The SmartThings Blog

Light up your home with SmartThings and YouTube Music The smart lighting industry is evolving beyond simple controls, bringing more joy to the user experience. With the introduction of synchronization features, home entertainment has become more immersive than ever. Users can now match their lighting to gaming environments or favorite movie scenes, creating the perfect ambiance for home parties, relaxation, or even workouts. Now, SmartThings is taking these experiences a step further by collaborating with YouTube Music, a key partner in the Galaxy ecosystem. This partnership enables SmartThings to tailor the Music Sync experience more effectively to users’ needs, no matter the setting or time of day. This includes new buttons that align with familiar YouTube Music settings like Relax, Party, and Workout, creating a seamless connection between Music Sync and the YouTube Music App. With this integration, YouTube Music Premium users can enjoy perfect light synchronization with Philips Hue bulbs while listening to their favorite songs. For instance, when users press the Party button on Music Sync, their party playlist on YouTube Music will start playing, and the lighting will shift to a color pattern preset that perfectly matches the vibe. Why Music Sync Hits All the Right Notes When Music Sync was first launched in 2022, it was built on three core elements: the Music app, SmartThings, and our lighting partners. We initially teamed up with Philips Hue, a leading name in light synchronization. Their SDK was seamlessly integrated into the SmartThings app, allowing Philips Hue lights to sync harmoniously with the music users wanted to enjoy, thereby creating an enhanced home experience. What truly sets SmartThings Music Sync apart is its ability to integrate seamlessly with various music apps. Unlike other platforms that rely on microphones or have limited access to music sources, Music Sync allows for accurate content synchronization across any music app within the Galaxy ecosystem. This ensures users can enjoy a truly synchronized experience without limitations. Create A Soundtrack for Every Occasion SmartThings Music Sync transforms your home into the ultimate entertainment center, where routines are designed to complement your lifestyle. Everything—from connecting a Bluetooth speaker to closing blinds and turning off the TV—can now be optimized and automated, making smart home living more seamless, convenient, and fun. Whether hosting a party at home, creating a daily workout with hues that get you in the zone, or letting your kids dance along to a playlist with their favorite songs and colors, the possibilities are endless. More Exciting Features on the Horizon As we look to the future, we remain committed to expanding our ecosystem and incorporating user feedback to enhance the Music Sync experience even further. Later this year, SmartThings will announce additional partner companies to enrich the Music Sync experience. To learn how to integrate your products and devices with SmartThings Music Sync, visit https://partners.smartthings.com/music-sync.

Living a sustainable lifestyle can often be tricky. That’s why we partner with eco-focused innovators like Electricity Maps to provide you with simple solutions right at your fingertips through the SmartThings app. Electricity Maps’ mission is to enable a data-driven decarbonization of electricity. By organizing and mapping real-time and forecasted electricity data, they provide individuals and businesses with the insights they need to make more intelligent decisions about their electricity consumption and reduce their carbon footprint. Users can access insights about their consumption in SmartThings Energy, a comprehensive energy management solution in the SmartThings app. In our latest LinkedIn Q&A, we chatted with Electricity Maps to discuss our partnership, how their solutions work with SmartThings Energy, and more. Browse the highlights below or keep reading for the full conversation.  The Highlights SmartThings: For those who are new to your brand, what is Electricity Maps?  Electricity Maps: Hey, SmartThings! Electricity Maps provides real-time and predictive electricity signals that unlock smarter electricity use for consumers to save carbon and cut energy costs. For example, the carbon footprint of the electricity a consumer receives in their power plug changes a lot during the day, depending on whether there is a lot of wind or solar power available.  Many devices have flexibility in when they consume electricity. Instead of having these devices charge or run at random times, we enable them to optimize their electricity usage to consume when the grid is powered by clean electricity. By sharing these insights with consumers, we help them understand the impact of their electricity use so they can make more sustainable choices.  That’s where the Electricity Maps API integration with SmartThings comes in! SmartThings: That’s right! We partnered with you to empower our SmartThings users with this insightful data in the SmartThings app!  The Electricity Maps API, integrated in 2023, connects seamlessly with SmartThings Energy to deliver real-time data to users on their carbon intensity levels. This allows SmartThings Energy users to make their home devices "carbon-intelligent," meaning their devices can automatically run at optimal times to lower carbon emissions. For example, Samsung devices, like the Jet Bot robot vacuum or the dishwasher, can be set to operate when renewable energy is more abundant on the local grid. Users can see these real-time insights on carbon intensity on a dashboard within the application to understand the impact of their green energy use and learn valuable tips to inform their energy management. SmartThings: Electricity Maps, can you explain how carbon intensity varies during the day? Electricity Maps: With more renewables being added to global electricity grids, there is more volatility in emissions, so much so that the carbon intensity of electricity varies more and more. How clean the electricity is at a given time depends on the availability of renewable energy and is often connected to the weather. Wind turbines can only operate with wind, and solar panels only work when the sun shines. This means that, for example, on a sunny day in California, the emissions of an EV charge can triple depending on when the car is charged. Our full conversation with Electricity Maps SmartThings: Hey, Electricity Maps! Thank you for joining us for a Q&A today. We’re excited to discuss SmartThings Energy, Carbon Intensity Data, and more with you. For those who are new to your brand, what is Electricity Maps? Electricity Maps: Hey, SmartThings! Electricity Maps provides real-time and predictive electricity signals that unlock smarter electricity use for consumers to save carbon and cut energy costs. For example, the carbon footprint of the electricity a consumer receives in their power plug changes a lot during the day, depending on whether there is a lot of wind or solar power available.  Many devices have flexibility in when they consume electricity. Instead of having these devices charge or run at random times, we enable them to optimize their electricity usage to consume when the grid is powered by clean electricity. By sharing these insights with consumers, we help them understand the impact of their electricity use so they can make more sustainable choices.  That’s where the Electricity Maps API integration with SmartThings comes in! SmartThings: That’s right! We partnered with you to empower our SmartThings users with this insightful data in the SmartThings app!  