The SmartThings Blog

We brought “Calm” to CES 2023, with an up-close look at how SmartThings can seamlessly integrate into your daily lives through our latest innovations. While many of our announcements stood out among exhibitors, the new SmartThings Station received the most buzz and excitement from both the media and industry. Want to know more? Read on for all of our highlights and stand-out announcements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwHVc9bzle0&t=2s Bringing Calm to Our Connected World We believe your smart home should work for you — and create a sustainable, safe, convenient (and even fun) living environment. While we have big dreams for what a calm connected world looks like, we demonstrated it at CES through the onboarding experience. In 2023, when you buy a Samsung device, SmartThings will simply ask you if you want to add it to your connected home. Instead of several steps to onboard the device, you only need to answer yes or no, making it more convenient for you to experience connected, smart living. Hub Everywhere Furthering our mission for Hub Everywhere, we introduced two new Matter-capable hubs for 2023: our TVs and the new SmartThings Station, a compact, wireless charger that also doubles as a hub to connect your smart home devices and create routines. Ready for bed? Just program the Station to automatically turn off your lights and TV for a custom night routine. Sustainability Saving energy matters now more than ever, which is why we’re placing sustainability at the core of our user experience. At CES, we announced our initiatives for sustainable living and commitment to making Net Zero Homes a reality with SmartThings Energy — a tool that’ll give you real-time data on your energy, water, and natural gas usage to help you reduce your carbon footprint (and your monthly energy bill). Because of our sustainability efforts, our connected home experience is the first mass-market Smart Home Energy Management System (SHEMS) to earn Energy Star certification. SmartThings in the News With an emphasis on our innovative technology and smart home solution, we received many awards and accolades during CES 2023. One of the most notable is the “Best of CES” award from Engadget for our ability to control connected devices throughout the home seamlessly. We also earned the “CES Innovations” award from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) for making smart home technology more accessible and user-friendly. The accolades didn’t stop there. Cementing our status as the most versatile and comprehensive smart home solution on the market, we were featured across top-tier, tech and consumer media outlets including Bloomberg, The Verge, CNET, TechCrunch, Men’s Journal, and USA Today’s Reviewed. CES 2023 was a success, and we could not have done it without our partners, customers, and employees. Stay tuned for more updates on our latest products and innovations, as we further our commitment to creating one simple home system with a world of possibilities. 

This month marks the 10th anniversary of SmartThings as a company. Through our journey, we have laid the foundation for the next generation of the smart home, and we have made significant shifts all for the benefit of our users.  Since the early days, our goal of making a platform that every human being can use – and making every home a smart home – has remained the same. We’re driven by the idea of accelerating IoT adoption for everyone and helping consumers across the world realize the benefits of a seamless and simple connected life.  Looking Back the Progress We’ve Made  Years ago, the idea of a smart home was more of a novelty than a reality. In 2011, Alex Hawkinson developed the idea for SmartThings after his family's house in Colorado was extensively damaged from a power outage, causing tens of thousands in repairs. While the idea of a “smart home” was depicted in movies and TV shows, there was no real solution that could give consumers an accurate depiction of what was going on inside their home.  This was the basis of the company’s Kickstarter in 2012. The campaign received over $1.2 million from 5,700 backers, due to a simple idea: adding intelligence to everyday things would make life more awesome. The company was committed to changing the mindset about smart home technology, demonstrating that data about how people live and what they do have the power to solve everyday problems.  This caught on, and others began taking notice. In 2013, Wired highlighted SmartThings as a key leader in the emerging smart home automation space, and we launched our first line of commercial products at CES in 2014.  The opportunity to bring SmartThings’ vision to hundreds of millions of customers truly came to life when Samsung acquired SmartThings in August 2014 to accelerate its connected appliance strategy. With the backing of Samsung, making every home a smart home was no longer a pipe dream – it was only a matter of time.  Moving Toward Mass Smart Home Adoption  Driven by the goal of achieving mass smart home adoption through a unified and intelligent home experience, we innovated from a single line of commercial products into one of the largest integrated ecosystems.  Today, SmartThings works with hundreds of compatible devices, including lights, cameras, voice assistants, locks, thermostats and more, through partnerships with leading brands like Amazon, Honeywell, Arlo, and Google Home Assistant. The company has also brought the groundbreaking smart home interoperability standard, Matter, into the SmartThings ecosystem.  In just ten years, we have risen to become the most robust smart home IoT platform in the market. We are proud that SmartThings now has:     200+ global partners and the ability to integrate with thousands of devices 800+ talented employees across Samsung who are dedicated to SmartThings15 categories of supported devices, from voice assistants to window treatment and more9 add-on services in the SmartThings' app today, including Air Care, Clothing Care, Cooking, Energy, Home Care, Pet Care, Smart Lock Guest Access, Find, and Home Monitor 4.5 stars rating in the Google Play Store and a 4.3 rating in the iOS App Store  Looking back on all that we have accomplished, we’re grateful to our wonderful partners and developers. Good things happen when devices talk to one another, and without our strong partnerships, creating meaningful connecting living experiences would not be possible. As we continue the path toward mass smart home adoption, we’re focused on creating experiences with consumers at the center. While solutions like SmartThings enable a more connected living experience, consumers are at the heart of our business – the ones who bring smart homes to life by supporting all their big life moments. We’re excited about the future and the opportunity to make smart home living the norm for consumers in the next ten years and beyond.

