Motorised curtains looked like a party trick five years ago. Now they wake the room at sunrise, close on a schedule when the outside temperature climbs, and drop the moment a movie starts. The best apps for smart curtains on Android turn a motor into a scene, an automation trigger, and a voice command without asking the household to learn a new remote.
We tested eight Android apps that ship or partner with real curtain hardware: retrofit robots that clip onto an existing rod, purpose-built Zigbee motors, and hub apps that pull several brands under one roof. The picks below cover which motors each app supports, whether it needs a bridge, and how far the automation actually goes.
What to look for in a smart curtain app
- Motor compatibility. Bluetooth-only robots (SwitchBot Curtain 3) work off the phone until you add a hub. Zigbee curtain motors (Aqara B1, Zemismart tracks) need a hub app that speaks Zigbee.
- Sunrise and sunset triggers. The best apps for smart curtains use solar times per your location, not a fixed clock.
- Voice assistant handoff. Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts should each see the curtain as a covering, so “close the curtains” reads as intent rather than a device name.
- Group control. Two motors on one bay window should slide as one. Look for scene support, not device-by-device tapping.
- Local vs cloud. Local control keeps curtains moving when the Wi-Fi drops. Cloud-only apps stall during outages.
- Matter support. Matter over Wi-Fi or Thread is the cleanest path if you plan to switch ecosystems later.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Motors supported | Hub required | Local control | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SwitchBot | Retrofit clip-on curtain robots | SwitchBot Curtain 3, Blind Tilt, Roller Shade | Optional (Hub 2 for remote) | Bluetooth direct, cloud for scenes | 4.4 Play |
| Home Assistant | Power users mixing brands | Any curtain via integrations (SwitchBot, Aqara, Zemismart, Tuya, ESPHome) | Zigbee dongle for Zigbee motors | Yes, self-hosted | 4.6 Play |
| SmartThings | Samsung households and Matter devices | Aqara (via hub), Matter curtains, Zigbee motors on SmartThings Hub | Yes for Zigbee | Local for Matter, cloud fallback | 4.4 Play |
| Google Home | Voice-first control | Any Matter or cloud-linked motor | No, unless Thread | Partial for Matter | 4.2 Play |
| Amazon Alexa | Alexa routines and screens | Matter, SwitchBot, Aqara via skill | No, unless Thread | Cloud-heavy | 4.4 Play |
| Aqara Home | Zigbee curtain purists | Aqara Curtain B1, Roller Shade E1, Roller Blind A1 | Yes, Aqara hub | Yes with hub | 4.3 Play |
| Smart Life | Zemismart and Tuya-branded motors | Tuya Wi-Fi and Zigbee curtain motors | Zigbee gateway for Zigbee | Local Wi-Fi, cloud for scenes | 4.4 Play |
| Homey | Premium multi-brand hub | 50,000+ device catalogue including Zemismart, Aqara, Tuya, SwitchBot | Homey Pro hardware | Yes on Homey Pro | 4.3 Play |
The apps
1. SwitchBot, best for retrofit curtain robots
SwitchBot is the app most people meet first, because the Curtain 3 robot clips onto an existing rod without swapping the hardware. The Android app pairs over Bluetooth in under a minute, calibrates open and close positions with a two-tap wizard, and drives the robot from the widget on the home screen. Add a SwitchBot Hub 2 and the same curtain becomes a Matter accessory that Google Home, Alexa and SmartThings can call.
Where it falls short: Bluetooth range is short. Without a Hub 2 or Hub Mini nearby, remote control drops off and scheduled runs miss when the phone is out of the house. Group scenes (“living room curtains”) stay local, so they only fire when Bluetooth or the hub is in range.
Pricing:
- Free: full local control, timers, schedules, Alexa and Google skill
- Paid: no app subscription, the cost sits in the hardware
Platforms: Android, iOS, Wear OS companion, Apple Watch companion
Bottom line: Pick SwitchBot if you rent, cannot replace the curtain rod, or want the fastest path from box to schedule. Skip it if you already own a Zigbee hub, the robots and the hub duplicate hardware.
2. Home Assistant, best for power users mixing brands
Home Assistant for smart curtains is the answer once the setup has more than one brand of motor. The Android app talks to a self-hosted Home Assistant server (Green, Yellow or a spare Raspberry Pi) that speaks SwitchBot Bluetooth, Aqara Zigbee, Zemismart Zigbee, Tuya cloud or local, and ESPHome DIY tracks in one dashboard. Automations run in YAML or the visual editor, so a rule like “close west-facing curtains when solar radiation exceeds 700 W/m²” is a few taps once the sensors are in place.
Where it falls short: setup is a weekend, not an evening. You need a Zigbee coordinator dongle (Sonoff or SkyConnect) for Zigbee curtain motors, and Bluetooth range for SwitchBot devices depends on ESPHome proxies scattered around the house.
