LG's new AI will tell you if you're using your fridge wrong
LG Proactive Customer Care helps you maintain your appliances and alerts you to potential issues, including issues with how you're using them.
Don't block the airflow of your fridge or put too much soap in your washing machine, or LG's app will yell at you. LG calls the feature "Proactive Customer Care," and plans to debut it at the IFA Tech Showcase in Berlin next week. A new part of LG's ThinQ app, the feature uses artificial intelligence to monitor compatible appliances for potential problems like temperature drops or poor air flow. When something's amiss, it'll fire off an app alert before the problem escalates.
LG Proactive Customer Care will roll out to Europe first on new front-load washing machines and bottom-freezer refrigerators -- next year, LG plans to bring it to the US, too. The intelligence behind the service is specifically designed to help you maximize the lifespan of your appliances, and it might scold you about how you're using them to help.
The service specifically looks for examples of misuse, malfunction or needed maintenance. If you overcrowd your fridge and limit airflow, it will tell you. It can also alert you if you put too much soap in your washing machine. Proactive Customer Care will send you alerts if it's time to change a filter or if it detects something is wrong like a drainage issue for the washer or temperature fluctuations for the fridge.
Read more: LG's new fridge makes clear ice for cocktails.
LG will also send you regular reports about your appliance, complete with tips for using it more efficiently to save money on energy costs.
While Proactive Customer Care might not make appliance repairs a thing of the past, it could still make for a smart selling point -- provided it proves more helpful than annoying.