmartThings Family Care, which can help caregivers stay connected with older family members.
If an elderly parent's connected devices show no activity for an extended period, SmartThings Now can display a care notification with options to check in or make a call. While it isn't a replacement for personal care or emergency monitoring, it offers another way for families to stay informed, particularly when they don't live together.
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Have you ever set up a smart home routine, only to forget about it a few months later? SmartThings Now aims to help users keep their home setup relevant by analysing device activity over the previous week and suggesting changes to their Home tab Favourites.
For instance, if you're using your air conditioner less frequently, SmartThings may suggest removing it from your Favourites to make room for devices you use more often.
There's also a new Routine Insight card, which provides an overview of routine activity from the past week. Users can review their automations and delete those they no longer need.
It's essentially a little housekeeping for your smart home, helping you keep things organised without having to manually review every setting.
A Cleaner, More Convenient SmartThings App
Beyond the personalised suggestions, Samsung has also refreshed the SmartThings Home tab to make everyday navigation easier.
The updated interface organises dashboards, device cards and service cards into a more streamlined layout.
Service cards now take up less space while still displaying useful information such as device status and numerical readings. This means users can view more information at a glance without excessive scrolling.
Samsung has also introduced a few visual and usability improvements:
Live Wallpaper: The Home tab background changes naturally throughout the day, adding a more dynamic touch.
Floating Bar: Frequently used features are positioned near the bottom of the screen, making them easier to reach with one hand, especially on larger smartphones.
Simplified service cards: A more compact layout makes it easier to browse and monitor multiple smart home services.
These changes follow Samsung's latest One UI design direction, with an emphasis on making frequently used controls more accessible.
Faster Smart Home Controls, Even When the Internet Is Down
One of the more practical improvements in this update is enhanced local control, which helps connected devices remain responsive during temporary internet disruptions.
Traditionally, some smart home commands rely on cloud communication. This means that even when you're at home, a command may need to travel through an external server before reaching your device. With the updated SmartThings platform, a smartphone and SmartThings Hub connected to the same Wi-Fi network can communicate directly instead.
According to Samsung, local control can improve response times by approximately 30% compared with cloud-based control.
More importantly, supported devices can continue receiving commands locally even when external internet connectivity is temporarily disrupted, provided the local network remains operational.
SmartThings also automatically switches between local and cloud-based remote control depending on whether you're at home or away.
For anyone who has experienced the frustration of a smart home device refusing to respond because of a connectivity issue, this could be a welcome improvement.
Samsung has also updated its Offline Device Diagnostics feature, allowing users to update network information across registered devices in one go, making it easier to restore connectivity when devices go offline.
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More Devices Can Join Your Smart Home with Matter 1.6
The update also introduces support for Matter 1.6, expanding the types of compatible smart home devices that can work within the SmartThings ecosystem.
Matter is a smart home connectivity standard designed to help devices from different brands communicate more easily.
With the latest update, SmartThings adds support for four additional device categories:
Energy Meters: Monitor electricity consumption in real time.
Closures: Control specialised doors, gates and similar mechanisms.
Irrigation Devices: Manage connected watering systems such as garden sprinklers.
Soil Sensors: Measure ground conditions to support smarter gardening and irrigation.
The update also brings improvements to connection stability and Group Control performance.
For households with smart home devices from different manufacturers, broader Matter compatibility could make it easier to manage everything through a single platform.
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With our increasingly hectic lifestyles, the last thing we need is another thing to worry about. Between work, family commitments and the never-ending list of daily tasks, wouldn't it be nice if our homes could take care of some of the little things for us?
That's where Samsung SmartThings comes in, helping to simplify our everyday routines and make connected living a little more effortless.
Whether it's reminding us to check in on our loved ones, getting our homes ready before we arrive, or keeping our smart devices running smoothly, these small conveniences can make a difference in our busy lives.
After all, a smarter home isn't just about having more connected gadgets. It's about having technology that works around our lifestyles, rather than the other way around.
And with the latest SmartThings update, Samsung is taking another step towards making everyday living a little easier, so we can spend less time managing our homes and more time on the things that truly matter.
The latest Samsung SmartThings update is available now. Individual features and device compatibility may vary depending on the connected devices, network setup and supported services.
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