Pricing:
- Free: the app and the server software are open source
- Paid: optional Home Assistant Cloud at 7.50 USD per month for remote access and Alexa or Google linking
Platforms: Android, iOS, Wear OS, web
Bottom line: If the goal is one dashboard for every motor brand in the house and a scripting layer that survives brand acquisitions, Home Assistant for smart curtains is the tool. Skip it if you want plug-and-play in 15 minutes.
3. SmartThings, best for Samsung households and Matter curtains
SmartThings on Android is where a lot of Aqara and Zemismart owners land, because the Samsung app talks Zigbee 3.0 through a SmartThings Hub or a Matter bridge on a Galaxy phone. Curtains show up as covering devices with an open percentage slider, and routines chain sunrise, motion sensors and connected TVs cleanly. Matter over Wi-Fi motors pair by scanning the QR code on the box.
Where it falls short: without a SmartThings Hub, Wi-Fi curtain motors from Zemismart and Aqara route through the cloud. That works, but breaks during router restarts and adds a second of latency to every command. Zigbee curtain motor pairing still needs a hub.
Pricing:
- Free: full app, all routines and voice control
- Paid: none, hardware is the only cost
Platforms: Android, iOS, Wear OS, Samsung TVs, Windows
Bottom line: A Samsung Galaxy owner with mixed brands should start with SmartThings for smart curtains. Skip it if you have no interest in Samsung TVs or appliances, the app carries a lot of Bixby scaffolding you cannot hide.
4. Google Home, best for voice-first control
Google Home treats every Matter or cloud-linked curtain as a first-class device once it is paired. Ask Gemini for Home to “close the bedroom curtains 80 percent,” and the slider moves. Sunrise and sunset routines are set per home in the Automations tab, and the app pushes speed improvements to Matter-over-Thread motors when a Nest Hub or Nest Wi-Fi Pro sits nearby.
Where it falls short: Google Home does not run local Zigbee, so Aqara or Zemismart Zigbee motors need a bridge like SmartThings or a Matter-capable Aqara hub before they show up. Editing multi-step routines is more clicks than SmartThings or Alexa.
Pricing:
- Free: full app, voice control, Matter, routines
- Paid: none
Platforms: Android, iOS, Wear OS, Chromecast displays, Google TV, web
Bottom line: If you already speak to a Nest Mini or Pixel, add curtains to Google Home for smart curtains and the voice layer is done. Skip it if you rely on Zigbee-only motors without a Matter bridge.
5. Amazon Alexa, best for routines and echo screens
Amazon Alexa on Android reads open and close events from Matter, SwitchBot, Aqara and any other blind or shade skill, then chains them with Echo Show cameras, Ring doorbells and Fire TV. The Routines editor lets one voice phrase run five steps (“Alexa, good morning” opens the curtains, starts the coffee maker, and casts NPR to the kitchen speaker). Alexa Hunches will nudge to close curtains at bedtime if the pattern is consistent enough.
Where it falls short: Alexa remains cloud-heavy, so a Wi-Fi outage stalls even Matter commands unless an Echo hub with Thread is in the middle. Skill quality varies by motor brand, Zemismart’s Alexa skill is less polished than SwitchBot’s.
Pricing:
- Free: full app, Routines, Hunches
- Paid: none for smart home use
Platforms: Android, iOS, Fire OS, Windows, web
Bottom line: Alexa is the smart curtain app for households already deep in Echo hardware. Skip it if you distrust cloud dependencies or want granular per-motor timing.
6. Aqara Home, best for Zigbee curtain purists
Aqara Home is the native app for Aqara Curtain Driver B1, Roller Shade Driver E1 and Roller Blind Motor A1. Paired to an Aqara Hub M3 or Hub M2 over Zigbee 3.0, curtains open in under a second, and local automations keep running when the internet drops. The app exposes fine controls: acceleration curves, custom limit setting, and per-child-lock behaviour if children are in the house.
Where it falls short: the app pushes Aqara accessories hard. Adding a non-Aqara curtain motor requires bridging through SmartThings, Matter, or Home Assistant. Cloud latency for remote control outside the LAN can climb above two seconds.
Pricing:
- Free: everything
- Paid: optional cloud video subscription for Aqara cameras, unrelated to curtains
Platforms: Android, iOS
Bottom line: Aqara Home for smart curtains is the pick for anyone standardising on Aqara motors and hubs. Skip it if your motors come from three different brands, its blind spots outside Aqara accessories are wide.
7. Smart Life, best for Zemismart and Tuya-branded motors
Smart Life (and its sibling Tuya Smart) drives the wide catalogue of Chinese-made curtain motors sold under Zemismart, MOES, Novo, Loratap, and hundreds of white-label brands. If a curtain motor lists “Tuya”, “Powered by Tuya”, or a Smart Life QR code on the box, this is the app. Wi-Fi motors pair over Bluetooth-assist in about a minute, Zigbee motors need a Tuya Zigbee gateway. Scenes support solar timers, geofencing, and multi-condition triggers.