The Electricity Maps API, integrated in 2023, connects seamlessly with SmartThings Energy to deliver real-time data on the carbon intensity of local grids. This allows SmartThings Energy users to make their home devices "carbon-intelligent," meaning their devices can automatically run at optimal times to lower carbon emissions. For example, Samsung devices, like the Jet Bot robot vacuum or the dishwasher, can be set to operate when renewable energy is more abundant on the local grid. Users can see these real-time insights on carbon intensity on a dashboard within the application to understand the impact of their green energy use and learn valuable tips to inform their energy management. Electricity Maps, can you explain how carbon intensity varies during the day? Electricity Maps: With more renewables being added to global electricity grids, there is more volatility in emissions, so much so that the carbon intensity of electricity varies more and more. How clean the electricity is at a given time depends on the availability of renewable energy and is often connected to the weather. Wind turbines can only operate with wind, and solar panels only work when the sun shines. This means that, for example, on a sunny day in California, the emissions of an EV charge can triple depending on when the car is charged (explore carbon intensity variations in California). Can you explain where users can find Carbon Intensity data in the SmartThings App? SmartThings: Of course! Once a user downloads SmartThings Energy in the app and connects their smart energy devices, they can start seeing a cumulative report of their carbon emissions data. In SmartThings, getting to the carbon emissions aware content is as simple as clicking on the Life tab at the bottom of the main SmartThings app screen and navigating to SmartThings Energy, where users can scroll down to the ‘carbon emissions aware’ card. There, they can access and explore carbon emissions and carbon intensity data. These features can help users save emissions in their daily lives and save on their utility bills, too. Want to help break this down for us, Electricity Maps? Electricity Maps: Yes! Energy consumption in the home is a significant contributor to personal carbon emissions as well as household costs. By using more renewable energy and reducing carbon intensity, consumers can lower their environmental impact and save on energy bills at the same time. This is because renewable energy, which is low in carbon emissions, also tends to be cheaper.  We know SmartThings Energy has lots of cool features to help consumers manage their energy usage and automate their energy management, setting a new, elevated standard in the smart home and IoT space.  Can you tell us more about what SmartThings Energy is and what it can do for users? SmartThings: For sure. With SmartThings Energy, users get detailed data and insights on their home energy usage, analytics reports for daily energy usage patterns, and more, revealing energy savings opportunities. Cool features like AI Energy Mode take energy savings even further, allowing users to automate energy savings by selecting devices to participate in AI Energy Mode. Users can choose at which level the devices participate at and adjust their preferences at any time. Furthermore, users can earn energy stamps to save energy automatically, which can be converted to Samsung Rewards and spent on Samsung products! We’re so excited about this partnership. At SmartThings, we want our users to feel engaged and educated to create meaningful smart home experiences. The features within SmartThings Energy, including the carbon aware page, are another way we’re providing our users with education to better their way of life. Nowadays, SmartThings users can regularly engage with these insights into their carbon emissions.  Can you share what larger impact this can have? Electricity Maps: That’s awesome! Yes, at Electricity Maps, we envision a world where all electrical devices contribute to decarbonization by only consuming low-carbon electricity. SmartThings Energy features powered by this partnership allow users to save emissions each day. The collective impact of millions of SmartThings users optimizing their home devices this way is a great step in decarbonizing global electricity grids. SmartThings: That was very informative. Thank you to our partners at Electricity Maps for chatting with us today!  Electricity Maps: Thank you for having us, SmartThings!

New enhancements powered by AI offer users a more personalized experiencethrough Home Insight SmartThings has introduced a new app home page, formerly known as Favorites, that is designed to adapt to users’ lifestyle, offering tailored features that simplify home management and improve automation. Whether controlling lights, managing appliances, or creating custom routines, these AI-driven enhancements will help families make the most of their smart home. “As Samsung continues to innovate, SmartThings will remain at the forefront of smart home technology, offering users the best in connected home management,” said Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President and Head of SmartThings at Samsung Electronics. "These latest updates do more than signify our steadfast commitment to that goal — they represent the first step towards a new, AI-enabled smart home era.”  Personalized Home Insights for Better Living One of the most significant changes is the transformation of the Favorites tab into a Home tab, which now provides personalized Insight messages. Through the AI-enabled ‘Home Insight[1]’, powered by SmartThings, users can receive real-time summaries of their home’s status and suggestions for necessary actions. This is achieved by analyzing various data sources — such as user lifestyle patterns, device usage history, home and device status, daily weather, indoor temperature and more — to provide tailored insights. For instance, if a device is left on while no one is home, SmartThings will recommend turning it off to conserve energy. Another notification could include changes in indoor temperature or humidity that deviate from the usual levels, which will prompt suggestions to adjust devices for optimal comfort. By offering immediate and relevant information, these insights enable users to more efficiently manage their homes. (Image) SmartThings Home Insight Consistent Experiences and Seamless Connectivity Over Various Samsung Devices The SmartThings app on Samsung Galaxy devices, Smart TV, Family Hub™ and Galaxy Book has been enhanced to provide a consistent experience to users. For example, the expanded device card allows users to access key functions without navigating to the devices' detail page. This expanded functionality is available via the Device Control panel on Galaxy devices — as well as from the new Map View and the new SmartThings app on the Galaxy Tab S10— greatly enhancing usability. Additionally, for users building a multi-hub network containing SmartThings Hub-embedded Samsung products, such as a Samsung Smart TV, Smart Monitor, Sound Bar, Family Hub™ Refrigerator or SmartThings Station, the auto-hub backup feature ensures stable and uninterrupted connectivity by automatically switching to a secondary hub if the primary one goes offline. (Image) Consistent SmartThings Experiences and Seamless Connectivity Over Various Samsung Devices (Image) Expanded device control panel in SmartThings Map View Galaxy Tab S10 Transforms Into a Home