Samsung SmartThings Now Update Adds Local Control and Matter 1.6

Samsung has begun rolling out a SmartThings update that puts a new card-based feed called SmartThings Now at the top of the app’s Home tab, alongside local control that the company says can cut response times by roughly 30%. The platform now counts 470 million registered users and more than 430 Works with SmartThings (WWST)-certified brands, according to Samsung.

SmartThings Now builds on Home Insight and mixes information with actions you can take immediately. If a Family Care member — an older parent, for example — shows no device activity for an extended period, a care card appears for the caregiver with options to check in or call. When you arrive near a home location you have pre-registered in the app, SmartThings Now suggests turning on lights and air purifiers in advance, then prompts you to turn that into a routine so it runs automatically next time.

The feed also tunes itself to how you actually use the app. It reviews the past week’s activity and suggests changes to your Home tab Favorites, such as dropping an air conditioner card as usage falls in cooler months or adding an AirDresser card when that appliance gets more use. A Routine Insight card, reachable from SmartThings Now or the Automations > Suggestions tab, shows routine activity from the past week so you can review and delete what you no longer need.

Local control when the network wobbles

The update adds local control: when your phone and a SmartThings Hub sit on the same Wi-Fi network, the phone talks directly to the hub instead of routing commands through the cloud. Samsung says this can improve response times by about 30% compared with cloud-based control and helps keep devices controllable during temporary network fluctuations. The company notes the figure comes from its own controlled tests and that actual performance may vary.

SmartThings switches automatically between local and cloud remote control depending on whether your phone is at home or away. A refreshed Offline Device Diagnostics page is meant to bring devices that have dropped offline back by pushing new network information to all registered devices at once.

Samsung also added support for Matter 1.6, the latest smart home connectivity standard from the Connectivity Standards Alliance, which it says improves stability and Group Control performance. Four new device categories are supported: energy meters for real-time power monitoring, closures for specialized door and gate types, irrigation devices such as sprinkler systems, and soil sensors for measuring ground conditions.

“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,” said Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President and Head of the SmartThings Team at Samsung’s AI Platform Center.

The redesigned Home tab also groups dashboards, device cards and service cards into a more streamlined layout, with service cards using a space-efficient design to fit more services on one screen. Live Wallpaper now shifts through the day, and a Floating Bar puts frequently used features at the bottom of the screen for easier one-handed use on large phones.

The updated Home tab, including SmartThings Now, is available on 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. Local control works on Android and iOS devices with the SmartThings app installed, on SmartThings Station and V2, V3 and V4 Hubs, and on hub-enabled Samsung Smart TVs and Family Hub.

Related reading

Sources

• Samsung Introduces ‘SmartThings Now’ in New Platform Update That Brings More Intuitive User Experiences — Samsung Newsroom