First launched last year, SmartThings Family Care1 now offers even more attentive and reassuring support for families through its latest update.
By connecting Samsung’s global connected living platform SmartThings with TVs and home appliances, SmartThings Family Care provides activity notifications, medication and appointment reminders, as well as location-based alerts.2 This service offers practical support for caregivers and care recipients living apart, granting peace of mind while empowering daily independence.
Available in over 200 countries worldwide,3 the service’s latest update simplifies the initial connection and setup process. Settings can now be customized with greater precision, tailored to fit each family’s lifestyle and needs. Additionally, integration with Samsung Health makes it easier to keep track of the well-being of loved ones.4
Samsung Newsroom took a closer look at the new and improved Family Care experience.
Easy Setup With Just One Link
▲ Care recipients can easily join Family Care by accessing an invitation link sent by their caregiver.
With this update, even people unfamiliar with using apps can install Family Care and complete the setup on their own. Caregivers can simply send an invitation link that includes easy-to-follow guided steps to join the service.
Personalized Experiences for Caregivers and Care Recipients Alike
▲ Care recipients can select what information to share with their caregivers — and stop sharing at any time.
SmartThings Family Care ensures convenience for caregivers and privacy for care recipients. Care recipients can choose what information to share, while caregivers can quickly and intuitively access the necessary details within those boundaries. This update allows families to define caregiver and care recipient roles more clearly, reflecting their individual preferences and circumstances.
Activity Monitoring and Inactivity Alerts: Peace of Mind Even When Apart
▲ Family Care provides a summary of the care recipient’s activities, and automatically sends an alert to the caregiver if no activity is detected for a set period of time.
If Family Care detects that a care recipient has not used certain appliances like the refrigerator or TV for an extended period, it sends an alert to caregivers to check in. Upon receiving the alert, they can respond immediately — either by calling the care recipient or by remotely activating a registered robot vacuum with a built-in camera to check the situation at home. The inactivity alert interval can also be adjusted to suit each family’s needs.
If care recipients use the Samsung Health app, caregivers can also view details such as wake-up times, bedtimes and daily step counts — enabling a more proactive approach to health management.5
From Daily Safety to Cherished Moments: Keeping Families Connected
▲ By registering places of interest and setting alert conditions, caregivers can ensure the care recipient remains safe wherever they go.
With the consent of the care recipient, caregivers can register essential locations such as hospitals, pharmacies, supermarkets and cultural venues to monitor their visit histories, real-time routes and current whereabouts — helping to ensure their safety when out of the house. This feature is also invaluable for tracking children’s journeys to and from school.
▲ By registering important schedules, caregivers can receive reminders to help ensure the care recipient never misses them.
Caregivers can also use Family Care to help loved ones remember important events such as regular health check-ups, hospital appointments, medication schedules and family gatherings. Once set up, reminders are sent to the caregiver and care recipient at the scheduled time.
Even when families live apart and daily life grows hectic, caring for those who matter most remains at the heart of what people do. SmartThings Family Care embraces this belief by offering a smarter, more connected way to support and look after one another.
Stay closer to your family than ever before with SmartThings Family Care.
1 Available on Samsung Galaxy smartphones with Android OS 11 or later and at least 3GB of RAM
2 Applicable to Samsung smartphones, tablets, TVs, refrigerators, washers, dryers, ovens, cooktops and robot vacuum cleaners connected to SmartThings
3 Product and service availability may vary by country, region, service provider, network environment or device, and may change without notice.
4 Not intended for medical purposes
5 “Sleep and wake-up events” and “Step count” permissions under Connect with Samsung Health app in SmartThings settings must be enabled. After entering the care recipient’s profile in Family Care, Samsung Health usage must be activated from the More options menu at the top of the screen.