What you need to know
- Samsung announced that it’s bringing its Now Brief feature to SmartThings, integrating it with your smart locks, appliances, Family Care, and more.
- Soon, users with a Samsung TV from 2024 or later will find Now Brief on their displays with a recap of the night.
- Samsung is also rolling out smaller improvements to Family Care, which originally debuted in 2025, giving family members smart insights about their parents “activities” at home.
Samsung is rolling out its newest SmartThings update, and the company is highlighting a feature that’s found a new home: Now Brief.
In a Newsroom post, Samsung’s press release details how users will be able to interact with its Galaxy AI Now Brief. Arriving as a fully integrated piece with SmartThings, Now Brief reportedly “delivers a rich AI experience” that keeps the user informed through their smart home devices. The Galaxy S26 series is seemingly spearheading this feature’s debut, as Samsung says Now Brief will support “Home Security, Family Care, and Pet Care.”
Android Central’s Take
Seeing Now Brief in this mock-up image makes this seem like it belongs. I’m a big sci-fi nerd (fantasy, too), and this is giving those vibes. A little cyberpunk, too. Anyway, I can see this as a quick way for people enjoying their morning coffee or whatever to glance at the TV and see what’s gone on throughout the night. To me, this just makes sense.
Existing features are included in its support, too, such as Home Insight, Energy, and Sleep Environment. Beyond this, since Now Brief is present on Galaxy phones, Samsung says its usefulness remains present when you’re not at home. Through this, Now Brief will inform you of your home’s energy usage, device status, and information on your door locks, sensors, security mode, and more.
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You might have to wait a little while before this arrives, as Samsung states Now Brief in SmartThings will begin arriving for TVs from 2024 or later in a “phase rollout.” Family Hub refrigerators are also getting in on this; however, this applies to models launched in 2021 or later. Once you have it, and if Now Brief is set up on your device in advance, Samsung says all you’ll need to do is approach your TV, and it will “automatically activate.”
Care for home and family
(Image credit: Nick Sutrich / Android Central)
Samsung’s Family Care is also receiving a boost in how it can keep families together over various distances. With a focus on helping users care for their parents, Samsung highlights its Family Care integration in SmartThings, which connects “with a range of home appliances and mobile devices to provide notifications regarding the activities of users’ aging parents and reminders for medication and hospital visits.”
Android Central’s Take
This Family Care update was pretty interesting. Caring for someone you love, whether they’ve been in an accident or it’s simply age, is important. We want to keep an eye on them and make sure everything is fine. Samsung’s Family Care kind of helps with that. It’s not a complete blanket for all that could happen, but it gives you a keen eye in the sky, letting you keep tabs throughout the day.
In particular, it says Care Insights delivers more actionable and long-term data within the Family Care environment. Data about the house’s temperature and humidity are called to action, as well as “significant changes in activity levels and connected device usage.”
You might remember Family Care from its huge update last year, helping caregivers keep a closer eye on those they’re responsible for. One of the major highlights was the user’s ability to keep tabs on their parents’ “Activity.” This involves when the TV is in use and other appliances, too. However, alerts can be sent if a particular device hasn’t been used for a longer period than normal. So, if your mom usually watches TV all day, but it hasn’t turned on yet, that might warrant a visit or a call.
