Samsung Enhances Family Care, Expands Now Brief to More Devices

Samsung has announced a new update to its SmartThings smart home platform. The update improves the Family Care service to help users better support parents living apart. The company also plans to expand its personalized daily briefings service, Now Brief, to more device categories.

Samsung updates its SmartThings to improve Family Care service

Samsung aims to make smart homes more useful in day-to-day life, combining convenience and care. The Family Care service connects home appliances and mobile devices to deliver updates on daily activities, medication reminders, and location-based alerts for family members. Now the latest update takes the care experience to the next level.

The company has introduced a new feature called Care on Call, available on Galaxy smartphones running One UI 8.5 or later. This feature lets you check the status of your loved ones through a simple phone call. Before the call begins, you will see a floating pop-up containing key information about the care recipient. These include the time of the first activity of the day, the most recent activity, and the local weather.

SmartThings can also monitor indoor conditions using devices such as air conditioners, air purifiers, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers. If the system detects unusual patterns, it sends an alert to the caregiver, letting them remotely control the relevant device.

Thanks to the Safety Patrol feature within Family Care, caregivers can also check on care recipients’ homes when no activity is detected for a specific period. The feature uses a new Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam Ultra robot to monitor different areas. The company has also improved its Care Insight feature, which now analyzes factors like temperature and humidity levels.

Now Brief gets new tools, expands to TVs and Family Hub

Meanwhile, Samsung continues to improve Now Brief’s experience by integrating new SmartThings services. It will now support Home Security, Family Care, and Pet Care. They will join existing features like Home Insight, Energy, and the Sleep Environment Report.

The company now plans to expand Now Brief beyond smartphones. The feature will gradually roll out to TVs (2024 or later) and Family Hub refrigerators (2021 or later). The best thing is that you do not need to launch Now Brief manually. It activates automatically when you approach the TV. For refrigerators, it triggers when you touch the screen or open and close the door.