I got excited when I saw there was a new widget for SmartThings that you can put on your home screen where you would have a TV remote so it would be a quick tap on the home screen or a swipe right to the next home screen page and your remote widget would be right there. So I go to add it to the home screen and it takes me to available devices but it turns out only TVs purchased after 2023 are compatible???
Can anyone explain to me this limitation outside of Samsung really wanting to get us to buy a new TV? Why wouldn't the widget work with the TV I have if the app has the same exact controls and that's connected to my TV? I'll be honest I have absolutely zero intention of doing that, especially with how difficult it is getting a hold of OEM One remotes. For the ones that are available on the parts store they're typically on back order for a year and I've bought remotes from three 3rd party vendors on Amazon that are absolutely trash. The buttons begin to go and their extremely slow to respond.
Swiping down twice and then tapping the widget is relatively quick but in reality a lot of the time it gets hung up loading the app and fails to load and this almost never fails to happen when the volume is ridiculously loud because my son was messing with it and I turned it on with Alexa because I can't find the remote and there's no volume buttons on the TV and now Alexa can't hear me (this perfect storm has happened at least three or four times somehow)...
It's possible that the new widget utilizes features or functionalities that are only available in the newer API version and weren't present in the APIs for 2023 TVs. Think of it like a new language feature in a software update – older software might not understand it. The new widget might offer enhanced functionalities or a different user experience that relies on features only available in the "newer" TV models, while the basic controls might be the same in the app, the widget could have added features that necessitate the newer hardware and software. Newer TVs have enhanced security features and different authentication methods for external control, and the new widget might be designed to leverage these newer security protocols, making it incompatible with 2023 model systems. It's understandable that you're hesitant to buy a new TV just for this feature, especially when your TV is only 2 years younger than the 2025's and given the challenges with getting OEM remotes. Hopefully, Samsung will consider the feedback from users and potentially explore ways to bring similar widget functionality to their 2023 TV'S.
Samsung glaze be wild. It's obviously them wanting to have you buy a Samsung tv. They have been able to keep EVERYTHING else backwards compatible. But oh you want the exact same thing in a more convenient place? Go buy a $1000 tv. Last year I bought a 2022 oled from Samsung for $1200. It's not supported. **bleep** them for that. Im prob done with this ecosystem.