Dashboard The Galaxy Tab S10 comes with immediate access to SmartThings via the Home Insight Widget. This will transform the tablet into a personalized home dashboard by giving users the ability to view real-time summaries of their home’s status along with suggestions for necessary actions, as well as a Map View that allows for easier device control. Enhanced SmartThings Experience on the New Galaxy Book5 Series With the newly launched Galaxy Book5 series, users can control their devices more quickly, without interrupting key tasks being handled on their PCs. Additionally, a significant update to the SmartThings UX on Windows brings a panel-style interface that enhances both accessibility and convenience. Key features include support for camera streaming and phone-finding functionality, and users can instantly control important functions such as temperature while receiving doorbell notifications with a live streaming view that allows them to see who's at the door. These features are supported on PCs running Windows OS 10 20 H1 and more recent models. Expanded Family Care for All-in-One Home Management Family Care has been expanded to support a wider range of devices that can sense activity, allowing users to monitor their loved ones’ daily routines through the usage history of various appliances, including TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, ovens and induction cooktops. Now, simple actions such as opening the refrigerator door or taking clothes out of the dryer can work alongside phone usage to notify users that their loved ones may be active on various devices. These enhancements enable users to seamlessly manage family care needs. The update also introduces child account support, enabling parents to monitor their children and ensure their well-being, creating safer, more customized smart home environments for kids and extending SmartThings’ services to all family members. In addition, the update integrates with events and location notifications to further streamline family management and daily routines.[2] Simplified Device Transfers With QR Codes Device access has also been made easier as users can simply scan a QR code to easily transfer device access to others. This is particularly useful for users who might find manual registration of a device challenging. Therefore, all household members can conveniently enjoy the benefits of smart home technology. [1] Supported devices are Galaxy Smartphones, tablets and Samsung Smart TVs, with plans for further expansion. As of October 2024, summary and suggestion features are currently available only in the U.S and South Korea but will gradually expand to other regions. [2] Currently available only in the U.S and South Korea, but will gradually expand to other regions by end of this year.

Latest SmartThings Hub updates include a new hub manager, backup capabilities, and hub group support As the smart home becomes an integral part of modern living – just as essential as utilities like power and water – its reliability must be equally paramount. At SmartThings, we’ve always believed local connectivity is the key to reliability in connected living. Our hub-based platform was designed so users could connect, control, and automate devices locally, reliably, and securely. Our Hub Everywhere strategy has empowered more users to establish and expand their local smart home infrastructure. Now, we’re excited to introduce new ways for users to harness these hubs to further enhance the performance and reliability of their smart devices. Expanding Smart Living with New SmartThings Hub Features Last year, we introduced two significant features: Hub Groups and Hub Replace. Hub Groups enable users to extend their Thread and Zigbee networks across multiple SmartThings hubs, creating a more robust mesh network. Hub Replace allows users to upgrade their hubs seamlessly without the need to individually add each device again, ensuring their smart living infrastructure can evolve with their needs. Now, we’re thrilled to announce the extension and enhancement of our smart living capabilities with two new features in the SmartThings app - Hub Manager and Hub Backup.  Introducing Hub Manager, Hub Backup, and Expanded Hub Group Support The new Hub Manager is a central management interface designed to streamline the configuration of smart home infrastructures. Users can now create, edit, and delete Hub Groups to better organize their network. This enhances the ability to manage multiple hubs, including the SmartThings 2018 (V3) hub, Aeotec Smart Home Hub (V3), SmartThings Station, Samsung Smart TV, Smart Monitor, Family Hub refrigerator, and Samsung soundbar hubs. They can also easily manage their Hub Groups by editing existing ones or deleting them as needed.  Hub Backup increases resiliency by allowing secondary hubs to act as backups if the primary hub goes offline. In such cases, users receive a notification about the disconnection and assistance with diagnosing the issue. If reconnection is not possible, users can select another hub within their Hub Group to become the new primary hub. The Hub Manager then guides users through the process of transferring all devices and routines to the new primary hub, ensuring seamless continuity. If a user does not take action within ten minutes of the primary hub going offline, transfer to an available secondary hub will happen automatically.  How to Create a SmartThings Hub Group A Hub Group is made up of a primary hub and one or more secondary hubs working together to extend the range of Zigbee and Thread networks. If you have a Hub Group, devices that are far away from the primary hub can still connect to its network via a nearby secondary hub.  Routines will also work faster without needing an internet connection when devices are connected to the same Hub Group. When you add a new eligible hub to a location with one or more existing eligible hub(s), a new Hub Group will be automatically created if none exist. If a Hub Group already exists, the new hub will be automatically added to the Hub Group as a secondary hub1.  You can also manually create and manage a Hub Group. When you create a new Hub Group, there must be at least one hub that has no devices connected to it. There are two ways to create a new Hub Group:  Starting in the “Favorites” page, select (⋮) More Options and tap “Manage Hubs”. If a Hub Group is eligible to be formed, there will be a button titled “Create a Hub Group”.  You can also click on one of your hub icons from the favorites screen or the devices screen where the hub is located. The hub’s device card will open, and if a Hub Group is eligible to be formed, there will be a “Hub Group” section with a button titled “Create a Hub Group”.  Note: If you have a hub that supports Z-Wave devices (such as the SmartThings V3 hub), it's recommended that you set it as the primary hub in your Hub Group. Z-Wave devices cannot connect to a Hub Group if the primary hub doesn't support Z-Wave. How to Edit SmartThings Hub Groups In Hub Manager you can also change the primary hub for a Hub Group, and add or remove secondary hubs from a Hub Group. There are several ways to access the Hub Manager when a Hub Group already exists:  Select (⋮) More Options in the “Favorites” page and select “Manage Hubs”. Then select (⋮) More Options again and tap “Edit a Hub Group”.  