Hello @SmartThings , this is my 2nd request. Please provide a response. Thanks.
@kingsfan - It’s been said over and over… This is a community forum for users helping users, not a direct channel to Samsung. (But I do agree that they could provide much more clarity on this!)
I understand that maintaining cloud infrastructure costs money, and I have no objection to Samsung charging commercial users or developers with heavy API usage.
However, I believe there should be a free tier for private users with very limited usage.
In my case, I own only a single Samsung washing machine. I don’t use the API to continuously monitor it, and I don’t use it for home automation on a large scale.
The only reason I use the SmartThings API through Home Assistant is because SmartThings itself cannot do something very basic: automatically start the washing machine at a fixed time.
For example, I load the washing machine in the morning before leaving for work, but I want it to start automatically around noon when my solar panels are producing the most electricity. This helps me maximize the use of my own renewable energy instead of drawing power from the grid. Unfortunately, SmartThings cannot schedule the machine to start at a specific time, so I use Home Assistant to send a single start command around 12:00.
Notifications when the cycle is finished already work perfectly in the SmartThings app, so I don’t rely on the API for that either.
This means my API usage is extremely low—typically just a single command a few times a week. Charging €5 per month for this kind of personal use feels completely disproportionate.
The SmartThings ecosystem was one of the reasons I chose a Samsung appliance. Removing affordable API access for existing customers makes the platform less attractive and will certainly influence my future purchasing decisions.
Please consider introducing a free personal-use tier with a limited number of API requests per month. This would support customers who use SmartThings responsibly while still allowing Samsung to charge commercial users and applications with high API usage.
I know this is a community forum for users helping users, but I’m sure Samsung looks at this page every now and then 
Out of curiosity, what exactly is it that SmartThings is lacking to allow that?
I have a neff dishwasher and can schedule its start from SmartThings at a specific time using the home connect integration. Assuming the Samsung dishwasher is smart can you not do similar ? I don’t often do this because I need to ensure there’s detergent in it first so usually just set the delay start action on the machine itself so it runs on the off peak tariff.
@art_333 , I agree with you. I addressed @SmartThings directly as my review of the nearly 2 month old thread showed lack of clarity from @Smartthings. This is something owed to their user base. Ignoring user concerns is not a strategy for long term success.
This “enhancement” has led SharpTools to rate limit ST API calls; users now have a “monthly allowance.”
It’s the same old exhausting, infuriating story. At the moment I can’t bring myself to think about how much work it’s going to take, but this crosses a threshold and it’s time for me to exit ST for another platform. Suggestions?
Home Assistant (HA) is the option I have chosen. It takes a little learning. Fortunately I had been playing with HA for 18 months before the announcement, so the transition was not that hard for me.
I have used the HA Community and AI a lot to figure things out. With AI you get instant answers, but they are not aways right. But AI keeps plugging along until you get it solved.
And you can continue to use SharpTools with HA if you are comfortable with how that works.
I’ve been a Samsung fan for years. Two years ago I purchased a new housed and filled it of Samsung devices: printer, fridge, two air conditioning systems, TV… not to mention my fourth Samsung smartphone, and all advertising to wife, sons, relatives, friends, colleagues. I then built an initial Smartthings ecosystem, but realized soon that I had to integrate too many devices actually not available with this protocol, and at a decent quality/price level, to get an efficient domotic. Devices not available from Samsung.
Unfortunately the domestic appliances market has not been able to agree on common protocols yet, and all actors are playing their own game (suspect the bigger players also hope of imposing their own standard to the others). Hope in Matters, but so far customers have to pay this incapacity of all manufacturer, and installing a dozen of apps for controlling devices that don’t know each other’s. A technology shame we all know.
I then decided of moving to Home Assistant, because of its flexibility, open concept, and ability of integrating almost all protocols, thanks to its fantastic community. Even more, the integration with Samsung appliances and smooth transition from smartthings appeared excellent. It took some effort, but managed to achieve a fully integrated domotic, efficient, customized, and possibly growing and expanding in the future.
Then I read this. I purchased Samsung (also) to get connected devices. Sad that Samsung never implemented some local API to make its products functionalities available to customers, but at least it supported them with a free remote infrastructure access, the same needed for its legacy smartthings app. I’m really disappointed, and I’m not going to give a cent to anyone for using the appliances I already paid, that are installed in my house, and that are integrated by a software that I coded and debugged myself! No way.
If the service is really going to be cut and because I’m not going to pay for a bad technical decision that turned into a fee, I’ll simply remove all Samsung device from the network, and use them like our fathers… with their remotes… until I’ll replace them one by one. But I’m not going to buy Samsung again!
A drop in the sea. But the sea is made of drops.
I consider myself a customer, not developer. I just happened to learn of this new policy from a recent SharpTools notice.
I have also a couple of scripts I’d pieced together that log my local energy meter’s state daily via an ST API. I assume these will just stop working after the tier pricing is enforced, with no warning.
My question is – how did ST expect me to find out about this?
And, how do I find what other hidden dependencies in my system exist (ConstantGraph comes to mind).
So far all we have heard from Samsung is crickets. And it appears there are no longer any ST employees active in this forum.
