Samsung SmartThings is set to become the first major smart home platform to fully support Matter 1.2. According to a press release, the SmartThings platform now works with Matter 1.2, so manufacturers and developers can start integrating their compatible devices with the platform. The SmartThings app won’t be updated to support Matter until later this summer, so you won’t be able to control your Matter-enabled Roborock robot vacuum or Midea dishwasher via SmartThings until then.
Samsung also announced several other updates to its smart home platform, including app design improvements, new device control options, a hub save option, shareable routines, and gamification of its SmartThings Energy feature.
Matter 1.2 support in SmartThings means that devices added to the new smart home standard — jointly developed by Apple, Amazon, Google, Samsung and others — will now work with Samsung’s smart home platform.
This includes refrigerators, room air conditioners, dishwashers, washing machines, robot vacuum cleaners, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, air quality sensors, air purifiers and fans . You will be able to add the devices directly to the SmartThings app via Matter, control them and receive notifications and alerts through the app.
The SmartThings platform already supports many of these devices, both from its own Samsung brand and from other manufacturers (including Thermador, Bosch, and Dacor). But this is usually done via cloud integrations.
Matter will bring these local integrations, which should mean faster response times and the ability to control devices even if your internet connection is down. While Samsung’s smart home devices work with the SmartThings app, they aren’t Matter certified. That means they only work with the SmartThings app, while Matter devices can work with any smart home platform that supports Matter.
Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Home have yet to add support for Matter 1.2
However, the other major platforms, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Home, have yet to add support for Matter 1.2. Apple has announced that it will support robot vacuums later this year, but there’s no word on other device types. Home Assistant supports Matter 1.2, but its integration with Matter is still in beta. While Matter 1.3 was announced in May, bringing support for energy management, microwaves, ovens, electric cooktops, range hoods, and electric dryers, it’s unclear when we’ll see widespread support for the platform.
There are currently only a handful of Matter-certified devices in the newly supported categories: Roborock’s S8 MaxV Ultra, Ecovac’s Deebot X2 Combo robot vacuums, and AiDot’s air purifier are a few. examples. But now that one of the major platforms has announced support, I think we’ll see manufacturers enable it in their devices. Whirlpool (which owns KitchenAid and Maytag), Midea, LG, and Haier (which owns GE Appliances) are all notable brands that have said their products will support Matter.
In addition to the Matter update, Samsung announced a few other improvements to its platform. The SmartThings app adds a new Hub Manager interface to provide a single location to manage multiple hubs. This adds the ability to choose a primary hub as well as a new Hub Backup feature. If you have multiple SmartThings hubs, a secondary hub can kick in if the primary hub fails.
SmartThings has been expanding its hub infrastructure significantly in recent years, adding SmartThings hubs to its smart TVs, soundbars, and refrigerators. With Hub Backup, since you’re more likely to have multiple hubs in your home, if one gets unplugged, breaks, or you replace it, your smart home will still work. Most of Samsung’s newer SmartThings hubs support Thread, Zigbee, and Matter, but only the Aeotec SmartThings hub also supports Z-Wave.
Samsung Galaxy smartphone users are getting a new quick access feature to device control. You’ll now be able to choose which devices to add to your own home control page on the phone’s quick panel for quick access to adjusting the TV volume or changing the brightness of a light without opening the SmartThings app.
Energy management is a key smart home feature, and SmartThings Energy, SmartThings’ energy management service, is one of the most robust options. Now, Samsung is adding an exciting gamification feature to the platform, which allows you to view and manage the energy consumption of compatible devices to help you save energy. When you use Samsung’s AI Energy mode, which automatically adjusts the energy consumption of devices, you can earn an Energy Stamp for each day you save 400 Wh of electricity. These can be converted into Samsung Rewards and spent on Samsung products on Samsung.com.
The SmartThings app is also getting some interface updates. The Devices tab will now display rooms as top-level tabs, making it easier to manage your devices by room. Device search has also been “improved” to help you find what you need faster. Devices will also display more visible information on their card, including the device’s status. For example, a door lock will indicate whether it’s locked or unlocked.
You’ll also now be able to share any routines or automations you create in the app with your friends and family. Shareable routines will allow you to generate a QR code of a routine you’ve created so someone can scan it and activate it in the SmartThings app.
While these are mostly incremental improvements to the platform, they are all welcome updates that, if they work as advertised, will make using SmartThings to manage your smart home easier and More reliable. The platform also paved the way for Matter adoption, and while Matter is still far from the smooth, seamless smart home experience we were promised, SmartThings now offers one of the most robust implementations .