Samsung is making its SmartThings smart home platform feel less like a control panel and more like a proactive assistant. The company has announced a major SmartThings update centered around a redesigned Home tab that surfaces personalized suggestions, device controls, and routine recommendations before users have to search for them.

The update introduces SmartThings Now, a new experience that appears as interactive cards at the top of the Home tab. Rather than simply displaying connected devices, SmartThings analyzes context, recent activity, and location to present information and actions that are most relevant at that moment. The feature builds on Samsung’s existing Home Insight system and aims to reduce the number of taps required to manage a connected home.

SmartThings Now brings context-aware recommendations

Samsung says SmartThings Now is designed to anticipate everyday routines instead of waiting for users to manually launch automations.

For example, if a caregiver notices that an elderly family member enrolled in Family Care hasn’t shown any device activity for an extended period, SmartThings can display a card prompting them to check in or make a phone call. Likewise, when someone approaches a registered home location, the app may recommend turning on lights or an air purifier before they arrive.

If the user accepts one of these suggestions, SmartThings then encourages them to convert that action into a permanent automation, making future interactions completely automatic. Samsung says the goal is to naturally guide users toward building routines without requiring them to manually configure complex automations from scratch.

The platform also reviews activity from the previous week to optimize the Home tab itself. Based on changing usage patterns, SmartThings can recommend updating Favorites by adding frequently used devices or removing controls that are no longer relevant. For instance, it may suggest hiding an air conditioner control as temperatures cool or promoting an AirDresser card during seasonal wardrobe changes.

A new Routine Insight card also lets users review recently executed automations and remove routines they no longer need.

A cleaner Home tab with easier navigation

Beyond the new recommendation engine, Samsung has refreshed the overall SmartThings interface.

The redesigned Home tab groups dashboards, devices, and services into a more organized layout, while service cards have been redesigned to display more information without taking up additional space. Live Wallpaper now changes throughout the day, adding subtle visual updates as time passes.

Samsung has also added a floating navigation bar positioned at the bottom of the display, making one-handed navigation easier on larger smartphones and aligning SmartThings with the latest One UI design language.

Faster local control and Matter 1.6 support

The update isn’t only about visual changes.

Samsung is expanding local control so supported SmartThings Hubs and compatible Samsung devices can communicate directly with phones connected to the same Wi-Fi network instead of routing commands through the cloud whenever possible. According to Samsung’s internal testing, this can improve response times by roughly 30% while allowing users to continue controlling compatible smart home devices even during temporary internet outages.

An updated Offline Device Diagnostics page also makes it easier to restore devices after network changes by updating Wi-Fi information across multiple connected products at once.

The platform additionally gains support for the Matter 1.6 smart home standard, adding compatibility for new device categories including:

• Energy meters
• Specialized doors and gates (Closures)
• Irrigation systems
• Soil sensors

These additions further expand SmartThings’ compatibility with a growing range of connected home products.

Available across the SmartThings ecosystem

Samsung says the redesigned Home experience is rolling out across supported SmartThings platforms, including smartphones, Samsung Smart TVs, Family Hub refrigerators, select Samsung appliances with built-in displays, and Windows devices. The company says SmartThings now serves more than 470 million registered users and supports over 430 Works with SmartThings-certified brands worldwide.

While many smart home platforms are racing to add AI-powered features, Samsung’s latest update focuses on making automation feel more natural by surfacing useful actions before users think to look for them. If SmartThings Now consistently predicts the right actions without becoming intrusive, it could make managing a connected home significantly more intuitive.