SmartThings

Corporate brand

A Samsung-owned smart-home software and automation platform that connects devices, services, and users through cloud and client applications. Samsung SmartThings is a smart-home platform and app for connecting, controlling, and automating compatible devices from Samsung and other brands.

Last updated October 14, 2026

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First read: Oct 30, 2026
Latest read: Oct 31, 2026

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Overview

SmartThings is a smart-home automation platform and technology business headquartered in Mountain View, California. It began as an independent American company focused on making household devices work together through a common software layer, mobile applications, connected sensors, and cloud services. The company was founded in 2012 after a prototype developed by Alex Hawkinson and other co-founders addressed a practical home-security and monitoring problem: damage to Hawkinson's family's unoccupied Colorado property went undetected after frozen water pipes burst. The proposed system was designed to let homeowners know what was happening remotely and to trigger actions across connected devices. SmartThings gained early visibility through a Kickstarter campaign launched in September 2012. The campaign raised approximately US$1.2 million, establishing the project as one of the largest smart-home-focused crowdfunding efforts of its time. The company subsequently raised US$3 million in seed funding in December 2012 and commercially launched its first products in August 2013. A further US$12.5 million Series A financing followed later in 2013. Its early offering combined a proprietary hub, sensors, device integrations, automation rules, and mobile software intended to allow users to monitor and control homes from a single platform. Samsung Electronics agreed to acquire SmartThings in August 2014, after which SmartThings became part of Samsung's connected-device and home-automation strategy. The transaction's financial terms were not publicly disclosed. Under Samsung ownership, the brand continued to operate as a platform intended to connect products from Samsung and other manufacturers rather than as a closed system limited to one hardware family. SmartThings supported use cases including remote monitoring, security notifications, lighting and appliance control, energy management, routines, and interactions between devices based on time, presence, sensor readings, or other conditions. The business changed direction in 2020. SmartThings engineering head Mark Benson said in June that the company would move away from manufacturing its own hardware and concentrate on software and cloud services, while encouraging third parties to produce and distribute compatible hardware. Aeotec took over the SmartThings hardware line in Europe in October 2020 and later expanded its portfolio-management role to Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This shift made SmartThings increasingly identifiable as an interoperability and automation platform rather than primarily as a maker of branded hubs and sensors. SmartThings added support for Matter in October 2022. Matter is an industry-backed smart-home interoperability standard supported by major technology companies including Apple, Google, and Amazon. Matter support enabled compatible SmartThings hubs and software to control devices made by participating third parties, reinforcing the platform's emphasis on cross-brand compatibility. By February 2021, the company was described primarily as a developer of software and cloud services. The platform remains associated with Samsung's broader connected-home ecosystem while continuing to support devices and services from multiple manufacturers. A December 2025 figure cited by the Wikipedia reference reported more than 430 million global users, compared with 350 million reported in September 2024; the figures describe the platform's reported user reach rather than independently verified financial performance.

