SmartThings lets you transfer ownership of your smart home setup in one go

Handing over a Samsung smart home device to someone else without first removing it from your SmartThings network can lead to all sorts of issues for both you and the person receiving it.

In most cases, ownership-related problems can be avoided by removing the device from SmartThings and doing a factory reset first. That works, but it is also tedious.

It gets even more annoying if you are moving house and leaving behind an entire ecosystem of smart devices. Resetting each one manually quickly turns into a time sink you probably did not plan for.

Fortunately, Samsung has accounted for these scenarios and devised a simpler solution.

SmartThings users can bulk-transfer devices and their locations to another person in just a few steps. The recipient only needs a Samsung account and the SmartThings app installed on their device.

There is no need to manually remove and reset every SmartThings device, and the new owner avoids the hassle of setting everything up from scratch.

Needless to say, it is a practical solution for situations where full SmartThings setups need to change hands. Here is how it works.

If you are the one receiving the devices, you can simply scan the QR code from the owner’s device and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the SmartThings device transfer.

This is the kind of quality-of-life feature you may never think about until you actually need it. When you do, it can save a significant amount of time for both sides.

Keep in mind that not every SmartThings device supports this method. Older devices may be incompatible and might not appear in the transfer list.