You can also click on one of the hub icons from the favorites screen or the devices screen where the hub is located. The hub’s device card will open, and there will be a “Hub Group” section showing all of the hubs in the current Hub Group. Click the Settings wheel in the upper right corner of this section to open the Hub Manager. In the Hub Manager, you can change a secondary hub to a primary hub, remove a selected secondary hub from a Hub Group, or add another secondary hub.  How to Enable Hub Backup and Set Preferred Hub The Hub Backup feature is enabled by default when a Hub Group is created, in “Auto Hub Backup” mode, and does not need to be enabled by the user: When a primary hub goes offline, the user will receive a notification that the hub is offline, and will be able to perform diagnostics.  If the primary hub is still offline after ten minutes, and a secondary “backup” hub is online, devices and automations will automatically move to a “backup” hub with no intervention needed from the user.  A user can disable Auto Hub Backup if they do not want devices and automations to automatically move to a backup hub when their primary hub is offline for more than ten minutes. If Auto Hub Backup is disabled, Hub Backup becomes “user-guided”, and the user has the ability to accept or reject the transfer to the secondary hub when they are notified. Users can do this from the Hub Manager:  Select (⋮) More Options from the “Manage Hubs” screen. Then select “Auto Hub Backup” and toggle to “Off”. This will make Hub Backup user-guided.  The “preferred hub” is the hub that will become the primary hub anytime it comes online and “Auto Hub Backup” is enabled, such as after a secondary hub has taken over primary hub duty. A user can change their preferred hub by first manually changing their primary hub, and making sure that “Preferred hub” is enabled in Hub Manager. To select “Preferred Hub”:   Select (⋮) More Options from the “Manage Hubs” screen. Then select “Preferred hub”.  Note: the Hub Backup feature refers to transferring devices and routines to backup hubs and does not refer to the process of periodically backing up hub and device data to the SmartThings Cloud. Periodically backing up hub and device data to the SmartThings cloud occurs automatically and does not require that a hub be part of a Hub Group.  How to Permanently Replace A Hub Announced in 2023, the Hub Replace feature allows you to replace or upgrade your existing hub with another hub. When you replace a hub, all devices and routines on your original hub will be transferred to the replacement hub. The Hub Replace feature is similar to changing primary and secondary hubs with the Hub Backup feature, but there are some differences. Hub Replace removes the original hub from the location after replacement, and if possible, factory resets the original hub.  Hub Replace is separate from Hub Groups and Hub Backup and cannot be used with hubs that are part of a Hub Group. To replace a hub that is in a Hub Group, the original and destination hubs should be removed from the Hub Group.  Hub Replace provides an upgrade path for some older hubs that are not supported by Hub Groups, such as Samsung Connect Home, SmartThings Wi-Fi, and Samsung SmartThings Hub 2015 (Hub v2).  Hub Replace can be initiated a couple of ways. To replace a hub, you need another hub in the same location that has no devices connected to it and is not part of a Hub Group. From the Manage Hubs screen, select (⋮) More Options and tap “Replace Hub”.  You can also click on one of the hub icons from the favorites screen or the devices screen where the hub is located. The hub’s device card will open. select (⋮) More Options and tap “Replace Hub”.  Building for the Future At SmartThings, we are committed to continually enhancing our platform’s key features, providing users with greater reliability, performance, and confidence in their smart home systems. Our goal is to support users in starting, growing, and enjoying their smart homes from day one and well into the future. Ready to take your smart home to the next level and unlock the full potential of your SmartThings ecosystem? Thanks to Hub Everywhere, you can start creating your Hub Group today.  For more information, read SmartThings Hub Groups and Hub Backup FAQs here. 

How can we make your life easier? That's the question driving the smart solutions that SmartThings and our partners, like Tuya, deliver every day. Tuya is a leading cloud platform service provider that works with and for developers to create the devices that make our lives smarter.  Users can control these Tuya-enabled devices seamlessly using the SmartThings app. In our latest LinkedIn Q&A, we chatted with Tuya to discuss our partnership, the future of AI technology, how their solutions work with SmartThings, and more. Browse the highlights below or keep reading for the full conversation.  The Highlights SmartThings: Why is our partnership so significant?  Tuya: Our collaboration stands out for several key reasons: Seamless Interoperability: Together, we're breaking down barriers with Matter protocol integration, offering a seamless smart home experience across Tuya and SmartThings ecosystems.  Expanded Consumer Choice: Customers can gain access to a wider range of smart home solutions, blending the SmartThings app with the versatility of Tuya-enabled devices. Simplified Control:  Customers experience the ultimate convenience with a single app to manage their entire smart home ecosystem.  But the most important aspect is that we both share a vision for a smarter tomorrow, where technology seamlessly enhances our lives. That is what we are working towards as we continue to deliver cutting-edge solutions for a more comfortable, convenient, and sustainable future. SmartThings: That’s very well said! We’re eager to see how our collaboration unfolds. Speaking of progress, congratulations are in order! It is Tuya’s 10th anniversary this year. Reflecting on the past 10 years, what are some of your most significant accomplishments?  Tuya: Reflecting on Tuya's decade of innovation, we've achieved important milestones in three key areas: Firstly, we've upgraded our developer platform, developed Cube AI & AI Energy Saving Dashboard, refreshed Smart Commercial SaaS, and introduced Home & Building Energy Management Systems. These endeavors have bolstered our portfolio and pushed the boundaries of smart technology. Secondly, our thriving developer community and global partnerships have accelerated smart industry growth. Integration with Matter applications, alongside collaborations like SmartThings, has enhanced user convenience and fostered intelligent, eco-friendly experiences. Thirdly, we’ve achieved quarterly profit in Q2 2023 and Non-GAAP profitability in Q1 of this year, which underscores our resilient growth and commitment to sustainable success. Looking ahead, we're integrating generative AI into our offerings to enable global developers, while revolutionizing user interactions. Confident in our leadership, we'll continue delivering value to clients and users. SmartThings: Tell us more about your developer solutions and how they work!  Tuya: We offer a cutting-edge cloud developer platform, with extensive development tools and support for swift, efficient smart device and application creation. Customers can leverage devices as connectivity nodes to create differentiated smart solutions to enhance products, optimize user experiences, and boost commercial success. For device connectivity, we support mainstream protocols across industries (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Matter) and mainstream ecosystem platforms especially Samsung SmartThings, enabling seamless integration. Moreover, we support more than 2,800 device categories, allowing developers to customize products for their business needs. For customers seeking all-in-one integrated solutions, we provide comprehensive support for various vertical application scenarios, facilitating one-stop deployment through software-hardware synergy. For those who prefer private deployment, our Cube Cloud solution caters to enterprise-level Cloud-edge-end privatization, enabling exclusive smart management systems tailored to client requirements.  