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How to Organize the SmartThings Home Tab for Faster Device Control

Put frequent controls in Favorites, make device names and rooms clear, and hide less-used rooms to simplify SmartThings Home.
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Put the controls you use most in Favorites, then use clear device names and accurate room assignments to make everything else easy to find. Hide rooms you rarely browse rather than deleting them. Samsung announced a redesigned SmartThings Home tab on October 5, 2026, so exact labels and placement can vary by app version and region; follow the options visible in your app.

What changed in the SmartThings Home tab

Samsung’s October 5, 2026 announcement describes a refreshed Home tab with SmartThings Now cards at the top, plus a reorganized view of dashboards, device cards, and service cards. Samsung also says SmartThings Now can use the past week’s activity to suggest updates to Favorites. The announcement does not establish that every feature is available to every user or appears identically across regions and app versions, so treat the layout you see as authoritative. Samsung’s announcement

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Organize Home in five steps

  1. Choose the controls you reach for most

    Decide which devices, routines, or other SmartThings items you want to reach quickly. Favorites is intended for commonly used items, not necessarily every device in the home. Samsung’s SmartThings app setup guide

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  2. Add frequent items to Favorites

    Open the relevant device or item in the SmartThings app and use its favorite control if available. Samsung’s support guidance also describes setting favorite status among editable device details. The exact control and its location may differ in your app version. Samsung’s device-management guide

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  3. Give similar devices distinct names

    Edit names so the intended control is obvious. For example, “Desk lamp” and “Window lamp” are easier to distinguish than two devices both called “Lamp.” Those names are examples, not a required Samsung format. Device name is among the details Samsung says can be edited. Samsung’s device-management guide

  4. Assign devices to the rooms where they belong

    Rooms group devices by area, making room browsing more predictable. Review each device’s location and room assignment, and correct any that no longer match its physical placement. Samsung documents managing rooms and moving eligible devices, but its documented move workflow does not support cloud- or hub-connected devices and non-Samsung smart devices. If a device cannot be moved through that workflow, do not assume the assignment is broken; the limitation may apply. Samsung’s app setup guide Samsung’s locations and rooms guide

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  5. Hide rooms that add clutter

    If a room is valid but seldom useful from Home, hide it from the Home screen using the room or Home customization options available in your app. Samsung describes this as temporarily hiding a room, which is different from removing it. Samsung’s app setup guide

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Hiding a room is not deleting it

Hiding a room changes whether it appears on Home; it does not remove the devices assigned to it. Samsung says removing a room also does not delete its assigned devices, but removal is a separate action from temporarily hiding it. Read any confirmation prompt carefully before removing a room or making another change you do not intend. Samsung’s locations and rooms guide

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Choose Favorites, rooms, or Map View by how you look for controls

Approach Best when What it organizes
Favorites You want a compact set of frequent controls quickly at hand. Commonly used devices and other SmartThings items, such as routines and services. Samsung support
Room browsing You remember where a device is, or want to browse by area. Devices grouped into rooms within a location. Samsung support
Map View You prefer a spatial overview of the home. A customizable floor plan with rooms and device icons; tapping an icon opens its device card for monitoring and control. Samsung’s Map View guide

These approaches can complement one another: Favorites suits a short frequent-use list, while rooms or Map View help when you navigate by physical location.

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Keep Favorites useful over time

Review Favorites occasionally as routines change, and remove items that no longer deserve a prominent place. Samsung says SmartThings Now may suggest Favorite changes based on the previous week’s activity, but its announcement does not promise those suggestions for every user. Samsung’s October 5, 2026 announcement

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