Last year at our annual developer conference, we unveiled our new partnership solution designed to help builders, property management companies, and real estate developers create and manage connected living experience across properties and homes at scale, called ‘SmartThings Build.’ Through this solution, SmartThings has continued to work with companies around the world to integrate our technology directly into commercial and residential properties. We’re pleased to share our partnership with ABB, a leading building automation and control technology company in the world. ABB is shaping the future of electrification, delivering technology and digital solutions for customers across utilities, buildings, infrastructure, and mobility. From lighting products to HVAC, solar panels, smart meters, and EV charging stations, ABB has been at the center of innovation for more than 130 years. With ABB, SmartThings technology will be integrated into both residential and commercial buildings to provide joint technologies for energy savings, energy management, and the smart connection of both residential and commercial buildings. Through an open, centralized system controlled by either SmartThings or the ABB-free@home® home automation solution from ABB’s Smart Buildings Division, users will be able to increase their savings with seamless energy consumption monitoring and automation. Residents and owners will be able to monitor and manage the full suite of appliances, gas and smoke sensors, and energy, security, and temperature settings all from anywhere in the world using a single application. For more information about ABB and its products and services, please visit www.abb.com.

In August, we shared the beta release of SmartThings Edge – a new hub architecture that allows hub connected devices to execute locally. SmartThings Edge creates smart home experiences that are more reliable and faster. Now, developers and hobbyists can build and consume custom device drivers in a much easier way. Since the beta launch, SmartThings has partnered with Aeotec, Leviton, Kwikset, Somfy North America, Yale, and August to transform connectivity and the smart home experience in a noticeable way. SmartThings Edge’s advanced technology increases the speed of automation for consumers by eliminating the need for cloud-based processing, bringing all the information directly to the Hub. This not only streamlines events and commands but also allows for local device support on a home network. This local device support decreases latency and increases reliability. All Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Wi-Fi devices can run locally on the Hub, with the ability to connect more protocols and standards, including Matter, in the future. Previously, our developers were required to copy and paste code into their Samsung IDE accounts to distribute and leverage custom device type handlers for hub connected devices. With SmartThings Edge comes the introduction of the new driver sharing feature, an easy-to-use and time efficient alternative for community distribution and consumption. SmartThings users can now share custom device drivers with a simple web link – eliminating the need to copy and paste code. While device manufacturers are still encouraged to submit their drivers to SmartThings for WWST certification and distribution via the SmartThings catalog, the Driver Sharing feature can also be used to distribute custom drivers that partners may want to test before officially releasing integrations.  New drivers are regularly being added. Our latest release includes Zigbee range extenders, Z-Wave buttons, water leak sensors, contact sensors, smoke detectors, and humidity sensors.  SmartThings Edge is the latest innovation in SmartThings technology, representing the company’s commitment to developing solutions for global developer networks – thereby improving the next generation of smart home experiences.

SmartThings is excited to announce SmartThings Edge, a new hub architecture that allows core functionality to execute locally, leading to smart home experiences that are more reliable, faster, and more secure. While users will not see a change within the SmartThings app, on the backend, SmartThings Edge is transforming connectivity and the experience in a noticeable way. SmartThings Edge’s advanced technology increases the speed of automations for consumers by eliminating the need for cloud-based processing, bringing all the information directly to the Hub. This not only streamlines events and commands, but also allows for local device support on a home network, allowing users to run their Automations locally. This local device support decreases latency and increases reliability. SmartThings users will also be able to connect Zigbee, Z-Wave, and LAN-based integrations, with the ability to connect more protocols in the future, including Matter. As part of SmartThings’ evolution to modernize and move away from the legacy Groovy platform, SmartThings developed a solution that would be able to deliver the developer experience to meet the current times. Developers are now able to code and build Device Drivers with Lua©, offering a more robust and simpler way for device manufacturers to integrate with the SmartThings platform. This new platform architecture is an example of SmartThing’s commitment to investing in technologies that make it easier for our global developer network to build the next generation of smart home experiences that inspire meaningful moments.

We are pleased to unveil the next generation of our SmartThings connected home experience. Featuring a new look and feel, the new SmartThings interface offers users a simpler, more robust user journey, and faster load times.  Smart homes continue to surge in popularity, with the number of smart homes expected surpass the 350 million mark by 2023. The new SmartThings interface delivers on the needs of both future and existing customers by creating a more seamless application experience. With an enhanced user journey, SmartThings makes life easier to discover and experience IoT services, while ensuring a seamless transition from SmartThings’ previous version.   The updated app, which will be available on desktop and mobile devices, is the latest example of our ongoing commitment to bringing smart functionality and capabilities to consumers. The revamped layout will include five different sections: Favorites, Devices, Automations, Life, and More: Favorites is the new home screen within SmartThings and gathers the devices, scenes, and services used most for quicker access. Devices lets users view and control all devices, connecting TVs, light bulbs, appliances, and more. Life is a place to explore the growing world of connected living where users can discover new SmartThings services that transform physical products into meaningful user experiences. Automations connects devices and allows them to work together and respond to specific conditions in the home, such as a door opening and a light turning on.  Menu will house additional SmartThings features including SmartThings Labs, Notifications, History, and Settings.     This update comes on the heels of recent news about SmartThings’ new Windows application, which offers a similar user experience right from a Galaxy Notebook and any other Windows PC. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_Zw_7PtLLw

