Samsung just quietly folded an entire app into SmartThings, its smart home and automation platform.
Version 1.8.51.30 completely redesigned the Home and Devices tabs. It also marks the end of the standalone Samsung Sound app. Speaker and soundbar controls now live in SmartThings.
What’s actually new in the redesigned Home tab?
The device and routine cards are more compact now. Tapping an icon flips a device on or off or triggers a routine without digging through menus.
I used smart home apps where I had to go through three different settings screens to change something. So, I appreciate that these cards can be resized and resized directly on the Home tab.
There is also a new favorites list for your most used devices. In addition, there is a widget called SmartThings Now that shows the weather or the routines Samsung thinks you want. The Devices tab has also been refreshed. It’s now live on iOS, Google Play, and the Galaxy Store.
What else has changed, and why the Samsung sound is turned off?
SmartThings has also updated its 3D home mapping tool. It now lets you set the real dimensions of each room and drop down downloadable models of your furniture and appliances, which can come in handy to actually find a faulty plug instead of scrolling through a flat list.
The biggest move, in my opinion, is that Samsung is discontinuing its standalone Samsung Sound app that was launched months ago. To me, it sounds like Samsung is struggling with its own app bloat, and that’s a good thing.
It turns SmartThings into one command center for every piece of Galaxy hardware instead of juggling separate apps, and makes it a little harder to leave that ecosystem. SmartThings has been Samsung’s smart home hub for years, connecting refrigerators, lights, and more, and this redesign signals that Samsung wants it to be the only app you open.
RELATED COVERAGE: