SmartThings Trimming Support for Older iPhones and Some Experimental Features

Samsung has made two quiet but important changes to the SmartThings app for iPhone. Both of which will impact many long-time users. First, the company has begun warning that older iPhones will no longer receive SmartThings updates. Second, a handful of experimental Labs features are being phased out.

It might be time to retire your old iPhone if you love using SmartThings!

According to an in-app notice, SmartThings will stop offering updates on iPhones running iOS 16 or earlier starting 23 December 2025 (via SamMobile). This effectively ends new support for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and older models, since those devices are limited to iOS 16.

The app will continue to work in its current form. But if you delete it, you won’t be able to reinstall it unless you update to iOS 17 or newer, which these phones can’t. Newer models, including the iPhone XR and iPhone SE 2 or later, remain fully supported.

The same outlet also reports that Samsung is removing all four features currently found in SmartThings Labs on iPhone. SmartThings Labs includes Gentle Wake-Up, No Worries While Away, Turn It Off When I Leave, and Welcome Home. All four features will disappear on 22 December 2025. These are not core system tools but experimental routines designed to automate lighting and presence-based actions.

Samsung hasn’t explained the decision. It’s possible that these tools are being moved to the standard Routines section. Or simply retired due to low usage, which is something Samsung loves doing. Users who rely on these Labs features can still recreate similar routines manually. Samsung is also advising users to take screenshots of their current setups before the features are removed, which will make it easier to rebuild them later.