Most pointless domestic appliance phone apps?

I’m a big tech fanatic, but I’ve not yet come across a single smart function I’ve personally had any use for. I’ve read through some of the features on here, but they don’t really interest me.

E.g.

Pre heat oven: I’ll just get up and do it, but I seldom use the oven anyway (2-3 times a month)

Do washing from afar: I just use timers

Lights: Just get up and turn them on

Turning on heating for when I get home: I just turn it on when I get in, or use timers if running a regular schedule


Just don’t have any use for anything smart.


Even speakers - I can’t set multiple timers when cooking, nor can I cancel one and immediately set another in the same sentence. That’s the only use I have for them :p
 
My dyson fan has a phone app, even though it struggles to connect to the wifi, so I've never used it.
 
The_Arbiter said:
My friend has no light switches in his house, cause app. I imagine it's fun when leaving your phone somewhere and it's dark.
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We still have them but they're always switched on. Lights come on either by motion sensors or by saying the magic words. For example, "Lumos" and "Nox" turn the lights in our front room on and off respectively.

MrRockliffe said:
Even speakers - I can’t set multiple timers when cooking, nor can I cancel one and immediately set another in the same sentence. That’s the only use I have for them :p
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Multiple timers are supported but you can't cancel one and set another in just one sentence, it would be two separate commands.
 
Feek said:
We still have them but they're always switched on. Lights come on either by motion sensors or by saying the magic words. For example, "Lumos" and "Nox" turn the lights in our front room on and off respectively.


Multiple timers are supported but you can't cancel one and set another in just one sentence, it would be two separate commands.
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Heh, go for "FIAT LUX" to get that godlike feeling.
 
MrRockliffe said:
I’m a big tech fanatic, but I’ve not yet come across a single smart function I’ve personally had any use for. I’ve read through some of the features on here, but they don’t really interest me.

E.g.

Pre heat oven: I’ll just get up and do it, but I seldom use the oven anyway (2-3 times a month)

Do washing from afar: I just use timers

Lights: Just get up and turn them on

Turning on heating for when I get home: I just turn it on when I get in, or use timers if running a regular schedule


Just don’t have any use for anything smart.


Even speakers - I can’t set multiple timers when cooking, nor can I cancel one and immediately set another in the same sentence. That’s the only use I have for them :p
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Completely agree. Also the thing about putting the heating on before you get home is it's complete against the drive for a reduction in carbon production.

People: We must reduce personal carbon use
Also people: I want an app to put my heating on while I'm not even in the house
 
Hades said:
Completely agree. Also the thing about putting the heating on before you get home is it's complete against the drive for a reduction in carbon production.

People: We must reduce personal carbon use
Also people: I want an app to put my heating on while I'm not even in the house
Click to expand...

Yup, feels like we’re pushing towards a lazier and lazier society. My mum loves Alexa, uses it to turn lights on.

Don’t get me wrong - it’s been helpful for her while recovering from illness and a prolapsed disc, but otherwise just lazy :p
 
MrRockliffe said:
Is that a new thing?
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It's been there for a long time on HomePods but it's just been recently added on the watch so you can set multiple timers if you're using watchOS 8. iOS still doesn't support more than one countdown timer though.

timers.jpg
 
Feek said:
It's been there for a long time on HomePods but it's just been recently added on the watch so you can set multiple timers if you're using watchOS 8. iOS still doesn't support more than one countdown timer though.

timers.jpg
Click to expand...

Ah okay, makes sense - I’m still on WatchOS 7 and iOS 14
 
MrRockliffe said:
Yup, feels like we’re pushing towards a lazier and lazier society. My mum loves Alexa, uses it to turn lights on.

Don’t get me wrong - it’s been helpful for her while recovering from illness and a prolapsed disc, but otherwise just lazy :p
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Your definition of lazy is very odd.

Are modern cars lazy because they have starter motors rather than a hand crank? :confused:
 
dLockers said:
Your definition of lazy is very odd.

Are modern cars lazy because they have starter motors rather than a hand crank? :confused:
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No, but you’re comparing apples and oranges.

The example you’ve given uses a motor to aid in the starting of a larger motor, rather than doing it by hand. You still need to physically start a car.

I’m talking about moving from putting in work to change something, such as the state of a light, to doing it from the sofa.


Hence, encouraging people to not move.
 
MrRockliffe said:
Yup, feels like we’re pushing towards a lazier and lazier society. My mum loves Alexa, uses it to turn lights on.

Don’t get me wrong - it’s been helpful for her while recovering from illness and a prolapsed disc, but otherwise just lazy :p
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Lazy for me is to get Deliveroo or whoever to deliver a loaf of bread from the Co-op

Hades said:
Completely agree. Also the thing about putting the heating on before you get home is it's complete against the drive for a reduction in carbon production.

People: We must reduce personal carbon use
Also people: I want an app to put my heating on while I'm not even in the house
Click to expand...
I don’t have an app controlled heating control. Got a weekly timer so heating comes on when I finish work and it’s toasty when I get in. Just override timer if at home.
 
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Some of them do seem pretty pointless. Some of them I can see would be useful.

A lot of it is driven by unabashed and rampant consumerism though.

I've managed to sort of ween myself off a lot of it now. I used to love having the latest smartphone every year or two, but I've realised that they haven't really changed in years now. They just get a bit faster and the camera improves a bit.

Like with most new tech, I get excited about it for a few days and then realise it's just inherently the same and all i have done is contributed to making a billionaire a bit richer.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
Its not really a new feature though, washing machines have has delay timers on them for decades which you can set when you put the washing in them.

PS. You should use the long (3ish hour) eco cycle where possible, it uses less energy, often quite a lot less.
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My washing machine’s eco cycle is 4 hours 12 mins! There’s some days where I use the washer straight after a wash - such as bedding. Can’t be waiting that time!
 
Nah, those are all commonplace.

How about an app-controlled vape?
Yes they exist, yes I know somebody who bought one... because moving your thumb 2" downward to press a button is so inconvenient compared to reaching in a pocket, pulling your phone out, swiping or drawing patterns to unlock, swiping across, opening an app, and then pressing a button.... and yes, the ******* thing also has RGB, too.

MrRockliffe said:
I’m a big tech fanatic, but I’ve not yet come across a single smart function I’ve personally had any use for. I’ve read through some of the features on here, but they don’t really interest me.
Click to expand...
Most of them are what I would consider disability aids... A few might be useful for the few occasions when I have an infant asleep on me and getting up would be far worse than the minimal carbon impact of using an app for whatever it is... but then, I was raised in a time when not every household even owned a fridge, so I'm sure my little ones will grow up alright.
 
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