Standalone company to offer app across appliances and manufacturer brands

Parent company of Bosch, Siemens, Neff, Gaggenau, BSH will focus on connectivity at consumer electronics and home appliance trade fair IFA, launching the Home Connect app.

Forming part of a standalone company within BSH, the Home Connect app will operate multiple Wi-Fi-enabled appliances, across more than brand. This will include brands external to the BSH group, from other appliance manufacturers.

Home Connect will be able to remotely control and monitor appliances, but also offer services based on consumer behaviour, including advice, tips and support.

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The app will be available for iPhones and iPads, alongside a range of BSH connected appliances, at IFA for the German market. It will be extended to Android phones and tablets in early 2015 and the system will then be rolled out worldwide.

Home Connect has been created to meet the global mega trend for connectivity, through the adoption of smartphone and use of apps, and consumer demand for convience and flexibility of use.

Speaking at the IFA Global Press Conference, digital transition project leader at Home Connect, BSH, Dr Claudia Happ provided the statistics: “In Germany, for instance, four out of five households have Wi-Fi access. At the same time, nearly half of the Germany population uses a smartphone.

“Up until today, over 50billion apps have been downloaded from Apple’s App store. In addition to that we have all those from Google Play and other app stores. That means that every person in the world owns about seven apps – even those that do not have a smartphone.”

She continued: “About 2,000 smartphones are sold worldwide each hour. So we can say the everyday life of our consumer is already connected, and the smartphone is the control centre of our consumers.”

IFA takes place from September 5-10, 2014 at ExpoCity Center in Germany.