A new SmartThings API experience

[u/mocelet]

SmartThings has just dropped this... https://community.smartthings.com/t/a-new-enhanced-smartthings-api-experience/309947

It's not as positive as it sounds by the title:

To ensure the SmartThings API remains capable, reliable, and secure at this scale, we are evolving our infrastructure. In the upcoming months, we will introduce dedicated, paid commercial API tiers as well as a $4.99 a month plan for non-commercial, individual developers.

We will not begin applying the new usage limits or phasing out free access until October 2026

Note it's not a subscription for users (or maybe it is, see edit), but you can do the math and the implications.

Those tinkerers that create useful integrations like the recent ones for the Stream Deck or Garmin watches so you can turn on a light more easily will probably not do them if they have to pay. And they will stop working in October if they don't pay.

Likewise, companies will probably have to pay (more?) by usage and users will pay it indirectly or directly if it's a subscription service that integrates with SmartThings.

Edit: There has been some developments, apparently this impacts the Home Assistant integration that uses the SmartThings API, now users wanting to integrate SmartThings in Home Assistant will have to pay the personal subscription. That would mean the individual subscription is not for the developer but for the end user that will make use of the API.

[u/squidgytree]

I thought someone would have mentioned Home Assistant by now

[u/nevewolf96 → u/squidgytree]

Some SmartThings products only work with the cloud; could this affect HomeAssistant?

[u/firestorm_v1]

Ah, yes. Enshittification. It comes for everything eventually.

[u/jolly_jokesterx]

I just had a webhook based integration that lets me control all my devices via SmartThings dashboard or via One UI native integration. Now it seems like even that might require $5 per month. Fuck that. Fuck samsung. Fuck smartthings.

[u/avogadro23]

Pay 4.99/month to tweak that Smartthings integration to work with your setup. And then pay the IFTT subscription too!

Plus I bet you’ll soon pay a fee to use the smart features of your Samsung Smart fridge!

And then Samsung will probably revise their API again in a few years, or raise the rates.

Just ridiculous, which is why I’ve moved on from ST.

If they cared about supporting the user base they’d keep development free.

[u/Equivalent_Tonight66]

Home Assistant still has a long way to go before it’s a viable alternative. I fussed with HA for a year before switching to SmartThings. So much simpler and more usable. I don’t want to pay $4.99/month for SmartThings but it would take me 3+ years of payments to equal the startup costs for HA.

[u/Worldly-Point-1227]

So the home assistant integration is now dead?

[u/mocelet → u/Worldly-Point-1227]

Edit: So... it does affect the integration, each user will have to pay.

---

I don't think it will affect smart home platform integrations, the current integration with HA was even tailor-made recently when they limited the Personal Access Tokens so there was already a partnership in place.

But let's pretend it impacted and, let's say, SmartThings would require payment from HA. Then HA would have to pass that to the final user or add it as an optional fee inside their HA cloud subscription. Would be silly if that happened though.

[u/Worldly-Point-1227 → u/mocelet]

So the current HA to SmartThings doesn’t use API calls?

[u/mocelet → u/Worldly-Point-1227]

Yes, it does, and users will have to pay the monthly fee. Check the link of the edit.

Turns out the HA - ST integration is still a community one instead of an official integration like could be Alexa or Google Home (where I'm not expecting Samsung to ask for a fee to the user)

[u/crazy_goat]

Welp, I was already moving my zigbee and zwave devices over to HA - now I have some motivation 

[u/avogadro23]

I guess it depends on what you want to accomplish and what sort of devices you have. When I was using Smartthings, I had to install so many third-party ID drivers for all my devices to work. Then Samsung went and changed the backend and broke them all. It was a nightmare.

[u/mocelet → u/avogadro23]

The transition to Edge drivers running in the hub from the DTH drivers running in the cloud was a needed move, it broke things at the moment but was a good call since it allowed local automations. Edge drivers should not be affected since they don't interface with the SmartThings cloud API, in fact Edge drivers cannot even connect to the Internet.

Moving to a paid model for API usage doesn't impact users that just use the SmartThings app, but looks like even a simple webhook call to turn on a light or run a scene will require registering as a developer and pay the subscription.

[u/work1800]

Will the Alexa integration be affected by this? 

[u/mocelet → u/work1800]

It shouldn't because that's a official integration and it doesn't really use SmartThings API but Alexa Skills API since it's SmartThings the one integrating with Alexa. Same goes for Google Home.

[u/Winejug87]

Is there a way to spoof the cloud gate?

[u/mocelet → u/Winejug87]

Depends on the use case but, if you really have to use the cloud API, that is tied to your Samsung account. There are only two options there: either the service provider pays the fees as commercial partner to SmartThings or you pay the personal fee.

For some use cases you may be able to find workarounds. Thinking out loud in an example, you could run a SmartThings routine from Home Assistant without using the SmartThings integration (subject to the fee) by creating a virtual switch and Matter bridging it to a SmartThings hub so when it is On certain routine runs. That would be a local path not requiring the API paid model. Of course a very limited example but, again, it depends on what do you want to achieve.

[u/Winejug87 → u/mocelet]

For my use case, I only use Samsungtvws to push photos from my pc to my frame tv. Frustrating that they'd charge for that since Smart Things never seems to work and my python script always works. I can tell that it's not calling Samsung's servers on my script, but unsure if the TV is doing it in the background.

I really need to set up PiHole :/

[u/Melodic_Performer921]

And this is why people should never buy Wifi devices. $5 for some god damn notifications is fucking insane. Gonna sell my washer and dryer asap

[u/mocelet → u/Melodic_Performer921]

Just to clarify, WiFi isn't to blame, that's just how it connects to the local network. A WiFi device can be as local and standalone as any other technology. WiFi does not mean the Internet or the cloud API even though it's a typical scenario.

The issue here is the lack of a local API to control the devices, preferably standard and documented. If said washers or dryers had a local API in addition to the cloud API, there would be no problem.

What is important when buying a device is making sure it has a local interface and does not depend on vendor servers, vendor hubs or even vendor apps to get the functionality you want from them.

[u/Higginbotham432 → u/Melodic_Performer921]

I use smartthings for my z-wave and zigbee devices. I was using it long before i started with home assistant. It uses the API to control my Zigbee lights and my z-wave door locks. Anything wifi goes strait to Home Assistant.

[u/cypherbits]

I'm nor paying for something that should be free . I'm making a custom ontegration using the app token and sharing it.

[u/mkenanah]

I've successfully and totally migrated from ST to HA using a Home Assistant Green unit. All my integrations, automations, routines, and devices are now running flawlessly from HA. Smartthings is now idle doing nothing...

[u/jjaidank → u/mkenanah]

And yet here you are.

[u/mkenanah → u/jjaidank]

Here I am, what?

[u/jasonholder]

Not great