The past year upended every aspect of American’s lives and made home the center of our universe. We used our appliances more than ever before, but are we using them to their fullest potential? According to Jeremy Miller, SmartHome Solutions Commercial Director at GE Appliances, if you aren’t connected, you’re missing out.

“We built the largest suite of connected appliances in the industry with a relentless focus on meaningful technology,” says Miller. “We are closer and more responsive to our owners than ever before, delivering the features they want today, and anticipating what they will need and want from their appliances in the years to come.”

Washer Remote Start
Washer Remote Start

1. Make Chores Easier

If you have children, you can probably relate to this statistic: more than 75%% of parents report reminding their kids to do their chores daily. GE Appliances and the S'MoresUP app put an end to the hounding. Thanks to the new partnership you can now seamlessly assign chores to family members based on notifications from your connected appliances. For example,when you receive a notification the dryer cycle is complete you can assign the task to empty it and fold the laundry while you enjoy the last few minutes of the show you’re binging on Netflix. Kids receive automatic reminders for incomplete chores, and parents can send rewards when the job is done.The app is also a one-stop-shop for family organization and includes a family calendar and dashboard, assistance for kids to self-manage screen time.This integration is available on more than 600 connected appliances manufactured by GE Appliances, like the GE Profile™ Top Control with Stainless Steel Interior Dishwasher with Sanitize Cycle & Twin Turbo Dry Boost or the GE® 7.8 cu. ft. Capacity Smart Front Load Gas Dryer with Steam and Sanitize Cycle. 

 

 

 

2. Take Advantage of Touchless Tech

Voice Activated Appliance Features
Voice Activated Appliance Features

“The desire for touchless tech has steadily grown,” said Miller. “At the height of the pandemic, our owners were using voice control up to 100 percent more to preheat the oven, set a timer or perform other simple tasks with their connected appliances.”

Earlier this year, GE Appliances became the first appliance company to team up with the Sonos wireless sound system. Consumers can set up helpful appliance notifications, such as an alert that the oven is pre-heated, or the dishwasher cycle is done, to sound on the Sonos speakers throughout their home.

Voice activation is available via the SmartHQ app and through integrations with Google Assistant and Alexa. This allows users to perform a variety of tasks via their connected appliances from controlling the lights and fan on the vent hood to operating the ice maker or sending instructions to the cooktop- all hands-free, reducing touchpoints and the spread of germs in the home.

 

3. Appliances that are Ready for the Future

Technology touches every aspect of our lives. The software on our phones, cars and other devices is constantly updating with new features. What if our appliances could do that?

“People don’t think about it this way, but our appliances are technology,” says Allie Holtz, Merchandising Senior Manager at GE Appliances. “The oven is the hardware, but the features on our connected appliances run on software and just like other devices. We are joining the digital revolution and this year, we will be able to provide our owners with the newest cooking technology via software updates.”

For example, you purchased an oven the year before precision air fry mode was available. An appliance is a 10 to 15-year purchase so you assume that you’ve missed out on that feature. Not anymore, now the company will be able to push software updates directly to your current oven via WiFi so you can stay current with the technology that GEA engineers and food scientists are dreaming up for years to come..