Organize SmartThings Devices: Rooms & Favorites

This guide walks you through organizing your SmartThings devices into Rooms and Favorites within the mobile app. By the end, you’ll have a cleaner dashboard, faster access to frequently used devices, and easier voice control with routines.

What You’ll Need

• The SmartThings app installed on your phone (iOS or Android).
• A Samsung account and at least one device already connected to SmartThings.
• Your devices should be online and showing in the app’s main Device tab.

Step-by-Step

Creating and Managing Rooms

1. Open the SmartThings app on your phone. The home screen shows your current Rooms and devices.
2. Tap the “Rooms� tab at the bottom (it looks like a house icon). You’ll see a list of existing rooms like “Living Room� or “Kitchen�.
3. To add a new room, tap the “+� icon in the top right corner of the Rooms screen. Choose “Add Room�.
4. Enter a name for the room (e.g., “Home Office� or “Basement�). You can also select an icon from the provided list to visually identify the room. Tap “Save�.
5. To edit a room later, press and hold the room’s name or tap the three-dot menu next to it. Select “Edit� to rename, change the icon, or delete the room (deleting a room does not remove the devices, it just ungroups them).

Assigning Devices to Rooms

1. Go to the “Devices� tab (the grid icon at the bottom). This shows all your devices, grouped by room if you’ve already assigned them.
2. Find a device that is not in the correct room. Tap on the device to open its detail page.
3. Tap the gear icon (Settings) in the top right corner of the device detail page.
4. Scroll down to the “Room� section. Tap it and select the room you want this device to belong to. Tap “Save� or “Done�.
5. Repeat for every device you want to organize. Devices without a room will appear under “Unassigned� at the bottom of the Rooms list.

Adding Devices to Favorites

1. From the “Devices� tab, locate a device you use often (e.g., a smart bulb or thermostat).
2. Press and hold the device’s tile. A menu will pop up.
3. Select “Add to Favorites�. The device will now appear at the top of the Devices tab under the “Favorites� section.
4. Alternatively, open the device’s detail page, tap the gear icon, and toggle “Show as Favorite� to on.
5. To remove a device from Favorites, press and hold its tile and choose “Remove from Favorites�, or toggle the setting off.

Reordering Favorites

1. On the “Devices� tab, scroll to the top where “Favorites� appears.
2. Tap “Edit� (or the pencil icon) next to the Favorites header.
3. Drag the devices using the handle icon on the right to reorder them. The first few will be the most prominent on your home screen.
4. Tap “Done� to save the order.

Using Favorites on the Home Screen

1. Your Favorites appear as large tiles on the main Home tab of the SmartThings app. You can tap them to quickly control the device without navigating through rooms.
2. You can also add a SmartThings widget to your phone’s home screen that shows your Favorites. On Android, long-press the home screen, tap “Widgets�, find SmartThings, and choose the Favorites widget. On iOS, use the “SmartThings� widget in the Today View or add it via the widget gallery.

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting to save after changing a room. Always tap “Saveâ€� or “Doneâ€� after selecting a room, otherwise the change is lost.
• Deleting a room instead of removing a device. Deleting a room removes the grouping but keeps the device in your account. If you want to move a device, edit the device’s room setting, not the room itself.
• Putting every device in Favorites. This defeats the purpose. Pick only the 5-10 devices you actually use daily.
• Not using rooms for voice commands. If you name a room “Living Roomâ€�, you can say “Hey Google, turn off the living room lightsâ€� only if the devices are correctly assigned.

Tips

• Use consistent room names (e.g., “Master Bedroomâ€� instead of “Bedroomâ€� or “Masterâ€�) to avoid confusion when setting up routines or voice commands.
• Group similar devices in one room even if they are physically separate (e.g., all smart plugs in “Officeâ€�) to simplify control.
• Use Favorites for devices you control manually, and rely on Rooms for automated routines.
• If you have many devices, create a “Miscâ€� or “Utilityâ€� room for things like sensors and hubs that you rarely interact with.
• After reorganizing, check your existing routines to ensure they still reference the correct room or device names; some routines might break if a device is moved.

Troubleshooting

• Devices not showing in the room you assigned. Refresh the app by pulling down on the Rooms screen. If it still doesn’t appear, close and reopen the app. Sometimes the server takes a few seconds to sync.
• “Add to Favoritesâ€� is greyed out. This usually happens if the device is offline or not fully set up. Check that the device is powered on and connected to the hub/network. Remove and re-add the device if the problem persists.
• Favorites order resets after app update. This is a known bug in some versions. Reorder them again; it usually sticks after the next update.
• Room name doesn’t change in voice commands. Voice assistants (Google Assistant, Alexa) cache room names. Say “Sync devicesâ€� in the assistant app or unlink and relink the SmartThings service.
• Device appears in two rooms. This can happen if you have the same device added twice (e.g., via two hubs). Remove the duplicate device from SmartThings and re-add it once.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I assign one device to multiple rooms?

No. Each device can only belong to one room at a time. If you need a device to appear in multiple places, consider creating a virtual switch or using a routine that controls it from different rooms.

Do Favorites sync across devices?

Yes, Favorites are tied to your Samsung account and sync across all devices where you’re logged into SmartThings. The order may vary slightly by platform.

What happens to my devices if I delete a room?

Deleting a room does not delete the devices. They become “Unassigned� and remain accessible from the Devices tab. You can reassign them to a new room later.

Can I organize devices in the web app?

Yes, the SmartThings web app (at account.smartthings.com) allows you to edit rooms and device assignments, but the Favorites feature is only available in the mobile app.

Why are my Favorites not showing on the home screen?

Make sure you have at least one device marked as favorite. Also, check that you’re on the “Home� tab (the house icon) and not the “Devices� tab. The Home tab shows Favorites as large cards.

Can I create a favorite for a scene or routine?

Yes, you can add routines to Favorites. Go to the Routines tab, find your routine, tap the three-dot menu, and select “Add to Favorites�. It will appear alongside your device favorites.

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