A recent Samsung study shows that the lack of accessibility in design is excluding millions of consumers from products, services, and experiences in the UK. It’s a wake-up call for brands operating in the United Kingdom to revisit the design approach.

Samsung and OnePoll surveyed 1,000 adults with invisible and visible disabilities (accessibility issues) in the UK. The study reveals that over 68% of survey participants have felt excluded from products or services due to accessibility issues.

Key takeaways:

1. 55% of respondents don’t believe mainstream brands are invested enough in making products that cater to individual needs.
2. 54% don’t think companies understand which accessibility features are important for consumers with disabilities.
3. 80% claim major brands could be missing out on millions by not thinking about inclusive design for consumers with disabilities.
4. 72% of consumers surveyed have abandoned a purchase due to a product’s lack of accessibility.
5. 56% are willing to pay more if they find a fully accessible product.

The Korean tech giant highlighted that UK tech brands are missing a trick here. The spending power of disabled people and their households – known as the purple pound – is estimated to be worth a staggering £274 billion a year.

Samsung continuously works on enhancing accessibility across its products. From mobile devices to smart TVs and shopping apps to services, all are optimized for people with disability. This user-centric approach inspires many brands out there.

Galaxy phones feature useful and intelligent accessibility features. Samsung also brought universal gestures to Galaxy smartwatches. The brand-new Galaxy Ring is the latest example of Samsung’s commitment to accessibility.

Samsung has collaborated with F45 Training to offer free access to a variety of workouts on 2024 Samsung Smart TVs through the Samsung Daily+ lifestyle hub. The company aims to make it easier for people to enjoy all types of content on their TVs, whether it’s movies, games, or fitness routines.

This partnership lets users enjoy a wide range of on-demand fitness classes, including cardio, strength, hybrid, and recovery workouts, all from the comfort of their homes.

F45 Training is a leading global fitness community known for its 45-minute group workouts that combine functional exercises to improve everyday movement. Now, with this new integration, users can access F45’s workout library directly on their Samsung TV, which makes it easier to stay active and fit without leaving home.

The Samsung Daily+ platform, powered by Tizen OS, gives users access to more than just fitness content. It also connects to apps like Samsung Health, SmartThings, and Workspace to help users manage their daily activities all in one place.

F45’s workouts are designed for all fitness levels to offer flexibility with different types of exercises. Whether you want to improve your strength, boost your cardio, or focus on recovery, there’s something for everyone.

In addition, the F45 community offers motivational content to keep users inspired and connected. More workouts will be added to the Samsung Daily+ platform in the coming months.

Samsung Health Monitor app ends support for Android 11 and older phones this December

Samsung has introduced some useful new features for its SmartThings Hub, which make it easier to manage your smart home and keep everything running smoothly. The fresh update improves connectivity, reliability, and performance to provide a seamless smart home experience.

Back in 2023, Samsung introduced Hub Group and Hub Replace to create more robust mesh networks and upgrade their hub seamlessly. We are in 2024, and Samsung has announced two new features for the SmartThings app, Hub Manager and Hub Backup.

Hub Manager

The new Hub Manager feature helps you easily manage your hubs and Hub Groups. A Hub Group lets you connect multiple hubs to extend the range of your smart home network.

With Hub Manager, you can create, edit, or delete Hub Groups, making it easier to organize your devices and ensure they stay connected across a larger area.

Create SmartThings Hub Group:

You can easily create a SmartThings Hub group, just need to follow a few steps. Open the SmartThings app >> Go to the Favorites page and tap the (⋮) More Options >> Select Manage Hubs >> If no Hub Group exists, you’ll see the option to Create a Hub Group.

If a Hub Group already exists, the new hub will be automatically added as a secondary hub.

Edit SmartThings Hub Groups

To edit a Hub Group, go to Manage Hubs from the Favorites page >> tap Edit a Hub Group. You can now change the primary hub for the group as well as add or remove secondary hubs.

Hub Backup

The Hub Backup feature ensures your smart home keeps working even if your main hub goes offline. If the primary hub stops working, a secondary hub automatically takes over, so your devices and automation continue to run without interruption.

Hub Backup is enabled by default in Auto Hub Backup mode. To disable or enable, go to Manage Hubs and toggle Auto Hub Backup off.

If you prefer, you can also manually switch to a backup hub, giving you more control over the process. To set a Preferred Hub, you just need to go to Manage Hubs >> select Preferred Hub >> Choose the hub you want to be the default primary hub when it comes online.