Where it falls short: Tuya’s cloud dependency shows on slower connections, and firmware updates to Zemismart motors sometimes reset custom limits. Some regional variants of the same motor pair only in the app version localised for that country.
Pricing:
- Free: full app, unlimited devices and scenes
- Paid: none, though Tuya Cloud storage subscriptions exist for cameras
Platforms: Android, iOS, Wear OS
Bottom line: Smart Life for smart curtains fits anyone buying budget Zemismart or Tuya-branded motors under 80 USD. Skip it if you want everything running local, most Tuya devices lean on the cloud even for basic scenes.
8. Homey, best for a premium multi-brand hub without the DIY curve
Homey by Athom sits between Home Assistant and Google Home. Buy the Homey Pro box, install the Android app, and it speaks Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Matter under one roof. That means Zemismart Zigbee tracks, Aqara curtain drivers, SwitchBot robots and Somfy Wi-Fi motors coexist without a second gateway. The Flow editor is visual, not YAML, and the Insights tab actually charts curtain state over time.
Where it falls short: Homey Pro hardware costs 400 USD, and cloud-only Homey plans on cheaper hardware trim the local-control advantage. The community app catalogue is smaller than Home Assistant’s, so long-tail curtain motors sometimes lag behind.
Pricing:
- Free: base app with the Homey Pro or Homey Cloud subscription
- Paid: Homey Pro hardware around 400 USD, or Homey Cloud around 3 USD per month for hosted-only setups
Platforms: Android, iOS, web
Bottom line: Homey for smart curtains suits the buyer who wants Home Assistant’s breadth with a nicer editor and a support number. Skip it if the budget is under 150 USD or the household already has a working Google or Alexa setup.
How to pick the right one
If you want the fastest install: SwitchBot, curtains open on schedule the same day the robots arrive.
If you already own a Nest Hub or Google TV: Google Home paired with a Matter or SwitchBot bridge.
If your household runs on Echo hardware: Amazon Alexa, and buy motors labelled “Works with Alexa” or Matter.
If you want deep control without paying: Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi 5 plus a Sonoff Zigbee dongle.
If your motors are Aqara: Aqara Home with an Aqara Hub M3, do not bridge through anything else until it is set up.
If your motors carry a Tuya QR code: Smart Life, ignore the OEM’s rebranded app.
If your budget stretches to a premium hub: Homey Pro plus the Homey app, one editor for every brand.
If SmartThings frustrated you: try Homey or Home Assistant, both handle mixed-brand curtain setups without the Samsung-account overhead.
FAQ
What is the best free app for controlling smart curtains?
Home Assistant is the strongest free option because the server, the Android app and all core integrations are open source. It supports SwitchBot, Aqara, Zemismart, Tuya and Matter curtain motors in the same dashboard. The tradeoff is you need a Raspberry Pi or similar hardware plus a Zigbee dongle to run it.
Can you control smart curtains without Wi-Fi?
Yes, if the motor uses Zigbee or Bluetooth and the phone can reach it directly. SwitchBot Curtain 3 responds to Bluetooth from the SwitchBot app, and Aqara Zigbee curtain drivers keep working from an Aqara hub during a Wi-Fi outage. Wi-Fi curtain motors from Tuya or Zemismart stop responding to the app once the network is down.
Do smart curtains work with Google Home and Alexa at the same time?
Most do. Matter-certified curtain motors expose themselves to Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings and Apple Home simultaneously. Non-Matter motors depend on each platform’s skill, SwitchBot, Aqara, Tuya and Zemismart each ship an Alexa skill and a Google Home action so voice control lives in either or both.
Which app supports SwitchBot Curtain 3?
The SwitchBot app is native to SwitchBot Curtain 3, and it also works through Google Home, Amazon Alexa, SmartThings and Apple Home once a SwitchBot Hub 2 is added. Home Assistant supports SwitchBot Curtain 3 directly over Bluetooth via its SwitchBot integration, ideal for users who prefer local control.
Do I need a hub to schedule smart curtains on Android?
Not always. SwitchBot Curtain robots run schedules over Bluetooth from the phone if the phone is in range, and Wi-Fi curtain motors from Tuya, Smart Life or Zemismart run schedules directly from the cloud. Zigbee curtain motors always need a hub or a Zigbee coordinator paired to the app.
Which app is best for sunrise-linked curtain automations?
Home Assistant and Homey both handle sunrise and sunset triggers with per-location solar times and offsets in minutes. Google Home and Alexa also support sunrise-based routines, but they express offsets in coarser terms. Smart Life supports solar timers per scene, more than enough for wake-up automations.
