Put the controls you use most in Favorites, then use clear device names and accurate room assignments to make everything else easy to find. You can also hide rooms you rarely browse to reduce Home screen clutter without deleting their devices.
What changed in the SmartThings Home tab?
Samsung announced a refreshed SmartThings Home tab and SmartThings Now on October 5, 2026. The announcement describes SmartThings Now cards at the top of Home, alongside a reorganized view of dashboards, device cards, and service cards. It also says SmartThings may suggest changes to Favorites based on activity from the previous week. Samsung’s announcement does not establish that every feature is available in every region or app version, so labels and placement may differ on your phone.
Use the controls and labels visible in your version of SmartThings rather than relying on older walkthroughs. Samsung previously described a layout with separate Favorites, Devices, Life, Automations, and Menu sections; that is historical context, not a universal description of the refreshed Home tab. Samsung’s earlier interface announcement documents that older arrangement.
How to organize the Home tab
Make one pass through the items you control: decide which ones deserve quick access, make names recognizable, put devices in the rooms where they are used, and hide rooms that add little value to your Home view. Samsung’s support pages cover these changes, but the exact route and wording can vary with app version and region.
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1. Choose the controls you use most
Start with a short list of devices and other SmartThings items you reach for regularly. Favorites are intended for commonly used devices, routines, and services, so they can be easier to reach than browsing through a full device list. Samsung’s SmartThings setup guidance describes Favorites and Home screen customization.
2. Add relevant items to Favorites
In the SmartThings app, open the relevant device or item and look for its favorite control—often shown as a star or an option in the item’s menu. Turn it on, then check Home or Favorites to confirm it appears there. The precise control may differ in your app version. Samsung’s device guidance lists favorite status among the details you can edit. See Samsung’s device management guidance.
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Keep this list focused on items you actually use; adding everything defeats the purpose of a quick-access area. SmartThings Now may offer activity-based suggestions for updating Favorites, according to Samsung, but the announcement does not promise that every user will see those suggestions.
3. Rename devices so the intended one is obvious
When two devices have similar default names, rename them with a short, distinguishing label. For example, “Desk lamp” and “Window lamp” make the intended light easier to identify. Those names are examples, not a Samsung-prescribed format. Samsung’s device guidance supports editing device names; look in the device’s details or settings for the name field. Samsung’s device management guidance also covers location and room details.
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4. Assign devices to the rooms where they belong
Rooms group devices by area of a home, which makes room browsing more predictable than scanning an undifferentiated list. Check that each device’s room assignment reflects where it is used, and create or manage rooms within the relevant location if needed. Samsung documents location and room management in its SmartThings locations and rooms guide.
There is a limitation to note when moving devices: Samsung’s documented move workflow does not support moving cloud- or hub-connected devices or non-Samsung smart devices using that method. If a move option is unavailable, consult the device or service’s own setup options rather than assuming every device can be reassigned the same way.
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5. Hide rooms that make Home harder to scan
If you rarely need a room in the Home screen view, hide it rather than deleting it. Samsung describes hiding a room as a temporary way to remove it from Home, while its room management guidance says removing a room does not delete devices assigned to it. The relevant control may be in Home customization or the room’s menu; follow the wording shown in your version of the app. Before confirming any action labeled remove or delete, read the confirmation carefully so you know whether it affects only the room or something more. Samsung’s setup guidance covers hiding rooms, and its location and room guide explains room removal.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Favorites, rooms, or Map View: which should you use?
These approaches solve different organization problems. Favorites suit a small set of frequently used controls; rooms help when you think of a device by where it is; Map View offers a spatial layout. You can use more than one.
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| Approach | Best for | What it organizes |
|---|---|---|
| Favorites | Reaching a short list of commonly used controls | Selected devices and other SmartThings items for quick access, as described by Samsung’s setup guidance |
| Room browsing | Finding something by the area of the home where it is used | Devices grouped into rooms within a location, as described in Samsung’s locations and rooms guide |
| Map View | Finding devices by their position in a floor-plan-style view | A customizable floor plan with rooms and device icons; tapping an icon opens the device card for monitoring and control, according to Samsung’s Map View guidance |
Map View is optional; it is not necessary to reorganize your Favorites or room list. Choose it if a floor plan matches how you remember where devices are. For a compact, frequent-use list, Favorites may be simpler to maintain.
Keep the arrangement useful
Review Favorites and room visibility periodically, especially after adding devices or changing how you use a room. Samsung says SmartThings Now can suggest Favorite updates based on the previous week’s activity, but availability may vary; you can still make your own changes through the app’s visible controls.
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