Our full conversation with Tuya SmartThings: Hey, Tuya! Thank you for joining us for a Q&A today. For those who are new to your brand, what is Tuya?  Tuya: Hey, SmartThings! Thanks for having us. Tuya Inc. (NYSE: TUYA; HKEX: 2391) is a global leading cloud platform service provider with a mission to build a smart solutions developer ecosystem that enables everything to be smart.  Tuya has pioneered a purpose-built cloud developer platform with cloud and generative AI capabilities that delivers a full suite of offerings, including Platform-as-a-Service, or PaaS, Software-as-a-Service, or SaaS, and smart solutions for developers of smart device, commercial applications, and industries.  Through its cloud developer platform, Tuya has activated a vibrant global developer community of brands, OEMs, AI Agents, system integrators, and independent software vendors to collectively strive for a smart solutions ecosystem embodying the principles of green and low-carbon, security, high-efficiency, agility, and openness. SmartThings: Why is our partnership so significant?  Tuya: Our collaboration stands out for several key reasons: Seamless Interoperability: Together, we're breaking down barriers with Matter protocol integration, offering a seamless smart home experience across Tuya and SmartThings ecosystems.  Expanded Consumer Choice: Gain access to a wider range of smart home solutions, blending the SmartThings app with the versatility of Tuya-enabled devices. Simplified Control: Experience the ultimate convenience with a single app to manage the entire smart home ecosystem.  But the most important aspect is that we both share a vision for a smarter tomorrow, where technology seamlessly enhances our lives. That is what we are working towards as we continue to deliver cutting-edge solutions for a more comfortable, convenient, and sustainable future. SmartThings: That’s very well said! We’re eager to see how our collaboration unfolds. Speaking of progress, congratulations are in order! It is Tuya’s 10th anniversary this year. Reflecting on the past 10 years, what are some of the most significant accomplishments?  Tuya: Reflecting on Tuya's decade of innovation, we've achieved important milestones in three key areas: Firstly, we've upgraded our developer platform, developed Cube AI & AI Energy Saving Dashboard, refreshed Smart Commercial SaaS, and introduced Home & Building Energy Management Systems. These endeavors have bolstered our portfolio and pushed the boundaries of smart technology. Secondly, our thriving developer community and global partnerships have accelerated smart industry growth. Integration with Matter applications, alongside collaborations like SmartThings, have enhanced user convenience and fostered intelligent, eco-friendly experiences. Thirdly, we’ve achieved quarterly profit in Q2 2023 and Non-GAAP profitability in Q1 of this year, which underscores our resilient growth and commitment to sustainable success. Looking ahead, we're integrating generative AI into our offerings to enable global developers, while revolutionizing user interactions. Confident in our leadership, we'll continue delivering value to clients and users. SmartThings: Tell us more about your developer solutions and Tuya-enabled devices and how they work!  Tuya: We offer a cutting-edge cloud developer platform, with extensive development tools and support for swift, efficient smart device and application creation. Customers can leverage devices as connectivity nodes to create differentiated smart solutions to enhance products, optimize user experiences, and boost commercial success. For device connectivity, we support mainstream protocols across industries (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Matter) and mainstream ecosystem platforms especially Samsung SmartThings, enabling seamless integration. Moreover, we support more than 2,800 device categories, allowing developers to customize products for their business needs. For customers seeking all-in-one integrated solutions, we provide comprehensive support for various vertical application scenarios, facilitating one-stop deployment through software-hardware synergy. For those who prefer private deployment, our Cube Cloud solution caters to enterprise-level Cloud-edge-end privatization, enabling exclusive smart management systems tailored to client requirements.  Given this, why are developers so important for the IoT market?  SmartThings: Developers are essential to building and launching user-friendly IoT products that make life more enjoyable, productive, and sustainable for consumers and businesses. Helping developers build these products and bring them to market is very important, and we applaud the work Tuya has done for their IoT Developer community.   At SmartThings, we also work very closely with our developer community, as their partnership and feedback are vital to how SmartThings functions and how integrations work now and in the future.  Additionally, we’ve heavily invested in our Developer Center to help our diverse device partners succeed, integrate with SmartThings, and reach users worldwide. Our Developer Center offers a range of tools, including: A Getting Started Wizard, Documentation, and Code Samples.   A no-code Edge Driver builder and SmartThings Command Line Interface for development. A Certification Console featuring a new Test Suite and product management tools so developers can quickly submit their devices to integrate with SmartThings, such as Certification by Similarity and Product Cloning.  New post-certification analytics to track product usage and options for users to buy products directly from our partners. We are here to support our developers every step of the way and are grateful for our partnerships. SmartThings: How does/will AI play a role in the future? Tuya: AI will play a pivotal role in shaping the future by enhancing efficiency, driving innovation, improving decision-making, addressing global challenges, and transforming industries like healthcare, transportation, and education. For instance, in energy-saving scenarios, our Cube AI analyzes real-time consumption to generate optimal strategies, offering cutting-edge AI technology and product value. Its application potential spans diverse smart scenarios, addressing issues like energy conservation and management in industrial, commercial, and household settings. Additionally, we create AI development tools for global developers, including the AI Developer Kit integrating large language models and platforms for efficient development, operation, and commercialization. AI Analyst, a practical solution for brand customers, also provides valuable insights and assistance.  Looking ahead, we will continue to embrace AI and implement AI in different scenarios, expanding our offerings to cover safety, plant breeding, environmental management, healthcare, pet companionship, and more. SmartThings: That was very informative! Thank you to our partners at Tuya for chatting with us today! Want to know more? #DoTheSmartThings and drop a note in the comments.  Tuya: Thank you for having us, SmartThings! 

