After testing smart home technology for years, you can bet I have apps piling up on my phone and tablet from trying all the latest gadgets. That’s also given me plenty of experience in cutting down on home apps when it’s time to manage my personal favorites.
If all the app-hopping to manage your smart plugs, door locks, security systems and more feels overwhelming, try these tips. They’ll help with home management and keep your phone free of cluttered apps, especially if you’re adopting any new technology these holidays.
Read more: Password Check: Make Sure Your Smart Home Stays Safe
Convert to Matter-supporting devices
Matter is the best bet for smart home convergence, but it’s a slow creep.
Matter is the universal smart home standard that major companies including Google, Amazon and Apple created so that all home devices could be controlled on the platform of your choice, like Apple Home or Google Home. There’s a small problem: It’s been very slow to roll out, and many key devices still aren’t supported.
However, Matter remains one of the best options to consolidate your apps into a single option. Whenever you buy any new smart home tech, always look for Matter support and Matter’s triforce-like logo. You’ll find it most often on smart locks and basic home appliances, although it’s slowly coming for home cameras and similar devices.
Use a third-party automation app
Third-party platforms like Home Assistant are complex, but allowing you to combine smart home controls in one place.
While Matter may be the “official” solution to too many smart home apps, other attempts at combining home automations in one place exist — and some are good. Our favorites are the Home Assistant app and IFTTT (If This, Then That), and if you don’t mind buying an expensive ($400) smart home hub the Homey app is also a strong option, as is a system like Hubitat.
If your existing devices support third-party apps like these, you can combine your home routines and device controls without jumping through multiple apps to get things done. It can take a little tinkering (even some basic coding work) to get everything working, but it’s a great option for those who don’t mind diving into the details — and have a certain amount of patience.
Buy for a single platform
The Echo Spot (2nd-Generation) in blue.
Even though Matter has its limitations, you can still look for smart home devices that support your preferred app, regardless of Matter. For example, Matter hasn’t quite made it to home security cameras yet, but if you look at our best 4K home security cameras list, you’ll see we include info about app and voice assistant support.
That means you can pick up devices that are guaranteed to work with Amazon Alexa and the Alexa app, or Google Assistant and the Google Home app, and control everything from there instead of jumping back and forth between individual brand apps.
Buy from a single brand
A Ring video doorbell.
When building your smart home system, you can make apps very user friendly by sticking with a single brand — and therefore, a single app to control everything.
Take the brand Ring for example: Ring offers video doorbells, smart lighting, security cameras, alarms, DIY security systems and support for a number of thermostats and switches. Stay within the Ring ecosystem and you can control all your devices on a single app. Since Ring is an Amazon company, they’ll also all work with the Alexa app if you prefer.
This isn’t just a Ring bonus, either: Many home security companies offer similar ecosystems, from Google Nest and Arlo to SimpliSafe and Eufy. If you find a brand you really like, it’s a good idea to stick with it.
Use a password manager
1Password app showing login options on tablet and phone.
Even if you need to juggle multiple apps to control your smart home, there are still tricks to make that management easier. A password manager is especially useful. It enables instant logins and saved passwords for any app, and works with phone features like Face ID and fingerprints so you don’t have to worry about remembering or typing anything. If you do end up with multiple apps, it’s an easy way to make them easier and safer.
Now that you’re ready to cut down on apps, review our home security overview guide for more tips, check out how to cut down on annoying app alerts and see the best home security cameras without subscriptions.
