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The best smart home apps for your Android phone

Source: eKapija

Sunday, 12.11.2023.

22:16

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Google Home (Photo: Unsplash / BENCE BOROS)

Smart home devices make our lives easier, but controlling several ecosystems can become difficult as the gadgets pile up. Setting up your smart home ecosystem can feel daunting as you try to make sense of all the devices and standards in your smart home setup.

Each smart device has an app to control it, but using multiple apps to control various smart appliances in your home makes little sense, androidpolice.com writes. That`s why you can install one app that will allow you not to waste your time on too many platforms.

Here is a list of the best smart home apps for your Android phone.

Amazon Alexa

The Alexa app offers a dashboard to control all linked smart devices, regardless of their manufacturer. They can be accessed in different ways, and you can add favorites to access the devices you often control without searching for them.

On the other hand, it sn`t the most user-friendly, and its interface isn`t the most eye-pleasing. Also, there isn`t a widget with shortcuts to control your smart devices besides orally asking Alexa to do so. It may not allow you to control it using the app`s graphical interface, even though it can do it orally.

Google Home

he Google Home app is one of the easiest ways to control your smart devices. It acts like a smart home control center for all of your devices, regardless of their brand. Like Alexa, the devices you use with Google Assistant appear in the app without extra configuration.

The main advantage compared to Alexa is that all devices display immediately when you open Google Home without opening another tab. Still, there isn`t an option to filter by device type as precisely as Alexa.

Some devices can`t be operated using Google Home despite being compatible with Google Assistant and appearing in the app. You can overcome these limitations by using Assistant Routines.

Samsung SmartThings

SmartThings is one of the nicest-looking apps on this list. Integriše se sa velikim brojem usluga trećih strana, ali ne toliko kao Google Home i Alexa. It integrates with a large number of third-party services, but not as many as Google Home and Alexa. The app is easy to set up and lets you set your favorite devices that you can access from the app`s main page, as well as organize them by room.

In addition to offering a more intuitive interface and better customization options than the first two apps, SmartThings has handy features, such as setting timers for the lights to turn off automatically after a certain amount of time or at a specific hour.

SmartThings usually fully supports the devices it works with, meaning it`s unlikely to show a device in the list if you can`t interact with it. Most importantly, it allows you to add widgets to your home screen, making it convenient to control your lights and other devices without opening an app.

Olisto

Olisto isn`t a control panel per se but a way to automate most of your smart home devices and appliances and then direct them to communicate with each other. For instance, you can ask it to turn on the lights, lock the doors, and open the blinds every weekday at 9:00 a.m.

Thanks to Olisto`s integration with an extensive range of services, you can input creative triggs like locking the kitchen door when you haven`t exercised enough before 7:00 p.m.

Its ability to create "now" buttons to perform triggs is particularly powerful. For example, you can press a single virtual button to open the blinds, turn on the lights, and play music on your speakers. The downside is that you must manually create a button for every feature in every product, which is time-consuming to set up but convenient when used daily.

Olisto is probably not for everyone, especially if you don`t want to spend a lot of time on configuration. On the other hand, if you like to fiddle with technology and want to create some neat home automations that are triggered at the touch of a virtual button, give this app a try.

iHaus

iHaus isn`t an eye-pleasing app, but it can be useful if you don`t mind the looks. It doesn`t require extensive setup like most other apps, as it lets you connect your smart home devices without logging in to third-party services. However, you may not be able to have all your devices in the app.

It`s easier to use than Google Home because you can tap a device`s icon to turn it on or start it. What`s also great is that it automatically recognizes groups, such as Hue rooms, so you can turn on all lights in a room at once or change their color simultaneously.

You can also create routines to turn off everything at home with a single virtual button.

All in all, iHaus can be a useful option if you`re looking for something simple and easy to try.

IFTTT

It`s a smart automation platform that`s compatible with an impressive number of partners. After you set up everything, you can forget it exists. There`s also an option to control your smart devices from your phone, thanks to widgets and Do buttons.

The platform supports a range of services and allows you to create tasks in a few clicks. The app also has a widget, which most others don`t, so it might be a good option for many.

Home Remote

Home Remote has an intuitive and pleasing interface that invites you to organize your devices into groups and rooms. The app is designed to support a range of devices. The interface is customizable, including the background image and the order in which devices appear. It`s worth trying to see if it fits your needs and works with your smart devices.

Hubitat

If you want to work with some advanced options, consider Hubitat. The app isn`t a great fit for the average user. It requires specific hardware or programming skills. However, if you`re ready to fiddle with it to take control of your connected hardware, you should try the app.

If you`re ready to explore and have some time to invest, Hubitat can help you unlock the potential of your smart home, design the automation you want to achieve, and help you control any device the way you want. You may have to provide most of the setup since it`s not as user-friendly as the other apps listed here, but it can help you achieve great things at home.

Home Assistant

Home Assistant is an open source home automation system that lets you control your smart home devices from one place. You can access and control all your devices on the local network without depending on cloud servers. PHome Assistant supports over 1,000 devices and services.

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