You don’t need to own a house to enjoy the perks of a smart home—your apartment can be one, too! Whether renting, owning, or managing a property, you can experience seamless, connected living with the right technology. That’s where SmartThings and our partner, Sapphire Connected Communities, come in. Sapphire Connected Communities is an enterprise software company that has built the first multifamily smart apartment solution on our SmartThings Pro B2B development platform. Together, SmartThings and Sapphire are redefining apartment living. Residents can enjoy all the features in the SmartThings app, and property managers will benefit from an all-in-one solution that boosts convenience, efficiency, and peace of mind for everyone. In our latest LinkedIn Q&A, we chatted with Sapphire to discuss our partnership, how their solutions work with SmartThings, our impact on sustainability in the smart home, and more. Browse the highlights below or keep reading for the full conversation.  The Highlights SmartThings: What is one of the benefits of integrating with Sapphire? Sapphire: It’s important to note that most platforms are very limited in what the resident experience can be, and if they buy devices, chances are they can’t use them at the next place they move to. With SmartThings, if a renter is living in one SmartThings community and moving to another, it’s a very seamless experience of bringing their own devices with them to continue the connected living experience. As technology changes, residents have the flexibility to add what’s important to them, leaving multifamily owners to focus on more permanent fixtures that don’t walk away and can also generate revenue. You will never move into any community needing access to a door lock, a thermostat, and a light fixture. SmartThings: What are some of the benefits of the Sapphire platform, and why should property teams or owners adopt your technology? Sapphire: We are the future of true planning, and here is one of our favorite examples! Traditionally, when appliances have issues, properties wait for those to be reported via work order. Depending on that particular resident's awareness or even priority, there could be a delay in when the issue started and when it was reported. By the time there’s a visible issue with an appliance, there could be a good chance of it being in a worse state than had it been reported sooner. Appliance Diagnostics via Sapphire now gives properties the chance to be proactive versus reactive. Alerts can be managed through the Sapphire dashboard, letting the team know what the issue is and how to fix it, reducing the time spent troubleshooting while improving customer satisfaction.  SmartThings: What are your thoughts on how a partnership like Sapphire and SmartThings push for the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) initiatives multifamily owners are striving to attain? Sapphire: Sapphire makes this possible through an enterprise-level solution, where bulk unit control comes into play. For example, in a 300-unit community, where 30% of the property is vacant. How efficient is it to send a team member out to check and change the thermostats on 90 units, especially during a hot summer day? Now, with this technology, all 90 units can have the thermostats controlled with one press of a button or even adjusted based on scheduled automation.  Our full conversation with Sapphire SmartThings: Hey, Sapphire! Thank you for joining us for a Q&A today. For those who are new to your brand, what is Sapphire and what is your approach to Smart Apartment Technology? Sapphire: Hey, SmartThings! Thanks for having us. At Sapphire Connected Communities, our approach is to provide an experience for Property Management teams and Residents that is different from what they’re used to today. With our unique partnership with SmartThings, Residents can truly customize their smart homes with popular consumer products like Samsung TVs, speakers, indoor cameras, Robot Vacuum cleaners, and many more. The Resident experience is no different than SmartThings' consumer experience, as you would traditionally see with a single-family homeowner. On the property management side, our aim is to provide enterprise smart home software that gives property management teams both the tools to manage and deploy SmartThings at scale. SmartThings: How does our partnership benefit Multi-Dwelling Unit owners and operators?  Sapphire: The partnership makes sense when we’re aiming for reliability, longevity, and stability in the industry. Proptech can be a very volatile industry, so partnering with an organization like Samsung and SmartThings means we can offer multifamily owners and operators peace of mind. The combination of Samsung’s established reputation, vast resources, and commitment to innovation bodes well for enduring success and global impact, and we are really able to leverage your consumer strength and global reach on the platform. Samsung and SmartThings are here to stay!  For Sapphire users who may not be as familiar with you, could you elaborate on what makes the SmartThings platform different from any other IoT platform in the multifamily space today? SmartThings: Our ecosystem is a big part of it. SmartThings has one of the biggest ecosystems out there, offering 6,000+ compatible devices. Through our partnership with companies like Sapphire, we can offer residents in smart apartments an enhanced connected living experience.  So, what is one of the benefits of integrating Sapphire? Sapphire: It’s important to note that most platforms are very limited in what the resident experience can be and if they buy devices, chances are they can’t use them at the next place they move to. With SmartThings, if a renter is living in one SmartThings community and moving to another, it’s a very seamless experience of bringing their own devices with them to continue the connected living experience. As technology changes, residents have the flexibility to add what’s important to them, leaving multifamily owners to focus on more permanent fixtures that don’t walk away and can also generate revenue. You will never move into any community needing access to a door lock, a thermostat, and a light fixture. SmartThings: What are some of the benefits of the Sapphire platform, and why should property teams or owners adopt your technology? Sapphire: We are the future of true planning, and here is one of our favorite examples! Traditionally, when appliances have issues, properties wait for those to be reported via work order. Depending on that particular resident's awareness or even priority, there could be a delay in when the issue started and when it was reported. By the time there’s a visible issue with an appliance, there could be a good chance of it being in a worse state had it been reported sooner. Appliance Diagnostics via Sapphire now gives properties the chance to be proactive versus reactive. Alerts can be managed through the Sapphire dashboard, letting the team know what the issue is and how to fix it, reducing the time spent troubleshooting while improving customer satisfaction.  