Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Wearables
  3. News

Garmin Connect IQ watch users can now control their Samsung SmartThings-powered devices

By
Garmin: Routine with SmartThings
Garmin kicked off its Connect IQ Developer Summit in its home state of Kansas this week, and one of the more noteworthy announcements to come out of the conference about the company’s new partnership with Samsung SmartThings automation.
Recommended Videos

A just-released SmartThings app has been made available for the 5 million Connect IQ devices in the wild, allowing users to control various smart devices in their home, from televisions to locks and thermostats. You can also execute automated routines to, say, turn on your coffee maker and lights when you wake up in the morning.

According to Garmin, this is only one of several new features on the way to Connect IQ, with the rest slated to arrive as part of the forthcoming 2.3 update. The release will bring Always Active watch faces that never turn off to select devices, such as the Fenix 5 series and Forerunner 935. Another addition, Action Intelligence, will open doors for developers, allowing them to use a greater range of data collected by the devices’ built-in sensors. Garmin says this paves the way for measuring everything from tennis swings to punching power for boxers, as well as rep counting.

There’s also the introduction of background services, which will let apps periodically update while the device is idle. According to Garmin, this means future watch faces will have the capability to display more varied, informative, and up-to-date complications than previously possible on Connect IQ — especially when paired with the Always Active display.

Although Connect IQ 2.3 will add features Garmin surely hopes to see developers take advantage of, Connect IQ-powered devices only make up a portion of the company’s roster of wearables. Last week, Garmin unveiled its Vivosmart 3 fitness tracker, which does not run Connect IQ, but does feature some of the activity tracking and rep-counting features that will soon make their way to the platform.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Adam Ismail
Adam Ismail
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Adam’s obsession with tech began at a young age, with a Sega Dreamcast – and he’s been hooked ever since. Previously…
Samsung’s SmartThings Find sniffs out lost Galaxy devices using AR heat maps
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra S Pen

Lost doesn’t mean never to be found again, thanks to Samsung’s new SmartThings Find feature. This expanded, more accurate device-location service uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Ultra Wideband (UWB) wireless communication technology to build an augmented reality-based heat map to sniff out missing devices. SmartThings is Samsung’s smart home platform, and the Find feature joins Samsung’s existing Find My Mobile service as essential tools for the more forgetful gadget fan.

Samsung Launches SmartThings Find, a New Way to Quickly and Easily Locate Your Galaxy Devices

Read more
Samsung SmartThings integration brings smart home control to Mercedes-Benzes
you can control your home directly from mercedes samsung smartthings benz smart

Everyone knows the feeling: You're halfway to work, stuck in morning traffic, when you realize you can't remember if you turned the oven off or not. Well, if you're a Mercedes-Benz owner, you know longer have that worry.

Today, Samsung announced the integration of its SmartThings platform into Mercedes-Benz vehicles. It will give users the ability to use their car as a control center for their smart home. Thanks to this new feature, users can directly control their home from their vehicle without the need for a phone to act as an intermediary device.

Read more
Fitbit recalls Ionic smartwatch after several burn reports
best walmart deals on apple watch garmin and fitbit ionic smartwatch adidas edition ice gray silver

Fitbit Ionic smartwatch users need to stop using their devices right now. The company has recalled its Ionic wearable after over 150 reports of the watch’s lithium-ion battery overheating, and 78 reports of burn injuries to the users. It will offer a refund of $299 to the Fitbit Ionic smartwatch users who return the device.

Fitbit has received at least 115 reports in the United States and over 50 reports internationally about the Ionic smartwatch's battery overheating. It is recalling the device as there are two reports of third-degree burns and four reports of second-degree burns out of the 78 total burn injuries report.

Read more