What you need to know
- Samsung and Google have announced an expanded alliance on smart home ecosystems.
- The new partnership allows Galaxy device owners to onboard Matter-compatible devices to both the SmartThings and Google Home ecosystems.
- The multi-admin feature for smart home devices will be rolled out in the coming weeks.
Samsung and Google have been working together on bringing their smart home platforms together for some time, and today at Samsung's annual Developer Conference, both companies have expanded that partnership with a new multi-admin feature for smart home devices.
The expanded alliance means you will be able to configure a Matter-compatible device on both the SmartThings and Google Home apps using many of the best Samsung phones and tablets. This multi-admin feature addresses one of the pain points of using a device across multiple ecosystems.
"Connecting devices between ecosystems often involved many steps across multiple apps to link accounts, which did not always work in both directions," Samsung said in a press release. "This meant users had to remember which apps and interfaces they could control or automate a particular device."
The new feature makes the process of connecting devices directly to multiple apps and ecosystems much easier. When you open the SmartThings app, for example, you'll see which Matter-enabled devices have already been added to the Home app. You will then have the option of setting up those same devices with the SmartThings ecosystem without having to manually add each device. The same can be said for Google Home-enabled smart home devices.
This means devices that were onboarded to a specific ecosystem can be set up with another smart home hub and remain accessible on both. Samsung says the feature will be available in the coming weeks, but it will only be available on devices that support Matter standards.
The expanded partnership comes just days after the release of Matter 1.0, which will provide a certification program for many of the best smart home devices, including current and upcoming products.
The collaboration also benefits Samsung's smart home platform, which has a strong presence in managing smart home devices on the same network. The South Korean tech giant acquired SmartThings in 2014 for $200 million. Since then, the platform's scope has expanded to include support for thousands of connected home devices.
In January of last year, Samsung and Google bridged the gap between their smart home ecosystems by introducing SmartThings support for Google Nest devices. The latest development is a natural extension of that effort.
During its event held in San Francisco, Samsung also showcased its plans for Calm Technology, which aims to connect platforms and devices instantly so users "can save time on setup and get right into the experience."
