SmartThings: Smart Home Control

SmartThings is a lifestyle app by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. that lets you connect and control smart home devices from a single interface. It acts as a central hub for compatible hardware, including Samsung smart TVs, appliances, and speakers, as well as devices from brands such as Ring, Nest, and Philips Hue. Voice control is supported through Alexa, Bixby, and Google Assistant, and the app enables remote monitoring and management of connected equipment from anywhere. Onboarding is handled in-app, with QR-code scanning for adding members and devices and high-frequency sound pairing for certain hardware. The application is free, contains no ads, and has no in-app purchases. It first appeared in April 2017 and has been downloaded more than one billion times since then.

Key features

• Remote control and status checks for devices while away from home
• Routine builder with triggers based on time, weather, or device state
• Compatibility with Samsung TVs, appliances, and speakers plus brands including Ring, Nest, and Philips Hue
• Voice assistant support for Alexa, Bixby, and Google Assistant
• Shared access so multiple users can control connected devices
• Automated notifications for device status changes
• Redesigned Home tab for quicker access to frequently used controls
• Offline device diagnostics screen for recovering dropped devices
• Routine Insights showing the three most-used routines and recent activity

How to install

1. Confirm your phone runs Android 12 or newer and has at least 3 GB of memory, then tap the download button on this page to save the 227 MB APK file.
2. When Android asks, allow your browser or file manager to install apps by enabling the 'Install unknown apps' setting for the app you are using.
3. Open the downloaded APK file from your notifications or file manager.
4. Tap Install on the system prompt. If the install is blocked, revisit the 'Install unknown apps' setting and grant permission to the app that opened the file.
5. Open the installed app and complete the setup flow, including signing in with your Samsung account.

Latest changes

The latest SmartThings update, released on October 2, 2026, introduces a redesigned Home tab that puts your most-used features and key information right at your fingertips. Devices connected to your hub now respond faster when your phone and hub are on the same Wi-Fi, and a new dedicated screen helps you check and recover offline devices. Routine Insights also lets you see your top three most-used Routines and recent activity at a glance.

Samsung smartphone owners who want to manage their TVs, appliances, and third-party smart gadgets in one place; households that need shared control and automated routines; and users who prefer issuing voice commands through Alexa, Bixby, or Google Assistant.

Grant location permission if you plan to use arrival- or departure-based routines, since the app depends on it to trigger automations when you enter or leave a defined area.

SmartThings is a mature and capable smart home controller that unifies Samsung devices and many third-party products in one free interface. It suits users who embrace automation and voice control, and the recent Home tab redesign, offline diagnostics, and Routine Insights show that development remains active. However, it clearly favors Samsung hardware and requires a reasonably modern Android device with ample storage. For households in the Samsung ecosystem, it is a practical, well-supported option.