Category: SmartThings Updates

Homeowner Sustainability Gets Powered Up With Loop EV Chargers, Joining “Works With SmartThings” Ecosystem

November 28, 2023 / / No Comments

With the rapid surge in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, we’re excited that Loop Global, a leading provider of EV chargers, is now available via the SmartThings app, allowing homeowners to seamlessly integrate Loop chargers within the SmartThings ecosystem.

With this integration, homeowners gain the ability to effortlessly control their Loop chargers, such as the EV-FlexTM, through the SmartThings app or voice commands. This empowers users to start/stop and monitor charge sessions, view their charging history, and track energy consumption. The result is a more comprehensive home energy profile that not only supports sustainable living but also provides valuable insights into energy usage patterns.

Loop stands out as the first EV charging company within the SmartThings network, reflecting both company’s commitments to quality, user satisfaction, and innovation.

Loop and SmartThings continue to lead the way in driving innovative, user-centric solutions for a more sustainable future. Thanks to SmartThings Energy, a comprehensive energy management solution within the SmartThings app, users can connect their EV chargers to make smarter energy decisions that could reduce their carbon footprint. 

At the same time, Loop is dedicated to providing homeowners with the most advanced and user-friendly charging solutions, furthering its vision of a superior charging experience for the sustainable future of transportation.

This partnership amplifies the accessibility and convenience of Loop chargers, while also highlighting SmartThings’ commitment to sustainable partnerships, setting new benchmarks in quality and user satisfaction.

For more about Loop Global and Works With SmartThings (WWST) certified products, please visit https://www.smartthings.com/supported-devices. 

For more information on Loop EV charging solutions please visit loopglobal.com. 

Samsung Introduces Revolutionary Tools for SmartThings Ecosystem Developers, Paving the Way for Innovation

October 11, 2023 / / No Comments

At the 2023 Samsung Developer Conference, Samsung unveiled a suite of cutting-edge tools and features for SmartThings, Samsung’s global connected living platform. Designed to reimagine the experience for SmartThings Ecosystem Developers, these advancements not only create new opportunities for innovation and growth, but also seamlessly integrate Samsung’s Technology experiences across its diverse portfolio of products.

Building on the success of the 2022 Matter launch, SmartThings is poised to usher in a new era of possibilities as the market prepares to welcome millions of new smart home devices. As a pioneer in the smart home industry and one of the first to receive Matter certification, Samsung is proud to introduce a range of user-centric solutions designed to streamline device registration, expedite Works With SmartThings (WWST) Certification, and elevate the integration experience within the Samsung ecosystem.

The enhancements will include an all-new Developer Center, a one-stop shop with resources and education for device integration. As part of this, Samsung is introducing a ‘No Code Wizard’ for Edge Drivers – including Matter devices – that helps match devices with the correct device UI in under 15 minutes, creating a more seamless process.

Navigating the developer landscape is further simplified through the new Certification Console, which is tailored for Hub and Cloud-Connected devices.

“Samsung has always valued input from its developer ecosystem and as a result, SmartThings has invested heavily in enhancements for device creators seeking Works with SmartThings Certification,” said Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President at Samsung Electronics and Head of SmartThings. “These innovative tools underscore our commitment to providing developers with a dynamic platform that encourages creativity, fosters business growth, and ultimately enhances user experiences.”

In addition to technical and certification benefits, the Certification Console will allow device makers to easily submit product images, descriptions, information, and preferred retail links. These assets will both help users set up their devices in Quick Pair on Galaxy phones, and populate the device Catalog on both SmartThings.com and in the app, where consumers can seamlessly browse for and purchase certified devices. Additionally, developers can update retail links and access an analytics dashboard to gain insights into customer engagement.

For more information on these dynamic developer tools, visit developer.smartthings.com.

Unlocking Seamless Connectivity: SmartThings Offers Support for Third-Party Matter Bridges 

October 5, 2023 / / No Comments

In the ever-evolving world of smart home technology, compatibility and connectivity are paramount. The ability to seamlessly integrate different devices and platforms is what makes the smart home experience truly smart. At SmartThings, we constantly work to expand our ecosystem and ensure users have the flexibility to choose, connect, and control a wide range of devices. Today, we are thrilled to take that commitment a major step further by announcing support for third-party Matter bridges. 

What Are Matter Bridges? 

