Samsung Electronics Enhances SmartThings with Remote Family Care Features

Samsung Electronics is taking a significant step forward in leveraging its SmartThings platform to support families, particularly those caring for elderly relatives living separately. The latest update to the SmartThings platform introduces enhanced 'Family Care' services, demonstrating Samsung's commitment to integrating technology into daily life for greater peace of mind.

The new 'Care On Call' feature is a standout addition. It provides caregivers with crucial information about a family member's activity levels—such as their first wake-up time, duration of activity, and steps taken—before initiating a call. This allows for a more informed and sensitive approach to communication, and importantly, enables quicker detection of potential issues. Furthermore, the ability to remotely monitor and control home appliances like air conditioners and air purifiers from a distance offers practical support, ensuring the well-being of loved ones.

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The Care On Call function, which provides situation information before calling a family member, is particularly noteworthy. It provides information on the first activity time, activity duration, and number of steps taken by the family member being cared for, allowing for effective response when a problem occurs with the family member.

Beyond direct care functions, Samsung is also expanding the integration of SmartThings with its personalized briefing service, 'Now Brief.' This feature will now deliver important updates on a parent's daily activities, a pet's walk, the status of home appliances, energy usage, sleep patterns, and even door lock activity directly to a user's smartphone. This proactive information flow aims to keep families connected and informed about the home environment, even when physically apart.

Looking ahead, Samsung is incorporating innovative safety features, such as the 'Safety Patrol' function in its 2026 model robot vacuums. This function can detect if a person has been inactive for a certain period or has fallen, sending alerts to the user. This forward-thinking approach underscores Samsung's vision of using technology not just for convenience, but as a vital tool for ensuring the safety and well-being of vulnerable family members, reflecting a deep understanding of the evolving needs of modern households in South Korea and globally.

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The 'Safety Patrol' function, which checks various parts of the house, will be added to the 2026 model robot vacuum cleaner. If no signs of activity are detected for a certain period, the user will be notified, and the camera installed in the robot vacuum cleaner can also find a person lying on the floor.