SmartThings

What it is

SmartThings is a Lifestyle app from Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. It was released in April 2017 and last updated on 2026-10-12. It is free, rated Everyone, and has 1,000,000,000+ installs, the largest install count in this batch. The rating is 4.57 from 5,612,593 ratings.

The purpose is to bring smart home devices into one app, whatever the brand.

What it does well

Compatibility is the headline. The listing says it works with hundreds of smart home brands. Samsung products are covered, including TVs and appliances, and so are third-party names like Ring, Nest and Philips Hue. Voice control is possible through Alexa, Bixby and Google Assistant.

The key features listed are remote control and monitoring, routines, shared access and notifications. Routines can be triggered by time, weather or the status of a device, which lets a home run on its own. Other people can be given control, and automated notifications keep you posted on device status. The app also has a Wear OS version, which offers routine and device control from a watch.

Ratings are mostly positive. 78.4% are 5 stars and 10.7% are 4 stars.

Where it falls short

The listing is frank about limits. It says the app is tuned for Samsung phones, and some features may be limited on other brands. It adds that some features are not offered in every country. The listed requirement is 3GB of memory or more, and it warns that some devices may not be supported.

The permissions list is long. Everything is optional, but features depend on them: location for routines and scanning, camera for QR codes, microphone for adding certain devices, and several more. People who like to keep permissions tight may find that a lot of toggles.

In the ratings, 4.7% are 1 star and another 4.7% are 3 stars, so there is a modest group who are not satisfied.

Who it suits

Samsung phone and TV owners with a few smart gadgets will find the most value. Mixed-brand homes can also use it as a central hub. If your phone is not a Samsung model or has little memory, test it before relying on it.