History

SmartThings originated from a home-monitoring problem experienced by co-founder Alex Hawkinson. After water pipes froze and burst at his family's vacant property in Colorado, causing substantial damage, Hawkinson and his co-founders began developing a system that could report conditions inside an unattended home and connect those observations to automated responses. Work on the concept began in 2011, and the company was formally founded in 2012. The early project used crowdfunding to validate demand and finance development. A Kickstarter campaign launched in September 2012 raised approximately US$1.2 million. The campaign helped SmartThings attract attention in the then-emerging smart-home market, where separate devices often used incompatible applications and communication systems. The company's premise was to provide a central hub and software environment through which users could connect sensors, locks, lighting, appliances, and other devices. SmartThings raised approximately US$3 million in seed funding in December 2012. It commercially launched its first products in August 2013 and raised a further US$12.5 million in a Series A round later that year. The initial business combined custom hardware with applications and cloud services. A hub served as a local connection point for compatible devices, while mobile software allowed users to monitor their homes, receive alerts, and create routines based on conditions such as time, occupancy, or sensor activity. Samsung Electronics announced an agreement to acquire SmartThings in August 2014. The financial terms were not publicly released. Following the acquisition, SmartThings became a Samsung Electronics subsidiary and formed part of Samsung's broader connected-device strategy. The brand retained an emphasis on connecting devices from different manufacturers, even as Samsung products became an important part of its surrounding ecosystem. A significant strategic change came in 2020. SmartThings engineering head Mark Benson stated that the business would reduce its focus on producing proprietary hardware and concentrate on platform software and cloud services. The new approach relied more heavily on other companies to manufacture and distribute compatible SmartThings hardware. Aeotec took over the SmartThings hardware line in Europe in October 2020 and subsequently indicated that its responsibilities would cover Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States as well. This transition repositioned SmartThings from a combined hardware-and-software producer toward an ecosystem and services platform. SmartThings continued to expand its interoperability capabilities. In October 2022, it added support for Matter, an open smart-home standard backed by Apple, Google, Amazon, and other industry participants. Matter support allowed compatible SmartThings hubs to control qualifying third-party devices and aligned the platform with a broader industry effort to reduce fragmentation between smart-home ecosystems. The platform is described primarily as a software and cloud-services business from 2021 onward. Its functions include device onboarding, remote control, automation routines, alerts, monitoring, and integrations across Samsung and third-party products. The reference material reports more than 350 million users globally in September 2024 and more than 430 million in December 2025. No separate information is provided here on revenue, profitability, current executive leadership, or the precise legal structure of the operating business.

2022
Matter support added
[1]SmartThingsen.wikipedia.org
SmartThings added support for Matter-compatible devices and hubs, strengthening cross-manufacturer interoperability.
2020
Hardware-to-software strategic pivot
[1]SmartThingsen.wikipedia.org
SmartThings announced that it would focus more heavily on software and cloud services while relying on other companies to manufacture and distribute hardware.
2020
Aeotec assumes regional hardware role
[1]SmartThingsen.wikipedia.org
Aeotec took over the SmartThings hardware line in Europe and later expanded its stated portfolio responsibilities to several additional markets.
2014
Acquisition by Samsung Electronics
[1]SmartThingsen.wikipedia.org
Samsung Electronics agreed to acquire SmartThings in August; the purchase price was not publicly disclosed.
2013
Commercial product launch
[1]SmartThingsen.wikipedia.org
SmartThings commercially launched its initial connected-home products in August.
2013
Series A financing
[1]SmartThingsen.wikipedia.org
The company raised approximately US$12.5 million in a Series A round late in the year.
2012
Company founded and Kickstarter launched
[1]SmartThingsen.wikipedia.org
SmartThings was founded and launched a Kickstarter campaign that raised approximately US$1.2 million.
2012
Seed financing
[1]SmartThingsen.wikipedia.org
SmartThings raised approximately US$3 million in seed funding in December.
2011
SmartThings concept is developed
[1]SmartThingsen.wikipedia.org
Alex Hawkinson and co-founders began developing a connected-home system after a water-pipe incident at an unattended family property highlighted the need for remote monitoring.

Products and positioning

An open and interoperable smart-home ecosystem that combines Samsung services with third-party devices, automation routines, cloud connectivity, and support for common industry standards. A single-app smart-home platform designed to connect and manage compatible devices across Samsung and other brands, with messaging around AI-enabled home experiences, care, security, energy use, and entertainment. An open and interoperable smart-home ecosystem that combines Samsung services with third-party devices, automation routines, cloud connectivity, and support for common industry standards, presented through a single app with messaging around AI-enabled home experiences, care, security, energy use, and entertainment.