SmartThings: That sounds like a win-win for everyone! The future of the smart home is simplifying routines and making sure everything works together. Can you tell us a bit more about resident support, what does it look like when residents are trying to connect their own devices via the SmartThings app? Sapphire: One of the reasons why we also love partnering with SmartThings is because of how easy they make this process. The process is designed to be very straight, with clear instructions and automatic detection of many devices, all from within the SmartThings app. It’s easy and user-friendly. From a support standpoint, residents are offered an expanded level of support, where they can go through Sapphire for help or use SmartThings support for assistance via text, phone call, or email. There is also online content available for those who like to figure it out. Switching gears a bit, how can a partnership like Sapphire and SmartThings push for the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) initiatives multifamily owners are striving to attain? SmartThings: SmartThings enables users to monitor and control energy usage in their homes by intelligently managing devices, such as smart thermostats, lighting, and appliances. This can lead to reduced energy consumption, lower utility bills, and a smaller carbon footprint, aligning with environmental sustainability goals.  And with our Works With SmartThings program, we add partners to our ecosystem that also provide solutions that promote energy-efficient homes and residences. What are your thoughts on this? Sapphire: Sapphire also makes this possible through an enterprise-level solution, where bulk unit control comes into play. For example, in a 300-unit community, where 30% of the property is vacant. How efficient is it to send a team member out to check and change the thermostats on 90 units, especially during a hot summer day? Now, with technology, all 90 units can have the thermostats controlled with one press of a button or even adjusted based on scheduled automation.  SmartThings: What does the future look like for Sapphire with this partnership?  Sapphire: The future of IoT alone looks promising, with continued growth and innovation. IoT used to be a luxury commodity in multifamily, and now it’s become an industry standard for working more efficiently. Overall, the future of the Sapphire and SmartThings partnership is likely to be characterized by continued innovation, improved integration experiences for property teams, and expansion outside of the unit as it evolves to meet the changing needs and expectations of users in the smart home market. With Sapphire and SmartThings, we feel we can finally deliver on a truly connected community!  SmartThings: Are there any limitations to the Sapphire and SmartThings experience?  Sapphire: Yes, Sapphire and SmartThings generally require the property to deploy a managed Wi-Fi network or community IoT network in order to provide a community-wide Connected Living experience. Given the expansive device integrations and extensible nature of the resident’s IoT network, the hubs need to be able to communicate seamlessly with the smart devices. A managed WiFi network ensures stable and reliable connectivity.  SmartThings: That was very informative. Thank you to our partners at Sapphire for chatting with us today! It was great learning more about your technology and the solutions you provide to consumers, property teams, and owners. Want to know more? #DoTheSmartThings and drop a note in the comments.  Sapphire: Thank you for having us SmartThings!  Don’t miss our next partner Q&A! Follow us on LinkedIn and X, and to learn more about our partners, visit partners.smartthings.com/supported-devices. 

At SmartThings, our mission is to enhance smart home experiences for users around the globe. Recently, we’ve zeroed in on smart door locks, developing innovative solutions that offer users simplicity and security for what matters most. Did you know the smart door lock industry is a booming $2.9 billion market, growing at 19.2% per year? With over 500,000 door locks already connected to SmartThings, including from partners like Yale, Schlage, U-tec, Aqara, and Nuki, we’re committed to expanding this growth by providing enhanced tools and resources for our partners to better serve you. Read on to learn what’s new.   SmartThings supports  Matter and Aliro standards for door locks SmartThings is an active supporter of the Matter standard, and has been certified for the door lock specifications from Matter 1.2 up to the latest version 1.3—with plans for future certification of version 1.4 when it releases.  Nuki, one of our door lock partners, shares more on SmartThings and the Matter standard:  "Nuki was among the pioneers in launching a Smart Lock with Matter-over-Thread fully integrated into the product… We recognized the importance of adding SmartThings to our portfolio. The Matter integration with WWST proved to be the perfect opportunity to enhance our offerings.” –Nuki We are also adopting the Aliro standard for Samsung Wallet’s Digital Home Key—coming in 2025. This means you can use your smartphone or smartwatch to effortlessly access your home, office, or any location with compatible locks. Guided by global technology standards, we enable quick integration of devices with our door lock partners, ensuring users get the best experience possible. SmartThings supports Integration for Any Type of Door Lock  We’re continuing to enhance our platform to support multiple connection types including: Matter connected devices Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Cloud-connected locks For our door lock partners, our SmartThings Developer Center offers a Device SDK, Test Suite, and Specification Document to simplify the integration process. Nuki shares how easy it was to integrate with SmartThings and the additional markets it opens up for customers to buy their products.  We were genuinely impressed with how seamlessly we obtained the Works with SmartThings (WWST) certification. The support from our Samsung partner was outstanding, making the entire process incredibly smooth. This certification not only boosts our credibility within the smart home ecosystem but also positions us strongly as we expand into new markets like the USA." – Nuki  Additionally, you can easily find and purchase compatible products through the SmartThings platform, making the smart home journey even smoother. Our supported devices list provides users with the most up-to-date Works with SmartThings (WWST) certified products. SmartThings Prioritizes Security  User safety and privacy are our top priorities. Ensuring user safety, the Digital Home Key operates based on embedded Secure Element (eSE) to keep sensitive user data secure. Plus users’ digital PIN is neither stored nor managed on the SmartThings platform. To prevent security threats, we have collaborated with our partners to enhance the security features of door locks.  SmartThings Calm Onboarding with Door Locks  SmartThings aims to provide a seamless user experience from start to finish by automatically enabling a door lock’s key features. With the SmartThings Calm Onboarding experience, the Digital Home Key is activated automatically during setup, so users can begin using it without extra configuration.  Smart door locks bring unparalleled convenience and peace of mind to users. Beyond traditional PIN codes, you can unlock doors using fingerprint recognition, or easily enter via smartphone or smartwatch. If you own a Galaxy device with Ultra-Wide Band(UWB) technology, the door will open automatically as you approach. During the onboarding process, a default notification is enabled to inform you who opened the door. This ensures you receive the most relevant alerts tailored to your needs while maintaining control over your smart home experience. Personalize Your Smart Home with Routines With SmartThings routines, you can create a tailored experience based on who arrives at your door. Imagine coming home to soft lighting and your favorite music playing, all triggered by your arrival. You can automate interactions between your smart door lock and any other compatible SmartThings devices. Explore our smart door lock partners at Partners.SmartThings.com and discover integration tools at Developer.SmartThings.com.

