By: Vince Kattoula
If you’re like me, you’re one of the thousands of people who upgraded their iPhone to the latest operating system, iOS 10, a couple of weeks ago. After the installation, you may have noticed a new app on your home screen – the Home app. The Home app allows users to securely control all HomeKit accessories from their favorite iOS device. This got me thinking about all the different “connected” devices we use throughout each day in our homes and how the right technology can make all these devices work together.
We’ve seen apps follow you to your car, and now they are following you to every room in your house. Even though I’m still waiting for Siri to learn things like “Make me a sandwich,” you can tell her things like “Turn off the living room lights” or “Unlock the front door.” Also, 3D Touch lets you press and hold an icon to perform more complex tasks like dimming the lights or adjusting the thermostat.
Of course, to perform these tasks, you have to have these connected devices in your house. It only takes a quick trip to Home Depot or Lowe’s to find lots of them: thermostats, light controllers, door locks, even refrigerators with the logo above, indicating they can work with Apple’s latest land grab.
Perhaps one of the coolest features about the HomeKit app is the fact that it allows users to set up scenes. The scenes enable multiple accessories to work simultaneously. That means a user can create a scene named “I’m home” that turns on the lights, unlocks your doors, and turns on the air conditioner with just one command.
So, with the ever increasing “connected” world, it appears that offering consumers just a smartphone app won’t cut it anymore. Your brand needs to follow your audience wherever they may be in order to stay relevant in their lives. This means offering them apps everywhere (or App Everywhere℠ as we like to say), in the car, on their wrist, and now … in their homes.
The key to staying connected starts with us. Give us a call at 248-353-9030 or email sales@jacapps.com for valuable input on your brand’s mobile strategy.