Smart-home hub · 2013
SmartThings Hub
The SmartThings Hub was the central hardware component of the original platform. It connected compatible sensors and household devices and provided the foundation for automations, alerts, and remote-control functions. SmartThings later moved away from manufacturing its own hardware, with Aeotec taking responsibility for the hardware portfolio in specified markets.
Connected sensors · 2013
SmartThings Sensors
SmartThings initially offered sensors as part of its connected-home hardware suite. Sensors supplied information about conditions or activity in the home and could be used to generate notifications or trigger routines through the SmartThings platform.
Mobile application · 2013
SmartThings App
The SmartThings mobile application gives users a central interface for onboarding compatible devices, monitoring home conditions, controlling equipment, receiving alerts, and creating automated routines. It supports Samsung and participating third-party products rather than being limited to a single device category. Users can add products through app discovery, manual addition, or scanning a product QR code. An app for connecting, controlling, and automating compatible smart-home devices.
Cloud platform
SmartThings Cloud
SmartThings Cloud provides the software and service layer behind remote access, device integrations, automation logic, notifications, and interactions among connected products. The platform became increasingly central after SmartThings reduced its emphasis on proprietary hardware manufacturing.
Interoperability feature · 2022
Matter support for SmartThings
Matter support enables compatible SmartThings hubs and software to control Matter-compliant devices from participating third-party manufacturers. The feature aligns SmartThings with an industry standard intended to make smart-home products work across previously separate ecosystems.
Energy management feature
AI Energy Mode
A feature described by Samsung as helping manage home energy use and optimize device use, with the stated aim of reducing power consumption.

Marketing campaigns

2012SmartThings Kickstarter campaign
United States · International crowdfunding audience
SmartThings used Kickstarter to present its connected-home concept and raise development capital. The campaign secured approximately US$1.2 million and helped establish early market interest in a hub-based platform for linking household devices.
Outcome. The funding supported further development and preceded seed financing and commercial launch.
Source

Brand decisions

2022
Add Matter supportProduct launch
Background
Smart-home consumers and manufacturers faced fragmentation among competing device ecosystems and connectivity standards.
Action taken
SmartThings added Matter support, enabling compatible hubs and software to control Matter-compliant devices made by third parties.
Aftermath
The platform strengthened its interoperability proposition and aligned with an open standard supported by several major technology companies.
Source
2020
Shift from proprietary hardware to software and cloud servicesStrategy
Background
SmartThings had initially offered its own hubs and sensors, but the company increasingly emphasized the platform and integration layer of the smart-home ecosystem.
Action taken
The business reduced its focus on manufacturing hardware and sought third-party companies to manufacture and distribute SmartThings-compatible products.
Aftermath
Aeotec assumed responsibility for the hardware line in Europe and later identified additional markets where it would manage the SmartThings hardware portfolio. SmartThings became more strongly positioned as a software and cloud-services platform.
Source
2014
Accept Samsung Electronics acquisitionM&A
Background
SmartThings was an independent smart-home company developing hardware, applications, and cloud services when Samsung Electronics agreed to acquire it.
Action taken
Samsung Electronics acquired SmartThings and made it a subsidiary. The transaction's financial terms were not publicly disclosed.
Aftermath
SmartThings became part of Samsung's connected-home strategy while retaining a platform model intended to support products from multiple manufacturers.
Source

Recent events

2026.01.05
Reported2026.01.05
Govee partners with Samsung SmartThings for ecosystem integration[8]Govee与三星SmartThings达成生态系统整合合作cultofmac.com
Govee announced a new partnership with Samsung SmartThings to integrate its lighting products into the SmartThings ecosystem, allowing users to manage Govee lighting alongside other connected devices.
2021.06.09
Reported2021.06.09
SmartThings updates its home automation app[9]SmartThings更新家庭自动化应用betanews.com
SmartThings updated its home automation app with a new interface intended to provide a simpler user journey and faster load times. The updated app is available on desktop and mobile.
2021.01.11
Reported2021.01.11
Samsung unveils SmartThings Pet service[10]三星发布SmartThings Pet服务business-standard.com
Samsung unveiled SmartThings Pet, a companion-animal care service for remotely monitoring pets, and planned to launch it in South Korea and the United States in the first half of the year.

Sources11 sources

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