Home Assistant, and SharpTools have made announcements about how there platforms will be affected.
Since Samsung is not telling us anything useful try asking ContantGraph to see what they know.
I received an email from ST on July 21:
As the SmartThings platform expands to support over 460 million registered users, our API infrastructure requires an evolution. Starting in October 2026, we are transitioning the SmartThings API from a free model to structured, paid tiers so we can reinvest in our infrastructure and continue to provide an incredible service to support your needs.
Since you created a SmartThings API Access App utilizing OAuth, your integration will be impacted by these upcoming platform changes. These essential notifications are to keep you informed of the changes and how they will impact you.
Please note:
- No Immediate Interruption: Your current API usage will not be interrupted today. We are sharing this news early to give all users ample time to prepare.
- Free Access Through September 2026: Free API access will remain fully available throughout September 2026. New usage limits and the phase-out of free access will not begin until October 2026.
- Upgraded Experience in the Developer Center: We will launch an upgraded Developer Center for API users, including an API Usage Dashboard. This will allow you to track your current API call volume so you can understand your quota usage. These updates will make onboarding faster and API management more intuitive.
- For Commercial Partners: For partners using our API to power commercial offerings, we are rolling out dedicated commercial tiers for flexible usage needs. To ensure a seamless transition, please contact us at partners@smartthings.com.
- For Non-Commercial, Individual Developers: We remain deeply committed to our developer community. For those using our APIs for personal smart home configurations, we are introducing a dedicated $4.99-per-month paid plan starting in October 2026, specifically tailored to individual needs—more details to follow.
For more context on these updates, please read our full announcement on the SmartThings Blog.
Thank you for building with SmartThings. Our investments in the API, and this transition to a paid model, are efforts to enhance it and broaden our feature offerings for you.
Best regards,
The Samsung SmartThings Team
***************************************/
Funny thing is…. I have no clue what the API access app they are referring to
No email here. Then again, I’ve only been a SmartThings user for ten years.
I’m migrating to Home Assistant. Frankly, it’s impressive.
SmartThings device limits and lack of full-featured device support have frustrated me for a long time. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me.
I received a similar email but it doesn’t tell me anything more than original post in this thread.
There is nothing in that email that tells me which of the 12 integrations that I currently have will result in the $5 monthly fee. That’s what I need to know, so I can modify my setups before 9/30.
Home Assistant has said their integration will result in the $5 fee.
SharpTools has said their integration will NOT result in the fee which is good news. But they are adding rate limits to control their costs which is reasonable. They have already set up a graphic showing how your current use will fit into the future rate limits. Very proactive on their part.
The other 10 integrations are currently unknowns to me.
My primary location has already been converted to Home Assistant with only a Dishwasher remaining in SmartThings. I don’t need to have the Dishwasher in HA. Maybe I will eventually figure out LocalThings which would provide a local HA connection to my dishwasher.
My 2nd location will remain in SmartThings for the time being, but I plan to eliminate any integrations that will result in a fee. Eventually if I can snag a used Mini computer for a reasonable price I will migrate my second location to HA.
If you are using the CLI or a PAT to access the API you ought to be OK. It seems to be having created your own API Access app that is the key, API Access being the long established but until now seldom seen branding for what the API calls API_ONLY apps and what the documentation previously called OAUTH apps.
When newly created PATs were changed to 24 hour validity to discourage unintended use, users were encouraged to create API Access apps if they required renewable tokens. It was quickly found that actually this wasn’t a great burden as you didn’t really have to code anything, or at most you needed minimal coding. You just needed to go through the process of creating an API object so you could get your first access token, and then use an API call to renew it when necessary. However technically you have still created an API Access app.
So there will be a number of users who are technically using API Access apps purely because it is such a pain in the backside generating PATs, even though they are arguably using PATs in their intended spirit.
Home Assistant and other users are affected because the original integration not only used PATs to initially install a Webhook SmartApp but also required them to repair it when the wheels dropped off. ST assisted with a replacement integration based on users creating their own API Access apps.
So imagine our surprise when SmartThings, having decided to monetize the API, not only targeted commercial users, but seemingly any individual user with an API Access app regardless of usage level, and the subscription fee is not the chicken feed I suspect they consider it to be. My only API Access app doesn’t even have any installed instances 99.5% of the time, but like others I received an individual email warning me I would be affected.
If you have created an API Access app it appears you should have received an email, though I don’t know what would have happened if you created it after that point. The documentation now warns of the potential charging but if you already know what you are doing that doesn’t help.
When you are using third-party services where you just ‘login’ and authorise access to your account you are creating an installed instance of a API Access app, but it is their API Access app, not yours.
I would suggest running smartthings apps with the CLI, or accessing the /apps endpoint of the API. If you see any API_ONLY apps mentioned then you technically have created an API Access app.
Probably all of them
wait for the API Usage Dashboard:
Upgraded Experience in the Developer Center: We will launch an upgraded Developer Center for API users, including an API Usage Dashboard. This will allow you to track your current API call volume so you can understand your quota usage. These updates will make onboarding faster and API management more intuitive.
I don’t think that is true as SharpTools has already said their integration will NOT trigger the fee. But the rest who knows.