Matter bridges are a critical piece of the puzzle when creating a unified and interoperable smart home ecosystem. They serve as connectors, allowing device makers with non-Matter devices (such as Zigbee, Z-Wave, and proprietary connectivity) to seamlessly integrate with Matter ecosystems. These bridges represent non-Matter devices on a Matter network, and vice versa, acting as translators to facilitate communication between devices on either side of the bridge. Many popular brands have announced their hubs — including millions already in homes today — will act as Matter bridges, allowing SmartThings users to connect hundreds of new devices. 

A Seamless Integration Experience 

One of the key benefits of SmartThings’ support for third-party Matter bridges is the effortless onboarding process. When users commission Matter bridges to SmartThings, we take care of the heavy lifting by automatically onboarding all bridged devices, ensuring a hassle-free setup. 

We also continually synchronize with the bridge, so that if a user adds or removes a bridged device in your app, SmartThings responds immediately, updating to reflect those changes. This real-time synchronization ensures users always have an accurate view of their smart home. 

Expanding Reach with Works With SmartThings 

We know developers are eager to reach a broader audience. That’s why we’re excited to announce support for bridges is also coming to the Works With SmartThings program. This expansion creates new opportunities for developers to promote bridges and bridge-connected devices to millions of Samsung users. 

With Works With SmartThings, manufacturers can promote their products to a vast and diverse community of users who are looking to start and grow their smart homes. It’s a powerful platform for showcasing devices and driving adoption among users who value compatibility and interoperability with their Samsung devices and SmartThings-powered homes. 

SmartThings’ support for third-party Matter bridges gives users more choices in the devices they enable their smart home with and gives developers more choices in how they integrate those devices. We’re proud to continue leading interoperability and openness in the smart home industry and invite developers to join us on our journey.

Interested in learning more? Contact us at partners@smartthings.com.

Expanding the Smart Home Universe With ‘Hub Everywhere’ 

October 5, 2023 / / No Comments

At SmartThings, we believe your smart home should work effortlessly for you. Our innovative “Hub Everywhere” strategy ensures Matter Controllers are more accessible than ever, making it easier for everyone to start and grow their smart home with SmartThings. We take immense pride in offering an extensive range of devices that seamlessly function as Matter Controllers, from our Samsung TVs and Family Hub Refrigerators to Smart Monitors, SmartThings Stations, and our original SmartThings Hubs. This year, we’ve added Samsung Soundbars and Harman speakers to the Hub Everywhere family.

Greater Hub Versatility  

Our Hub, available in various forms, operates on Hub-Core technology. It serves as the Matter Controller, an OTA-Provider, and the central hub for Edge Drivers that streamline the management of Matter devices. The “Hub Everywhere” approach allows users to incorporate multiple hubs into their home setup, enriching the overall smart home experience. 

Creating a Multi-Hub Network 

Starting with the SmartThings Station, users can now create a multi-hub network in their home, adding additional hubs to their primary one, which becomes part of the Thread mesh. Doing so allows Matter devices to connect to the most optimal or closest hub, extending the range and reliability of their network. This will allow users to put more devices in more places around their homes while experiencing the reliability and responsiveness of local connectivity. 

Introducing Hub Replace 

We’re also excited to announce one of our most requested and highly anticipated features, Hub Replace. With SmartThings Hub functionality built into more devices, users may want to upgrade their SmartThings setup to a new hub. Hub Replace enables users to transfer everything from their current hub to a new one while keeping their existing setup intact. With Hub Replace, all devices, the Hub’s Matter fabric, Edge Drivers Data, Routines, and other Hub Settings, along with their Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Thread networks if supported by the receiving hub, will be seamlessly transferred and applied to the new hub with just a few quick taps. 

With these innovations, SmartThings is simplifying hub upgrades and enabling users to seamlessly continue growing and evolving their smart homes. 

Developers Are Building the Next Era of Smart Homes and Buildings with new SmartThings APIs

October 5, 2023 / / No Comments

At SDC2023, SmartThings announced three new APIs, empowering developers of all kinds to leverage SmartThings’ robust infrastructure as a platform for their innovative solutions.

The SmartThings APIs serve as the foundation for building solutions that interact with SmartThings infrastructure effortlessly. Whether building an app, device, or platform, SmartThings APIs streamline the process, making building connected solutions more efficient and accessible.

The new SmartThings APIs announced are:

  • The SmartThings Home API  — With the Home API, developers’ apps can directly interface with devices connected to SmartThings hubs, letting you create applications that offer seamless device management whether users are local or remote.

