Samsung and Google have been working pretty well together these past few months which is good news for customers of both brands. Last December, they announced that they were bringing SmartThings support for Nest products and it now looks like that integration is already showing up for users. Samsung also announced during its Unpacked event last week that they were letting SmartThings and Android Auto support each other as well and it has started rolling out this week as well.
The Nest integration was also mentioned during the Unpacked event but of course, it got drowned out with all of the new devices that Samsung launched. But for those who own Nest products and are also invested in Samsung’s devices, this is good news. You will now be able to add the Nest devices you have in the “add device” menu of SmartThings. Just use the “scan nearby” option or you can also find Nest and add things manually, according to Android Police.
While Google has reportedly been trying to convince Samsung to just use Google Assistant and get rid of Bixby, that may be far from happening (yet). But at least this joint partnership, which will also see SmartThings and Google Assistant play nice, is a step in the interoperability of smart home devices. This means that Nest devices can be accessed and controlled from the SmartThings app and will also be Works with SmartThings (WWST) certified.
Meanwhile, the Android Auto and SmartThings integration also seem to be rolling out to users this week. Those who are using the Android Auto platform int their cars will be able to control to some extent some of their SmartThings supported devices like lights and front door locks, according to Droid Life. You can see a new Android Auto section in the updated SmartThings app and you can enable some of the functions from there so you can use your Android Auto head unit in your car.
For now, you can only select up to six items to control from your Android Auto unit, but at least that’s a good start. When you pull in the driveway, you can unlock your front door so you don’t have to scramble for your keys. Or you can turn on the lights in your garage as you’re nearing your house. Update your SmartThings app to the latest version to see these integrations now.
