Samsung takes greater control of your home with new SmartThings app on Galaxy S9
Samsung is using its new S9 and S9+ smartphones to up its smart home game with an all-new SmartThings app. When the S9 duo goes on sale in March, the new app aims to be a one-stop shop for controlling everything in your smart home.
With a new interface that is consistent across devices—Samsung smartphones, TVs, and fridges, for instance—the new SmartThings app is a clear move by the South Korean company to rival Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple's Home for control over your connected home.
But unlike those services, which are powered by Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri, Samsung is launching the new SmartThings app without mentioning its own voice assistant, Bixby.
Bixby is far from dead - indeed, the S9 has a dedicated button for summoning it - but Samsung isn't ready to take on Alexa and Google Assistant directly yet. For now, the new SmartThings app is focused on controlling all of your home gadgets and appliances from one place - and by tapping the screen instead of speaking out loud.
Consistency is key here, as the SmartThings app looks the same on Samsung smartphones like the Galaxy S9 as it does on the company's televisions. The interface shows buttons for switching devices on and off and allows you to group devices by room. There is also a way to design presets for certain times of day—for example, a setting called 'goodnight' can be activated to switch all lights off and lock your doors when requested.
Third-party devices that can be controlled by SmartThings include those by Ring, LIFX, Philips Hue, Yale, Bose, and more—plus washing machines, dryers, plugs, and vacuum cleaners by Samsung itself.
Samsung claims the app was designed to "remove the complicated steps that are often required to complete everyday tasks and chores, and does so by fostering seamless interactions between a household's IoT [internet of things] technologies."
Together with the Galaxy S9, Samsung claims the new SmartThings app offers users "all the tools they need to keep their household running smoothly and streamline how they connect and share to enjoy content."
To that end, the app can be used to send an image to a contact and pick which device to send it to. Say you have taken a photo while out on a walk, and you know your friend will be at home; you can send the photo to their TV. Images can also be sent directly to Samsung Family Hub smart fridges or other compatible devices.
SmartThings also removes the need to open each manufacturer's smart home app to interact with their devices. For example, the video feed from compatible doorbells can be streamed to the SmartThings app on any compatible device.
Finally, the SmartThings app helps you log new smart devices onto your Wi-Fi network and connect them to your Samsung account. The app lets you transfer login information from your Galaxy S9 to new devices and the apps they hold.
Check out The GearBrain to see which connected devices work with or are compatible with Samsung SmartThings platform.