Curious about all the ways you can integrate with SmartThings? Or looking to connect with other developers in the Samsung and SmartThings ecosystem? We can help with that! We are thrilled to announce the 10th Annual Samsung Developer Conference (SDC), taking place on Thursday, October 3, 2024, at the San Jose Convention Center. This year's conference promises to be an incredible event filled with SmartThings latest technology, networking, and learning opportunities. Join us, be inspired, and get excited—register here today!  What You Can Expect at SDC24 An exciting Keynote with announcements from Samsung & SmartThings Technical sessions diving deeper into main developer topics Interactive exhibits to try out new technology Networking opportunities with other developers and the SmartThings team Code Labs  …all across the platforms of SmartThings, Bixby, Knox, and Tizen.   Why should you attend SDC24? Learn How to Get the Most out of SmartThings Developer Center – We’ll announce the latest updates to our Developer Center and other areas of the SmartThings platform. Plus, dive deeper into developer topics at our informative tech sessions.  Engage in Powerful Networking – Connect with colleagues and industry leaders during meetups and networking events to foster collaboration.  Discover What’s Ahead – Indulge in a variety of impactful topics, including Samsung’s latest advancements in AI and cutting-edge technology. Delve into interactive exhibits and innovative keynotes that highlight the future of tech and how it shapes our world. Want to know more? Click here to view highlights from last year’s SDC.    Important Dates to Remember  Innovation Challenge Submissions Deadline: Friday, August 30 (More details to come on Thursday, August 9.) - Challenge 1 | Challenge 2 Pre-SDC24 Webinar: Thursday, September 12  Samsung Developer Conference 2024: Thursday, October 3 Registration is Now Open Lock in your spot for SDC24 by registering here! After registering, please remember to book a hotel room if needed. Stay tuned for more updates and announcements as we get closer to the event. We look forward to seeing you there! Have questions? We’ve got answers. Send your SDC24 inquiries to marketing@smartthings.com. 

New features, same innovative SmartThings. Recently, SmartThings announced a suite of updates and exciting partner announcements, including: Shareable routines Enhanced hub functionality Matter 1.2 support New Device Control  SmartThings Energy enhancements These new advancements will make managing smart devices and routines even easier, reflecting SmartThings’ dedication to streamlining the connected home experience and removing the obstacles associated with smart home living.  Here’s a closer look at what’s new with SmartThings.   Unlock Smart Home Sharing with Shareable Routines Another leap forward in connecting your devices and the people you love, Shareable Routines is a new feature within the SmartThings platform that allows you to share your daily routines with others. This means you can easily pass on your automated sequences of tasks or actions to guests or friends, enhancing the overall usability and accessibility of these routines.  For instance, you may have a wake-up routine where your lights gradually turn on, your coffee maker starts brewing, and your favorite morning playlist starts playing. With Shareable Routines, you can easily share this routine with your friends or family who want to set up the same routine at their house. They can activate (and customize) the shared routine by simply scanning a QR code of the routine, and SmartThings will take care of the rest.    Enhanced Smart Home Reliability with New Hub Features Building on advancements like Hub Groups and Hub Replace, SmartThings has introduced the new Hub Manager in the SmartThings app. With this app, you can configure your smart home using a central hub management interface. Create Hub Groups with various types of SmartThings Hubs and enable Hub Backup. To make your smart home more reliable and resilient. Hub Backup prevents disruptions to daily routines by swiftly switching to a secondary hub if the primary hub fails. All device configurations, network settings, and routines transfer easily.   Matter 1.2 Certification and Support The SmartThings platform has been updated and certified to the Matter 1.2 SDK, bringing a host of enhancements to the SmartThings ecosystem. SmartThings seamlessly integrates with partner devices that support Matter 1.2*, including refrigerators, room air conditioners, dishwashers, laundry washing machines, robotic vacuums, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, air quality sensors, air purifiers, and fans. Updates to Matter support streamline developer integration, ensuring a smoother experience in line with core spec updates. Follow the SmartThings blog to stay updated on the latest around Matter support.      Device Control Plus Galaxy users will appreciate the convenience of the new Device Control feature, which allows easier access, navigation, and control of their smart home devices without interrupting their lives.  Here’s why. Device cards are bigger to show you more controls for home devices, and you can select devices to create your own home control page. Then, you will have greater ability to control the smart home device, including adjusting TV volume or light brightness. On phones and tablets, Device Control can be used right through the quick panel, similar to how users access controls for Bluetooth, WiFi, airplane mode, etc.    SmartThings Energy Enhancements Saving energy is fun with SmartThings Energy’s new features. With the latest update, you can now experience gamified elements including Energy Level and Activity badges. When saving energy effectively through AI Energy Mode, you will receive Samsung Rewards Points that can be used to purchase products on Samsung.com. Earn one Energy Stamp per day for every 400Wh of electricity saved with AI Energy Mode, and each Energy Stamp can be converted to 20 Samsung Rewards Points.   SmartThings UX Enhancements One important change in this update is that you can more easily find and quickly control your smart device. We’ve restructured the device tab to display rooms as top-level tabs, so you can effortlessly navigate and efficiently manage devices within each room. Furthermore, an enhanced device search not only helps you find your devices more quickly but also offers search suggestions based on the types of devices you own. In addition, each device plugin provides visualizations that highlight the key features and states of each device. For example, in the case of the smart door lock, a highlighted color indicates whether it is locked or unlocked. Also, if the device’s battery level drops below 15%, an alert appears at the top of the screen, ensuring that essential information is effectively communicated. These updates simplify and improve the management of smart home devices. Mark Benson, Head of SmartThings U.S., said, “This expansion of platform offerings is another step toward creating more seamless routines and providing greater accessibility for smart home device users.We take immense pride in this update and are excited to see how families will use it to enhance their everyday lives.” Enhance your everyday life and download the SmartThings app and activate SmartThings Energy today!   Read more about our new updates HERE.   *Support for Matter 1.2 indicates that SmartThings can manage and operate new device types that are part of the Matter 1.2 standard. It also means that all devices supporting control through Matter 1.2 can be linked together.