    The Home API eliminates the demands of building and maintaining your own cloud or Matter Controller by using SmartThings’ hub and cloud infrastructure as your own. And you don’t have to make tradeoffs between efficiency and innovation. The Home API allows you to pass custom features to your app using “Manufacturer Specific Clusters”.
  • The SmartThings Context API — This powerful tool unlocks the benefit of SmartThings’ new Intelligence Platform, and an exciting new level of automations for users. Harnessing AI, sensing, and connected devices to infer context-like presence and frequent activities allows SmartThings to recommend new and helpful experiences that increase engagement with your devices.

    The Context API allows developers to receive inference results in real time, and use them to help their devices respond more intelligently. Intelligence Platform features and developer access is always subject to user consent, and developer terms and conditions.
  • The SmartThings Enterprise API — The Enterprise API enables developers building solutions for multi-family, rental, and hospitality environments, to leverage SmartThings’ infrastructure and ecosystem, including Samsung appliances, to cost-effectively build and deploy scalable solutions.

Enhancing SmartThings Build, the Enterprise API offers full programmatic access so you can build your own platform and app, without requiring individual SmartThings accounts. And your platform can be more flexible than ever, with role-based policies defining access from the device level up, allowing you to adapt to the needs of different customers. Location groups and large-scale access tokens further enhance scalability of your solutions and the businesses you support.

The new SmartThings APIs represent a significant step forward in the smart home ecosystem. Developers of consumer smart home devices and apps, as well as smart building and MDU solutions providers, now have access to a robust infrastructure that simplifies development, enhances user and property manager experiences, and saves valuable resources. Whether looking to control devices locally or remotely, leverage AI to make your devices behave more intelligently, SmartThings enables you to build smarter, scalable products, while letting you invest more in doing what you do best — developing innovative solutions for smart homes.

Developers interested in gaining early access to these new SmartThings APIs can contact partners@smartthings.com

SmartThings Energy: New Partnerships and Enhanced User Experience Features 

September 7, 2023 / / No Comments

In today’s fast-paced world, where energy consumption is a pressing concern, we’re leading the charge in revolutionizing energy management—and are excited to introduce a range of new features for our SmartThings Energy service.

These enhancements are designed to give you greater control over your energy usage and redefine the way you interact with your smart home, all while ensuring convenience and efficiency. Read on to learn what’s new with SmartThings Energy.

Electricity Maps Partnership

We’ve teamed up with Electricity Maps, a renowned service that provides visual representations of electricity sources and associated carbon dioxide emissions. Through the integration of Electricity Maps within the SmartThings app, you can learn about your electricity’s origin and carbon footprint with ease, and use this data to make informed decisions about your energy usage. Start taking the next step towards more eco-conscious living.

Expansion of Supported Devices

In addition to supporting connected Samsung appliances, TVs, and third-party devices, SmartThings Energy is now also compatible with most smart plugs, thermostats, and lights. With this expansion, we’ve made it easy for users to connect a broader range of energy-consuming devices with their “Away” mode. Rest assured that your devices are automatically turned off when not in use, reducing unnecessary energy consumption.

Enhanced Automatic Demand Response (DR) Functionality

Our SmartThings Energy update comes with advanced automatic Demand Response (DR) features, allowing users enrolled in energy savings programs to manage their devices more intelligently. Before, users would receive notifications of a DR event and manually adjust their devices or set up automations. 

Now, with the latest update, you can set up your smart devices and SmartThings Energy will automatically adjust them, turning off lights or plugs, and activating more economical modes for thermostats or Samsung appliances that feature AI Energy Mode.

Partnership with Resideo to Unlock Energy Savings

If you live in California, you’re in luck. SmartThings Energy users in The Golden State can now enroll their homes with Resideo’s energy program to enjoy cash rewards. By participating in the program, you can receive up to $100 via gift card when you’re approved for the program. Energy costs are at their highest, however, our partnership with Resideo lets you earn rewards for reducing energy use when the grid needs it most, helping your community’s grid reliability.

Enhanced User Experience and Energy Savings

With a dedication to innovation and a greener future, we’re taking energy management to the next level. Our SmartThings Energy updates and partnerships were designed to give you greater flexibility and convenience when it comes to managing your smart home devices, ultimately leading to significant energy (and financial) savings. And this is just the beginning.

