Turning off an LG TV using Samsung's SmartThings

Rival companies Samsung and LG are taking a rare step towards an alliance by connecting their home appliance products with the other's smart home platform.

This means controlling a Samsung air conditioner and LG washing machine using a single smart home app - Samsung's SmartThings or LG's ThinQ - is now possible by interconnecting the two apps through cloud computing by deploying HCA Interface Specification 1.0.

The collaboration is part of the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA), a global alliance of home appliance manufacturers that aims to develop safer and more interoperable standards for connected homes. It also targets enhancing user experience and saving energy.

The alliance was founded in 2022 and currently has 15 member companies, including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, GE Appliance, Electrolux and American Standard.

Samsung Electronics serves as the sole chair company of the HCA board.

“Until now, it was difficult to connect different brand products with a single app from a specific company,” Samsung Electronics said in a release Tuesday.

“If the refrigerator, washing machine and air conditioner are all from different brands, installing different apps for each brand is inconvenient. With HCA, you can connect all these different-brand products with your preferred app to manage your experience consistently and conveniently.”

The service will initially apply to nine categories, including refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, TVs and ovens, in eight countries, including Korea and the United States, from the fourth quarter of 2023.

After collecting feedback from Specification 1.0, the alliance plans to launch Specification 2.0, which will add energy management functions. It will also add more product lines to the service, including electric vehicle chargers, in 2024.

“HCA member companies are taking a thoughtful approach towards interoperability of everyday essential products already in our homes,” according to Home Connectivity Alliance President Choi Yoon-ho.

“I look forward to seeing our member companies adopting the specification starting this year and HCA-enabled technology becoming available to more consumers shortly. The goal is to make the appliances and HVAC systems we live with smarter, more accessible and energy efficient throughout their life by connecting them to energy management and other services.”

Products from Turkish home appliance brand Vestel and Japanese brand Sharp will also join the interconnected smart home service by September.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]