Samsung announced an October 6 SmartThings update that combines a redesigned Home tab with expanded local control. The headline interface feature, SmartThings Now, displays context-sensitive cards and suggested actions. The more consequential change for many households may be what happens behind the interface: a phone on the same Wi-Fi network as a supported hub can communicate with that hub directly instead of sending every control through the cloud.
Samsung says this can keep supported controls working during an external internet interruption. It reports roughly 30% better response times in controlled testing, while warning that actual results depend on the environment. The supported hardware list includes SmartThings Station, V2 through V4 hubs, and certain hub-enabled televisions and Family Hub products, with Android and iOS app support.
The company also says the update adds Matter 1.6 support and support for energy meters, specialized door and gate devices, irrigation equipment, and soil sensors. These are platform capabilities; the announcement should not be read as a promise that every existing accessory immediately gains every new function.
The standard and the product are different layers
The Connectivity Standards Alliance’s June 17 Matter 1.6 announcement provides useful background. It describes that standard release as an improvement to setup, coordination between ecosystems, and context-sensitive controls, rather than an expansion into new device categories. Samsung adding categories to SmartThings and the standards body updating Matter are related developments, but they are not the same event.
What this changes at home
Our take: local control addresses a basic expectation that smart-home products have sometimes made surprisingly complicated. Someone standing in the kitchen should be able to operate an accessible device even when the connection to the wider internet fails. A shorter communication route can help, but it does not eliminate every dependency. Power, the home network, compatible hardware, and the particular device’s capabilities still matter.
Before buying another hub, check the equipment already in the house and the controls that matter most. Identify a few ordinary actions, such as changing a light or adjusting a connected plug, and establish which are supported locally. Avoid treating an attractive dashboard as proof that every automation will survive every outage.
The new contextual cards deserve a separate judgment. Suggestions can help someone discover a useful routine, but a home also needs stable, obvious controls for other household members and guests. We would look for an interface that keeps frequently used actions easy to find even as recommendations change.
The practical measure of this update is therefore consistency. Does the home respond in the same understandable way when the internet is unreliable, and can someone else operate it without learning its owner’s habits? Samsung’s announcement moves toward that goal. The worthwhile upgrade is the one that improves dependable control of the devices you actually own, rather than simply increasing the number of possibilities shown in an app.