Samsung is tying the connected car into the connected home. The company is also introducing Home to Car, a SmartThings feature that allows you to start your car, lock or unlock it, check status, and fold those actions into the same routines you already perform with lights, thermostats, and security.
What Home to Car Brings to Samsung SmartThings
Additionally, Home to Car puts vehicle controls and telemetry right into the SmartThings app. That dashboard would let users start a car remotely, or precondition an EV or hybrid, turn climate settings on and off, lock doors, flash lights, and monitor basic conditions like fuel or battery range and door states — all interactions in common with every other system in the home.
The bigger story is automation. And since these controls exist within SmartThings, they are chainable into routines. Think a scene called “Good Morning” that starts the car, sets the cabin to 72 degrees, turns on your driveway lights, and opens your garage — when your bedroom motion sensor sees you nearby around a standard departure time. Or a “Lock and Leave” sequence which locks the house and, if the garage is shut, turns on the car, plus navigation to your next item in your calendar.
Availability and Vehicle Requirements for Supported Models
The first wave is a South Korea launch, with more markets to come. The feature is part of a wider collaboration between Samsung and Hyundai Motor Group, so initial compatibility is restricted to the connected range of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis cars.
Hyundai and Kia models will need the automaker’s infotainment system released after late 2022, in addition to an active BlueLink or Kia Connect subscription. Genesis vehicles require an infotainment system released after late 2023 and a Genesis Connected Services subscription. Like all cloud-to-cloud integrations, regional coverage and feature sets will differ by market and trim, with some actions (such as remote start) potentially restricted by local laws.
And that functionality should continue to grow as automakers uncover more APIs and SmartThings brings more brands on board. Samsung’s strategy is a reflection of how it built out device support on the home side: work initially with deeply integrated partner companies, then expand compatibility through standardized methods.
Automation Examples and Security Considerations
Practical use cases abound. A geofenced routine can precondition your EV when you’re 10 minutes from the parking garage, slicing a few minutes off your commute without sacrificing range. Families can imagine a scene such as the teen-driver sequence — which restricts climate and activates exterior lights when the vehicle is started after dark, along with a SmartThings alert to parents.
When apps are able to start engines, security and privacy become foundational. SmartThings links access with the owner’s authenticated accounts at the automaker, and mobile access can be gated behind biometrics on compatible Galaxy devices. Samsung’s side protections on the device are its Knox security stack, and automaker platforms generally do require subscription credentials (or valid service maintenance) in addition to some safety conditions being met (e.g., doors are closed or the vehicle is in park for remote start).
This step also aligns with those digital car keys that already exist for certain phones based on standards from the Car Connectivity Consortium, suggesting a future when presence detection, key sharing, and home routines weave together so starting the car, unlocking the front door, and disarming the alarm feel like one idea.
SmartThings Safe and Home Life Feature Updates
Together with Home to Car, Samsung is rolling out an app feature called SmartThings Safe that adds a one-tap button sharing your live location and help request with trusted contacts. Those alerts can appear on phones, tablets, Samsung TVs, and Family Hub refrigerators — something that’s handy during emergencies or to coordinate pickups and arrivals.
SmartThings Home Life, the recommended layer introduced to personalize automations, will now include new suggestions for routines based on your devices and usage. Look for prompts along the lines of “Start Vehicle and Warm Cabin when Front Door Locks on Weekdays,” simplifying the process of constructing complex automations from scratch.
Samsung is also integrating SmartThings device data into its support portal, so users can request service and submit diagnostic status captured by their smart device to review repair history. The augmented assistance experience is currently starting to ship in a few countries with plans for a wider release.
Why It Matters for the Ecosystem and Daily Routines
Adding vehicle controls to SmartThings breaks down a line that consumers have long sensed.
Industry groups and companies like J.D. Power show time after time that remote start and lock/unlock are among the most used connected-car features; by situating them alongside your lights and locks, you make finding motorized action a breeze.
It also sets up Samsung to more easily take on cross-platform home apps by Apple and Google. As the smart home coalesces around standards like Matter, the differentiator becomes orchestration — how well a platform orchestrates diverse devices in concert. Samsung says SmartThings links hundreds of millions of devices worldwide; injecting cars into that ecosystem opens the door to real, practical potential.
The takeaway: Home to Car is less a cool gadget trick and more an infrastructure play. If Samsung and its automaker partners continue adding capabilities and regions, the morning drive to work or evening drive home could be just another scene in the smart home — and that’s a crucial step toward a truly integrated ecosystem.
