What Is The Tuya Smart App and What It Offers? Explained Here

While you may go out shopping for some new smart bulbs not too long ago, you may come across a box that had a logo that said “Powered by Tuya” on it.

This was in addition to the standard compatibility with Alexa, Google Assistant, and so on. We were familiar with Tuya but Just wrote them off as a generic brand imitator since We didn’t think they were that good.

Observing the Tuya branding on a retail box served as sufficient motivation for me to investigate the company further.

The Tuya website is difficult to navigate, leading to a lot of confusion, and it does not provide a lot of information. The majority of the information that we gathered for this article came from individuals who have made use of Tuya in the most recent couple of years.

Who is Tuya?

Tuya is a global player in the artificial intelligence and internet of things markets. They are experts in assisting businesses in the process of bringing innovative products to market.

Additionally, they are experts in assisting manufacturers in the process of transforming traditional products into intelligent ones. The Tuya Smart app is what’s used to control the various Tuya devices.

This is yet another way that it can be stated. Tuya provides a platform that combines AI and IoT, enabling businesses to rapidly develop intelligent products.

In addition to this, Tuya assists manufacturers in utilizing their cloud-based services and integrating Wi-Fi chips into their products. Controlling these devices requires the consumer to use either the Tuya Smart app or the Smart Life app.

We are sure that the majority of that sounds confusing; therefore, let’s try to break it down into terms that the average person can understand and do away with the IT nonsense altogether.

Details Regarding Tuya and Her Activities

AI+IoT is the combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), which is used to give internet-connected devices “intelligence” of their own.

This allows internet-connected devices to learn and respond based on the actions and preferences of their users without the need for interaction from a human.

Tuya provides a free-to-brand, turnkey solution for smart homes, which can be used by anyone. In addition to this, they have made it very user-friendly.

Creating an account and following the on-screen prompts are the only requirements for completing anything online. If you require assistance, they provide pages of instructions as well as demonstrations.

Making an account and selecting your pre-designed items or pre-programmed Wi-Fi modules is the first step in selling smart products, whether you’re a business or an individual.

If you want cloud services, Tuya’s cloud Development Platform provides “…basic IoT features including device administration, AI scenarios, and data analytics services…”

Our own self-service account creation allowed me to immediately begin the process of developing a smart light bulb. The actual light bulb, the wireless module to be installed, and certain app features were all up for grabs for me to select.

Because I have a background in engineering, it’s possible that you understood what was going on a little better than someone who didn’t have that background.

On the other hand, we believe that anybody with a background in engineering could make their very own line of smart products.

Tuya Platform This is an image that Tuya uses to illustrate what they have to offer to potential customers.

This diagram is primarily intended for manufacturers, who, by taking an item that they already produce and adding a straightforward circuit card to it, can instantly transform it into an intelligent device.

Tuya collaborates with a wide variety of manufacturers and offers tens of thousands of different products for businesses and software developers to choose from when they are developing their own intelligent products to market to end users.

Tuya Smart App:

Tuya products are marketed under a variety of brand names, but they can be distinguished from one another by the fact that they can be paired with one of two mobile applications: “Smart Life” or “Tuya Smart.”

Depending on the preferences of the designer, various kinds of Tuya Wi-Fi modules can be found on the inside of these products.

Is there a difference between Tuya Smart and Smart Life Apps

Both the Tuya Smart App and the Smart Life App are distinct apps, but their functionality is exactly the same.

They are both developed by Tuya, which also owns them, and there are no differences between them as of the year 2020; however, Tuya has shown signs that it is moving the Smart Life app towards the commercial market.

Why on earth would they need two apps to do the same thing?

That is something that I continue to ponder. The best explanation I’ve been able to come up with is that the Tuya Smart app had a bug, which is why they developed the Smart Life app.

We cannot say with absolute certainty whether or not that is a true statement, nor can I explain why they did not simply fix the bug.

Having said that, synchronization between Tuya Smart and Smart Life did not occur automatically all of the time. In 2018, different versions were made available on various days.

At various points in time, Smart Life was at least four versions ahead of Tuya Smart. If you google “what’s the difference between the two apps,” the most common answer you’ll find is that Smart Life supports IFTTT, while Tuya Smart does not currently support it.

On the other hand, given that both apps now support IFTTT, that assertion is no longer accurate.

There was a period in the year 2020 during which Tuya withdrew support for IFTTT from both of their apps. we can understand why Tuya would have chosen not to pay the IFTTT license fees.

we would guess that Tuya brought back IFTTT because of customer demand and for reasons related to litigation. It is not possible to advertise IFTTT while simultaneously selling a product and then removing the service.

In late year 2020, Tuya was replaced by Volcano Technology Limited as the company responsible for developing the Smart Life app.

When you Google the companies, you get absolutely no results. You can visit them online at volcano-smart.com. If you visit that page, you will see a pop-up from Tuya, in addition to several other indications that the website is run by Tuya.

The website is designed with the hotel and hospitality industry in mind as its primary audience. This gave me the impression to me that there was a commercial strategy behind the Smart Life app, and that there was a possibility that it might soon stop being the same as the Tuya Smart app.

What are the steps for using the Tuya Smart app?

We would highly suggest viewing the video that is provided below if you are interested in becoming more familiar with the Tuya app. While the Tuya Smart app is used, the Smart Life app will function in the same manner.

Is it risk-free to use the Tuya smart?

Many security flaws are well-known to exist in Tuya devices. These flaws, in certain instances, make it possible to obtain Wi-Fi passwords and RSA keys.

While talking with Tuya servers, you run the risk of having sensitive data compromised since the servers keep track of your email address, and phone number, use statistics, and longitude and latitude coordinates.

All Internet of Things devices raise concerns about data security. Tuya asserts that its cloud service provides security on par with that of a military installation.

On the other hand, the German IT security company VTRUST was able to demonstrate that this assertion is false. At the session entitled “Smart house – Smart hack” that took place at 35C3 in Leipzig, VTRUST founder Michael Steigerwald presented the findings of his research.

Yet, YouTube does provide the opportunity to translate content into other languages.

If the security of your smart home is one of your primary concerns, I suggest just operating gadgets on a local level. This will need making some concessions, such as making do with an app other than Tuya, Alexa, or HomeKit, and becoming familiar with a new configuration method, such as Home Assistant.

There is a learning curve involved, but doing so will improve the security of both your device and your local network.