Want to give new life to legacy Galaxy smartphones? Leveraging the power of SmartThings and repurposing built-in sensors within Galaxy devices, you can now turn old Galaxy phones into sound and light sensors. Here is how to start:  Onboard legacy phone Download the SmartThings app on your current phone. Tap the Menu (☰) and select “SmartApps” Select More Options (⋮) and choose SmartThings Labs* followed by Galaxy UpcycleClick on “Next” to generate a QR code.Scan the QR code with your legacy phone.Install the “Galaxy Upcycle” app on your legacy phone.Select either “Light sensor” or “Sound sensor” feature. Set up a “Light sensor” Tap “Light sensor” to add your legacy phone as a light sensor.Go back to your current phone and open the SmartThings app. The new light sensor will now be available on your device list. Tap the light sensor device card to see the current brightness level, scored out of 7 levels of brightness.Using Automations, you can now adjust your lighting based on the brightness level detected by the sensor.  Set up a “Sound sensor” Tap “Sound sensor” to add your legacy phone as a sound sensor.Go back to your current phone and open the SmartThings app. The new sound sensor will now be available on your device list. The sensor detects 5 types of sounds including baby crying, dog barking, cat meowing, glass breaking, and knock on door.Using Automations, you can now control your devices using the sounds detected by the sensor.  *SmartThings Lab uses experimental features. Some features may only be available for certain devices, models, or countries. Some features may be removed or changed without notice. 

Repurpose Older Galaxy Smartphones into Smart Home Devices with SmartThings SmartThings is pleased to share its integration within Samsung’s Galaxy Upcycling at Home program, giving new life to older Galaxy smartphones not currently in use. As part of Samsung’s commitment to responsibly recycling devices, users in the United States, United Kingdom, and Korea can leverage SmartThings to turn older devices into connected devices to enhance their living experience and extend the lifecycle of their products.    Users can transform their old devices through SmartThings Labs, a new feature within the SmartThings app. Leveraging the power of SmartThings and repurposing built-in sensors within Galaxy devices, users will initially experience enhanced sound and light control features, including: Using an improved artificial intelligence solution, Galaxy devices can more accurately distinguish sounds in everyday surroundings, and users can choose to save certain sound recordings. For example, if the device detects sounds such as a baby crying, dog barking, cat meowing, or a knock, it will send an alert directly to the user’s smartphone and the user can listen the recorded sound.Galaxy devices can be used as light sensors to measure the brightness level of the room. Users can easily set the device to automatically turn on lights or the TV through SmartThings, if the room becomes darker than the preset standard of light.  Through Galaxy Upcycling at Home, users will also be able to connect older devices effortlessly to SmartThings, allowing them to interact with more than 5,000 IoT devices across 200 brands within the SmartThings ecosystem. The Galaxy Upcycling at Home feature is available on all S, Note, and Z series released from 2018 (S9, Note9 and above) with Android 8.1 and above. Samsung and SmartThings are committed to building environmental sustainability and Galaxy Upcycling at Home is an innovative way to minimize global e-waste. The Galaxy Upcycling at Home program supports Samsung’s global efforts toward meeting its goal of collecting 7.5 million tons of e-waste and making use of 500,000 tons of recycled plastic by 2030. This first phase of the program officially launches today, with new features to be released in the near future.

SmartThings continues to fuel infinite possibilities and its commitment to working with partners to create a seamless connected living experience. With Samsung One UI 3.1 and Android 11 update, accessing all connected devices just became more convenient, further enhancing the connected home experience with SmartThings. With this addition, users can find and manage multiple apps and devices, through a single-entry point. Tap on Device in the Control Panels on the phone, users can easily select SmartThings or Google Home app and quickly switch between each service so users can see all connected devices within the app on one screen. For example, users can set the temperature to chill, then dim the lights. Currently, in Android 11 or later and Samsung Galaxy devices with One UI 3.1 and above, the Controls feature allows users to quickly manage their smart home devices such as lights, thermostats, and cameras from one convenient place. This feature will also be available in Galaxy S21 series and all upcoming One UI 3.1+ devices this year. The rollout of Google’s Device Control Panel working with SmartThings technology follows SmartThings recent partnership with Google, bringing the company’s portfolio of Nest products into SmartThings IoT ecosystem. With this integration, Google Nest devices, including thermostats, cameras and doorbells, are now “Works With SmartThings” certified, allowing users to seamlessly control their connected home through SmartThings. Control your connected devices from one place. Set the temperature to chill, then dim your lights. All from a single spot on your phone. Simply tap on the Device Panel to see and manage your connected devices. Making life at home that much easier.