Updates to the SmartThings Platform

As you may be aware, we announced upcoming platform changes in our post on June 24. Today, we are kicking off the first of these changes.

In this initial phase, we will be consolidating SmartThings into a single app and shifting away from select legacy systems. The purpose of this is to simply make things just – well — better, faster, more reliable and most of all, more secure.

Over the next month, we will begin rolling out these changes. Don’t worry — we’ll be sure to reach out to all impacted users by email or in-app notifications. Here’s what you can expect to change:


What’s Changing Transition Date Action Required
The SmartThings Classic app will be sunset, and the new SmartThings app will be the single place to manage your smart home settings. October 14, 2020 Upgrade to the new SmartThings app. If you have not yet migrated to the new app, here are instructions to get started.

The new SmartThings app will be the single location for all event history:

* Some historical events will no longer be available in the SmartThings Classic app and Graph.
* Device status and history for Samsung Products will no longer update in the Classic App.
* Historical device events that do not match the new Capability Schema will not be accessible to Groovy SmartApps.

August 17, 2020 Upgrade to the new SmartThings app to view full event history and Samsung product device statuses. If you have not yet migrated to the new app, here are instructions to get started.
The legacy versions of the SmartThings Alexa Skill and Action on Google will be sunset.

The new Alexa1 Skill and Action on Google2 integrations include faster response times, more devices, and the ability to control multiple locations.

1 Amazon, Echo, Alexa, and all related logos are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
2 Google is a trademark of Google LLC.
September 8, 2020 Upgrade to the latest SmartThings Alexa Skill or Action on Google.

If you have not yet migrated, here are instructions to get started.
The legacy Sonos integration will be automatically upgraded to the latest integration available for users running hub firmware 0.27.6 or greater.

This new integration operates faster and more reliably with local execution when paired with a SmartThings Hub.
September 8, 2020 If you connected your Sonos before August 27, 2019, we recommend you proactively transition to the new integration using these instructions.

Users who do not upgrade before September 8, 2020 will be automatically updated. Note that this upgrade may cause a disruption in some SmartApps or Automations leveraging the legacy integration.
The Echo Speaks SmartApp will no longer be supported and existing installs will no longer be accessible.

Echo Speaks uses a cloud-based Groovy implementation that is resource heavy.
September 8, 2020 Visit this page for instructions on how to transition to the new SmartThings Alexa integration.

This upgrade, in collaboration with Amazon, provides support for more devices and the ability to control multiple locations. For additional Echo Speaks feature parity requests, complete this form.
The current Cloud-based system for monitoring Hub-connected devices will be replaced with a new service that runs locally on SmartThings hubs.

Hubs with older firmware (pre-0.32.x) will begin using hub connectivity status to determine online/offline status for hub-connected devices (e.g., Zigbee devices, Z-Wave devices and locally executing LAN devices). Note that Cloud-connected devices (typically WiFi-based products) will continue to operate and display online/offline status as usual.
Launch of 0.32.x firmware (target Fall 2020) No Action Required. More information about this change can be found here.


We are here to help you through this transition, so feel free to contact us with questions at support@smartthings.com.

Thank you for being a part of our growing community as, together, we evolve the future of smart home.

Your SmartThings Team

7 Likes

Is there an ETA for getting custom capabilities/commands working with the new app?

Are there any technical details for how this can be accessed? Is this compatible with the Device Health feature of the new API’s?

8 Likes

Does the official integration support having Alexa speak text? If it does, I’m having trouble finding that.

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I think you can request it

1 Like

Are there any technical details for how this can be accessed? Is this compatible with the Device Health feature of the new API’s?

The change should be transparent, including reflecting health status via https://smartthings.developer.samsung.com/docs/devices/health.html. We’ll provide more details with the 0.32.x external beta. With this change, health status will (when online) be determined by the hub software but status changes will be bubbled up to the cloud and available as usual.

2 Likes

What about dates for sun setting old hubs?

3 Likes

Killing echo speaks? Are you serious?

6 Likes

Is Ask Alexa going away too? Only asking because its on the request form drop down
image

3 Likes

It doesn’t work at all with voiceover, if you were wondering. The selections are not even presented. :disappointed_relieved:

@blake.arnold

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Assuming virtual sensors work (some people have been reporting trouble with them lately), you can use an Alexa routine for that purpose.

Or of course if you want an announcement in response to a physical sensor, that should work.

1 Like

Yep, we’re serious. And it sucks having to take down a popular smartapp, but it’s the most resource intensive smartapp on the platform in absolute terms by a long-shot and is compromising stability for all of our users.

6 Likes

@blake.arnold is there a date when we should see the migration banner? I have yet to see it on either of my locations.

1 Like

Ok, well please add voice announcements for echo devices and display echo devices as speakers within smartthings to give us feature parity

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Which version of the Classic app do you have?

iOS version 2.20

I wonder if signing out and sign back in will have any effect :slight_smile:

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You should see it at this point - we’re 100% deployed. Please DM me your login or locationID and I’ll have the team look at why you’re not seeing it.

3 Likes

I tired the logout and back on, didnt change anything, we’ll see what Blake can do for me.

2 Likes

We are investigating but struggling to recreate. Can you DM me information about browser, device, etc?

1 Like

@blake.arnold
I have been using the new app exclusively since January or so and the new ST-Alexa skill since it was introduced… do I still need to do the migration? Presence, STHM and all of my devices are working perfectly (with the exception of ST sensors not triggering Alexa announcement routines timely). I’m concerned the migration tool might mess things up. Thanks!

2 Likes