@Digsy.

Where did you hear that there was no local control in the app? If your network loses connection to the internet, you should have a notification that appears indicating that you are controlling your devices locally and are not connected to the cloud. 

Local Only Control is something that I am sure will only be growing as a result of the new technologies being developed such as matter, and allowing devices to directly communicate with each other.

  @Digsy,

I believe that this is just in reference to the initial setup process. Previously, a select few of our plugs could be controlled without having to log in to a Kasa account. Like on the main screen when you first launch the app there used to be an option(for some products) to not log in and gain basic control over plugs. This has generally been phased out as we can't guarantee any functionality if your device isn't updating its firmware from our servers, or isn't receiving the most recent security updates.

There are still options to control your devices locally, they must just be set up with a Kasa Account first. Also, many of our newer smart devices are shipping with Homekit, Google, and Amazon Setup Compatibility, which allows you to skip the initial Kasa Configuration Process and use your Respective App for Basic Controls. Local Control Can also be achieved by using other third party services to control your device.

The actual local control of your devices from your phone remains the same; in fact the team made it easier to identify when it happens.