Samsung upgrades Family Care with health data, smarter alerts, and easier setup

Samsung’s SmartThings platform already connects many of its TVs, appliances, and phones, but last year, the company pushed it into new territory with Family Care. This service aimed to give families a little extra peace of mind when looking after kids or aging relatives from afar. One year on, it’s getting a massive refresh that blends new features with smart refinements to the existing ones.

As detailed along with the other aspects of the update in a Samsung Newsroom post, getting started on Family Care is no longer such a hurdle. Caregivers can send an invite link that walks their loved one through setup, even if they aren’t especially comfortable with apps. Once connected, care recipients have more say over what gets shared and when, so it doesn’t feel like constant surveillance. It’s not the most exciting of the innovations, but it’s one of the most important for getting all parties on board with the system.

The day-to-day monitoring has also been tuned up. If Family Care notices that the TV or fridge hasn’t been touched for a while, it can ping the caregiver to check in. That person then has the option to call immediately, but they could also choose to activate a connected robot vacuum with a camera to check if anything is amiss. And if you enable Samsung Health, you can see details like bedtimes and step counts, giving an extra nudge that everything’s okay.

Location and scheduling tools are more flexible, too. Families can now register key places like hospitals, schools, or supermarkets, and get alerts if someone visits them. Appointments and medication reminders can also be set to pop up for both the caregiver and the recipient, so nothing important slips through the cracks.

Samsung stresses that Family Care isn’t a medical tool, but the updated model is rolling out worldwide in over 200 countries as a way to stay connected and reassured. For families juggling busy schedules or living apart, these upgrades could make SmartThings Family Care feel like a genuinely valuable companion.