At IFA in Berlin, LG and Samsung announced that their smart home apps will be compatible with each other’s home appliances and TVs by the end of 2024. Thus, the ThinQ application will be able to control Samsung devices, and SmartThings will be able to control LG electronics.
“The LG ThinQ app will be able to tell you when you left the door of your Samsung Family Hub smart refrigerator open, and the Samsung SmartThings app will be able to put your LG washing machine on delicate mode,” The Verge describes the result of the future collaboration.
The possibility of such integration is the result of the work of the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA), an industry coalition created in late 2021 (Samsung was one of the founding members). HCA’s mission is cross-brand integration of devices for controlling large household appliances.
HCA uses cloud-to-cloud communications so that any device connected to Wi-Fi can communicate with another – from washers, dryers, refrigerators and ovens to robot vacuum cleaners, TVs and air conditioning systems.
LG, Samsung and Vestel, among the 15 HCA members, implement compatibility and only in the main categories of home appliances. However, alliance members do not rule out a gradual expansion of the types of supported electronics. Among the major manufacturers, HCA also includes Bosch, Thermador and Whirpool.
The key benefit of this compatibility, in addition to convenience, will be energy savings. If all the appliances in your home can reports data to one app, regardless of manufacturer, it will be easier to monitor your energy consumption and implement energy-saving features.
