Samsung SmartThings update adds SmartThings Now, hub local control and Matter 1.6

What was announced

• Samsung announced a SmartThings platform update on October 12 through its UK newsroom. It adds SmartThings Now, a redesigned Home tab and expanded local control.[1]
• Samsung states the platform has 470 million registered users and more than 430 Works with SmartThings certified brands.[1]

SmartThings Now

• SmartThings Now appears as cards at the top of the Home tab. It builds on Home Insight and shows information and controls based on the user's situation.[1]
• A Family Care card goes to a caregiver when a family member's devices show no activity for an extended period. It offers check-in and call options.[1]
• Near a registered home location, the app suggests turning on lights and air purifiers and prompts the user to create a routine. A Routine Insight card shows the past week's routine activity so unused routines can be deleted.[1]

Home tab

• The redesigned Home tab has smaller service cards that show device status and numeric readings. It adds a Live Wallpaper that changes through the day and a Floating Bar for frequently used features.[1]
• The updated Home tab and SmartThings Now come to mobile devices, Samsung Smart TVs, Family Hub refrigerators, Samsung appliances with 7-inch or 9-inch screens and Windows devices.[1]

Local control

• When a phone and a SmartThings Hub are on the same Wi-Fi network, they communicate directly instead of through the cloud. SmartThings switches between local and cloud control depending on whether the user is home or away.[1]
• Samsung states response times improve by about 30 percent compared with cloud control, based on its controlled tests. It notes that actual performance may vary.[1]
• Local control works with the SmartThings app on Android and iOS, SmartThings Station, SmartThings V2, V3 and V4 Hubs, and hub-enabled Samsung Smart TVs and Family Hub refrigerators.[1]
• A new Offline Device Diagnostics page updates network information for all registered devices at once.[1]

Matter 1.6

SmartThings now supports Matter 1.6. Samsung states it improves stability and Group Control performance.[1]

Four device categories are new: Energy Meters, Closures such as doors and gates, Irrigation devices such as sprinkler systems, and Soil Sensors.[1]