Samsung Electronics is greatly expanding its partnership with Hyundai Motor and Kia. Samsung wants to fully integrate its SmartThings IoT platform with the automakers' software-defined vehicles. This will essentially make it much easier to connect devices and give personalized services to owners.
The big focus of this partnership is the integration of SmartThings with Hyundai and Kia's next-generation infotainment system. This integration will give several new features, including allowing Hyundai and Kia cars to use the SmartThings Find network to help owners locate their vehicles. This uses a crowdsourced network of Samsung Galaxy devices that lets users track their vehicles even in areas without cellular network coverage, which would improve security and convenience.
The integration will also give owners the ability to control and monitor the capabilities of Hyundai and Kia vehicles through Samsung Galaxy smartphones. Drivers can manage their car's air conditioning and check its range directly from their phone's Quick Panel. Also, the cars can be added to the SmartThings ecosystem, which will let users adjust their home environment, like air conditioners or air purifiers, while on their drive home. This will likely be hands-free, as pressing buttons on the car ride home isn't particularly safe.
Samsung, Hyundai Motor, and Kia are also planning to add services and features outside the conventional SmartThings service. These services and features are supposed to include in-vehicle health monitoring using cameras and Galaxy devices, pet care solutions within the cars, and integration with smart apartment features and software-defined vehicles. This is big because the previous collaboration focused on home-to-car and car-to-home services. This change will grow the scope of integration, focusing on software-defined vehicle connectivity and personalized services like healthcare, pet care, and smart living features.
There is no announced rollout date for these features or services, but we should hear more about it as time goes on.
Source: Samsung