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by na4ma4 1275 days ago
The dishwasher I got was the same, the app wanted access to location at all times (precise not approximate).

If I disabled the permission it would stop working.

So I switched to the home assistant integration for it and removed the app from my phone.

2 comments

Why on earth would a dishwasher need an app? You have to load it before you start it... later, you walk by, it's done, you unload it.
My friend's stove has an app... "Oh shit the milk is boiling over, quick get the phone, unlock it, tap the app icon, wait until it's loaded, navigate to the proper submenu and turn it off!"

Best thing it's he didn't even know at first. He bought a new washing machine that had app support, so out of curiosity he installed the app and scanned for devices, but the app only found his stove.

Technology was a mistake.

The main use cases are around notifications - it's done, it needs X/Y consumable, A/B maintenance, etc.
And with location data, turning it on when leaving the house.

Another smart scenario I can think of, link it with energy prices and a real-time dynamic energy contract, and/or solar panel output or battery charge levels, to only run it when it's cheapest to do so.

Of course, that means having it stand-by to run at all times, meaning it may run half-empty and you need to keep the door closed which will cause mold etc.

I'm pretty sure it's to enable a feature where it can turn on when you leave the house. However, that should be an optional feature, with them only asking for location tracking when you actually enable the option.

Should be, but here's the thing: they don't want to build the best app or customer experience through convenient features, they want your (location) data, because aggregated, that shit is worth more than the stupid dishwasher.

They don't make money on selling dishwashers anymore; components, shipping, marketing and middle men will swallow up any profit. But location data and subscriptions will bring in the real money, over a long and continuous period of time.

See also this story from a Twitter engineer who talked to mobile phone companies that were prepared to pay big money for location data; I can't find the source anymore, but it's been reposted on various outlets: https://hindupost.in/media/an-ex-twitter-engineer-reveals-ho...