To unlock the full suite of energy management capabilities, activate SmartThings Energy in the SmartThings App, or visit https://www.smartthings.com/smartthings-energy to learn more.

SmartThings and Philips Hue Create First-of-Its-Kind Immersive Music Experiences

September 1, 2022 / / No Comments

In an ongoing quest to enhance our ecosystem of compatible devices, we are pleased to announce an expanded partnership with Philips Hue to transform music listening into an immersive experience.

Through a new integration with Hue Sync into the SmartThings platform, Galaxy users will be able to sync their Philips Hue lights to most music streaming services right from their smartphone or tablet.

With nearly 20% of U.S. consumers owning a smart light, this feature allows users to easily connect their Philips Hue lights via Hue Sync on the SmartThings app – allowing users to seamlessly control, customize, and sync their lights to various music streaming services from their Galaxy mobile device to turn their smart home into the ultimate home entertainment center.

Philips Hue has been a longtime partner of SmartThings, offering full-home control of smart devices when pairing Philips Hue lights with SmartThings. For years, users have been able to connect Philips Hue lights to any Samsung device with the SmartThings app, creating scenes that activate not only light bulbs but also smart blinds or televisions, making the home truly a smart home.

As a leader in smart home technology, we are thrilled to offer SmartThings users the ability to sync their music and lights to create their ideal home experiences – whether for a dinner party, movie night, or workout session. We are excited about this new level of personalization and believe it will set the tone for next-generation connected living.

SmartThings Tests Matter-Compatible Products in Anticipation of New Smart Home Standard

May 18, 2022 / / No Comments

As the anticipation and excitement grows for the Matter standard, we have accelerated our progress, today announcing a Partner Early Access Program with select strategic companies to test their first-ever Matter-compatible products.

We’re thrilled to welcome Aeotec, Aqara, Eve Systems, Leedarson, Nanoleaf, Netatmo, Sengled, Wemo, WiZ and Yale into this exclusive program. As a founding member of Matter, we are excited about this development, as well as the opportunity for partners to test their devices and Matter interoperability with Hub-enabled devices and through the SmartThings app. Additionally, partners can use the SmartThings app for seamless onboarding of their devices. 

As pioneers in the smart home industry from the very beginning, we strongly believe that Matter will become the de facto standard in every smart home in the world. This is why we have, and will continue to, invest heavily in Matter. 

At our annual Samsung Developer Conference, we announced Matter will allow Samsung’s Galaxy devices, TVs, and Family Hub appliances to have the most versatile connectivity options through SmartThings. Integrating SmartThings hub functionality into these devices will make it easier for users to experience the benefits of connected living without the need for a separate smart home hub.

While the launch of Matter later this year remains a significant milestone for SmartThings and the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the Partner Early Access Program has created tremendous near-term excitement for SmartThings and select companies. It reflects the increasing demand for more interoperable, flexible, and private, smart home solutions that have the power to make mass smart home adoption a not so far reality.

Introducing the New SmartThings Experience

June 8, 2021 / / No Comments

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. 

Feel Safe at Home in the New Year with Arlo

January 8, 2021 / / No Comments

In our ongoing quest to enhance our ecosystem of compatible devices, we are pleased to announce a new version of the Works With SmartThings integration, built in partnership with Arlo. The integration rounds out our portfolio of home security products by letting you connect to any Arlo device1, including their latest security products.

Beyond adding support for more Arlo devices, this new integration enhances the overall user experience with improved stability and reduced latency so you can get faster access to your camera recordings or video doorbell feed. Users will still be able to enjoy the same features they most commonly use, such as turning all Arlo cameras on/off when arming/disarming the SmartThings Home Monitor, or using the Arlo camera sound sensor to trigger a siren or get lights to turn on, and more.

The process is simple to integrate Arlo with SmartThings, and users will be able to leverage powerful Automations and Scenes to create rich personalized connected home experiences. For example, keeping an eye on the nursery from your Samsung TV with an Arlo Baby camera, or connecting your Arlo video doorbell to answer the door from your Samsung Family Hub fridge.

During this new normal where we spend a lot more time at home, we are committed to bringing smart functionality and capabilities everywhere you want it to be, and partnerships like Arlo help us meet your needs of personalizing your home — whether it’s giving you peace of mind that your home is protected inside and out, or bringing you the convenience of knowing exactly when your packages arrive.

1 Arlo Go and Audio Doorbell are not supported by the integration.

 
DISCOVER
ENGAGE
HELP CENTER