Version 1.7.51 arrives on iOS — Android waits
Samsung has released a major UI redesign of its SmartThings app, and in a twist that surprised observers, the new version arrived on iPhones before the company's own Galaxy devices. The update — version 1.7.51 for the SmartThings iOS app — went live around September 29, 2026, introducing Apple's Liquid Glass design language alongside an overall lighter color scheme. Samsung has not announced a timeline for bringing the same changes to Android, where the most recent release carried only a generic note about improved features.
The redesign had been in the works for months, and Samsung-focused outlets had published an early first look at the new interface a couple of months before release. What shipped is recognizably the same direction: lighter, rounder, and more compact, with translucent surfaces that echo the current iOS system design. Five main tabs remain, but the navigation is now a compact, floating bar with a Liquid Glass look. Elements such as the home selector, QR code, and menu controls have moved into pill-shaped containers instead of the previous borderless design.
The most visible change is the Home tab. Devices and routines now appear in smaller, pill-shaped cards by default, though users can resize them if they prefer larger controls. Interaction follows a two-zone pattern: tapping a device's icon triggers its primary action — turning it on or off — while tapping anywhere else on the card opens the device's full controls. It is a small detail, but it compresses two of the most common smart-home gestures into a single surface, which is exactly the kind of refinement a mature app should be making.
Routine Insights and the dynamic summary card
Beyond the visual refresh, Samsung has added genuinely new functionality. At the top of the Home tab, a dynamic summary card highlights key insights: weekly or monthly energy usage, quick remote access for TVs, family care alerts, and suggested automations. Users who prefer to see their connected devices immediately can dismiss the card. The summary approach reflects how smart-home apps are evolving — from grids of switches into dashboards that try to tell you something useful before you ask.
A new Routine Insights feature surfaces the three routines a user runs most often, along with their recent activity, making it easier to keep track of regular automations. There is also a dedicated Favorites section for pinned devices and routines. Together with the redesigned Home tab, these additions suggest Samsung is thinking less about SmartThings as a control panel and more as a daily briefing for the connected home.
The built-in remote for compatible TVs and monitors has been updated too. It now supports Light Mode, can be resized, and can be moved to any corner of the screen for easier access. The TV hub page has moved to a floating tab bar with For You, Featured, and Settings sections. Notably, this is a phased change rather than a full overhaul: deeper device-plugin and sub-menu screens have not been redesigned yet. Samsung appears to be resurfacing the most-used layers first and working inward — a sensible strategy for an app with this much surface area.
The decision to ship on iOS first is the detail that has generated the most discussion. For a Samsung app, leading with Apple's design language is a striking concession to reality: a meaningful share of SmartThings users run iPhones, and an app that feels alien on iOS is an app people stop opening. The floating navigation bar and Liquid Glass surfaces largely follow Apple's current system design, which apps pick up when they build against the new SDK. Samsung is designing for the platform its users are on, not the one it wishes they were on.
There is a broader industry story here as well. Samsung is reportedly preparing a major visual overhaul of One UI itself, with early leaks suggesting future versions could adopt a more glass-like design with transparency and visual depth. The SmartThings redesign on iOS may be a preview of where Samsung's own design language is heading — lighter, softer, and more translucent. Whether that direction survives contact with Samsung's diverse device lineup remains to be seen.
For Galaxy owners, the wait is the awkward part. The SmartThings app on Google Play was last updated on September 17 with no mention of a redesigned Home tab, and Samsung has given no date for the Android version as of September 29. The company previously showed signs of the redesign without committing to a schedule. Android users should expect the feature work to follow, but the honest answer is that no one outside Samsung knows when.
Design lessons from a phased rollout
Interface designers can take several things from this release. First, the two-zone card interaction — icon for the primary action, card body for full controls — is a pattern worth studying for any dense control interface. It respects the fact that most taps are simple toggles while keeping depth one tap away. Second, the dynamic summary card is a good example of progressive disclosure done as a product feature rather than a settings toggle: surface the insight, let the user dismiss it.
Third, the phased approach is worth noting. Redesigning the top layers while leaving deeper screens for later is pragmatic, but it carries a risk: the app can feel inconsistent during the transition, with new surfaces sitting above old ones. How Samsung manages that middle period — and how quickly the Android version follows — will determine whether this reads as a confident new direction or a staggered compromise.
For now, iPhone users get the new SmartThings experience first. Galaxy owners will have to wait — an unusual sentence to write about a Samsung app, and a telling one about how platform-native design now shapes even the biggest ecosystems.
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