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Samsung has revamped its SmartThings smart home platform with both key new features and Matter support for many appliances and even robot vacuums.
The company’s SmartThings hubs will soon work with the Matter 1.2 smart home standard, including washing machines, air conditioners, dishwashers, fans, and smoke (or CO2) detectors. You could use your Galaxy S24 to check on your wash cycle, for instance.
Full Matter 1.2 support should come to the SmartThings mobile app later in the summer, Samsung said.
There are also important updates to energy use on the platform. A newly introduced Flex Connect feature lets SmartThings-compatible appliances participate in “energy events” on the power company’s grid, such as high-demand situations. It can automatically enable AI Energy Mode and have lights or smart plugs turn off, while thermostats can adjust the temperature to save energy.
If you don’t have any supporting devices, SmartThings will still send alert so you can make decisions on your own, according to Samsung. The company is even encouraging energy saving by giving users Samsung Rewards points when AI Energy Mode is in effect, helping them buy products on Samsung’s website.
Other improvements make it easier to manage your Samsung SmartThings system, whether or not Matter is involved. The Device tab in the app now has rooms as top-level tabs, and a Device Control feature both offers more on-card controls and a custom home control page.
The SmartThings app now has a central hub interface to create groups and designate a backup in case the main hub goes down. You can also share routines if a friend could find it useful, such as gradually turning on your lights while music plays. The other person just has to scan a QR code.
This upgrade doesn’t include Matter 1.3, which supports more hardware (such as dryers and EV chargers) and scenes. However, it should make SmartThings considerably more useful in a connected home whether or not Matter is involved.
