SmartThings Now: What Works Locally When Internet Drops
SmartThings Now adds proactive Home cards and local hub control, but offline operation still depends on a working Wi-Fi network, supported hub and eligible devices.
Direct answer: Samsung's SmartThings update adds SmartThings Now cards to the Home tab and expands local control. Eligible devices can remain responsive during a temporary external internet outage when your phone and a supported SmartThings hub are still connected to the same working Wi-Fi network. That is not a whole-home offline guarantee: remote access, cloud-dependent services and a home network that is itself down can still stop working.
Samsung announced the update on October 6, 2026 in Korea. The change combines a redesigned Home tab with context-aware suggestions, faster access to frequent controls and direct phone-to-hub communication for supported setups.
What is SmartThings Now?
SmartThings Now is a set of personalized cards placed at the top of the SmartThings Home tab. The cards combine information with an action a user can take immediately instead of requiring them to open several device or service screens.
Samsung gives examples such as suggesting lights or an air purifier when a user approaches a pre-registered home location, then offering to turn the same action into an automation. The app can also review the previous week's activity and suggest changes to Home-tab Favorites as seasonal or everyday use changes.
Routine Insight is part of the same update. It lets a user review recent routine activity and remove automations that are no longer useful. Samsung also redesigned device, dashboard and service cards, added a bottom Floating Bar for frequent actions and introduced a Live Wallpaper that changes through the day.
These suggestions are optional controls, not proof that the app understands every household correctly. Review a suggested action or routine before saving it, especially when it affects doors, heating, appliances, irrigation or another device with physical consequences.
Does SmartThings work when the internet is down?
Some controls can, under a specific local-network setup. Samsung says the SmartThings app can communicate directly with a supported hub when the phone and hub are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. In that situation, eligible device controls do not need to travel through Samsung's cloud for every action.
This can help during a temporary external internet disruption, but the local network still has to work. If the Wi-Fi router, the hub, the phone's connection or the device itself is offline, local control may not be available. A feature that depends on a remote server can also remain unavailable even while a basic local command works.
Samsung says SmartThings switches between local and cloud-based control depending on whether the phone is at home or away. Away-from-home control therefore still needs the required internet and cloud path. The update does not turn every SmartThings device into a fully offline product.
Which SmartThings hubs support local control?
Samsung lists local control for Android and iOS phones with the SmartThings app and these hub types:
- SmartThings Station
- SmartThings Hub V2, V3 and V4
- supported Samsung Smart TVs with hub capability
- supported Samsung Family Hub appliances
Having one of those hub types does not prove that every connected device or command executes locally. Device support, software version, protocol and service design still matter. Check the exact device in SmartThings and test the control you expect to use before treating it as an outage plan.
Is local control faster?
Samsung reports that local control improved response time by approximately 30% compared with cloud-based control in its controlled testing. That is a company test result, not a guaranteed speed increase for every home.
Actual response time can change with Wi-Fi coverage, interference, router load, hub placement, device protocol and the command being sent. The useful practical point is that a shorter local path can remove an unnecessary cloud round trip for supported controls.
What does Offline Device Diagnostics change?
The updated Offline Device Diagnostics page is designed to help restore devices after home-network information changes. Samsung says it can update new network information across registered devices at once instead of requiring the user to repair the connection one device at a time.
Treat that as a recovery tool, not a substitute for checking power, router status, hub status and device compatibility. If a device remains unavailable after the network is restored, use its current Samsung or manufacturer support path rather than repeatedly resetting the entire home.
Where is the redesigned SmartThings Home tab available?
Samsung says the updated Home experience, including SmartThings Now, is designed for SmartThings-supported mobile devices, Samsung Smart TVs, Family Hub refrigerators, selected Samsung appliances with 7-inch or 9-inch screens and Windows devices.
That does not mean every card, service or control is identical on every screen or in every country. Samsung's current SmartThings page says features and specifications can vary by product, software version, service provider, network environment and region. If the new layout has not appeared, update the SmartThings app or device software through its normal store or settings path and check the release available to that exact device and account.
What should you check before relying on local control?
- Confirm the hub: identify the exact SmartThings hub or hub-enabled Samsung device in the home.
- Keep the local network working: local control still needs the phone and hub on the same functioning Wi-Fi network.
- Test the exact command: verify which lights, plugs, appliances or sensors continue responding when external internet access is temporarily unavailable.
- Separate local from remote use: a command that works at home may still fail from outside the home when cloud access is unavailable.
- Review automations: check conditions and device actions before accepting a SmartThings Now routine suggestion.
- Keep a manual fallback: do not make a network-dependent automation the only way to operate a safety-critical or essential device.
What remains unclear?
- The exact rollout timing for every country, account and SmartThings-supported screen.
- Which commands from each third-party device execute locally rather than through a vendor cloud.
- Whether every existing routine gains local execution.
- How the redesigned cards differ by region, device category and screen type.
- How quickly individual manufacturers will support the newest interoperability features in their released products.
Bottom line
SmartThings Now makes the Home tab more proactive, while local control can make supported devices faster and more resilient to an external internet interruption. The important boundary is local infrastructure: the phone, Wi-Fi, hub and eligible device still need to communicate. Verify the exact setup and keep a manual fallback instead of treating the update as universal offline operation.
For more platform and device updates, browse Erawish Samsung coverage.