SmartHQ Reviews

by SpicyGuy13

SmartHQ is not intuitive and barely works at all with the Cafe Affetto espresso machine.

It states that you can adjust the brew temperature of the machine. As of January 2022 you cannot change the brew temperature because there is no setting for that in SmartHQ . In spite of that it clearly states that the brew temperature can be changed. It cannot.

The MyCup setting is supposed to allow you to choose either Ristretto, Doppio, Triple or Red Eye and the ability to adjust the Grind Time, Espresso Volume and Brew Temperature. In fact, you cannot change the brew volume for anything except the Ristretto and the options for that are .25, .50, .75 and 1.0oz. But no matter which volume you select, the setting is not honored by the machine and you only get .25oz of espresso. Again, no setting for Brew Temperature.

The MyCup options for Doppio, Triple and Red Eye have the settings for Grind Time and Espresso Volume but you can't change anything and the default is 5.5 sec Grind Time, 1.0 oz Brew Volume. Again, no setting for Brew Temperature. But the volume actually delivered is only .25oz.

SmartHQ is a good reason not to choose the Cafe Affetto machine since that app is the only way to in theory adjust the Grind Time and customize the MyCup settings. But it fails at both those tasks and is therefore useless, making the Cafe Affetto not as customizable as advertised.

by Bananadan

For the life of me I can not see where this app stores credentials. I have just reset my password twice. IOS asks if I want to use their provided “strong password.” I say yes. Then try and log in. “Invalid Credentials.” Rinse Repeat. Frustrating, non-standard and just plain stupid. I am sure there’s a workaround, but it’s not obvious. When working this is a three star program - - not elegant but does allow control of timers and ovens, and alerts you when timer is up or temperature is reached.

Update: the developer suggests I re-install the program after deleting. Needless to say this is a worthless suggestion that I have already tried four times to no avail. I finally solved my log-in problem; if you’re looking for your password in either Keychain or iOS you’ll find it under “force” with no logo or other clue to relate it to this app, Cafe or GE Appliances. That alone is a piece of incompetent programming. Finally I am now in an endless loop where my oven tells me there’s a software update and asks if I want it do it or not, but then goes ahead without waiting for approval. After that, it says “loading” - - but I have a fast internet connection and after more than an hour it still says “loading.” Endless loop of idiotic behavior. If I could give less than one star, I would.

by Valerie_13730

SmartHQ was awesome until the new iOS came out, now it doesn’t function properly. I was able to open SmartHQ and see thrasher and dryer active state and history, and that it was sending notifications, however the notifications do not come through. After verifying my phone settings and app setting did not change with any of the updates, I force updated my app. When that didn’t work, I tried deleting and reinstalling my washer and dryer. Still no cycle notifications. Then I deleted SmartHQ and reinstalled it, and I cannot log back in, it says the password is incorrect. So I attempted to reset the password via the forgotten password link, and that seemed successful, but when I try to log back in I get a message that says “invalid credentials”.
The Wi-Fi cycle notifications may seem like a minor thing, but for me, a forgetful person with a lot going on, they are a lifesaver. Yesterday I completely forgot a load of towels in the washer, and had to rewash them today because they sat overnight and half the morning and already didn’t smell fresh again. It’s a total bummer that this isn’t working and hasn’t been for a little over a week now. I don’t have an issue with any of my other apps, so I’m pretty sure it’s SmartHQ and not my phone.

by Tanner9899

This is the second app that no longer works from this company… The first all stopped working and I had to use the other 1-star reviews in order to find SmartHQ to use my window Air Conditioner. Now after using SmartHQ for a few months, I attempt to open SmartHQ and connect to change my settings, and it “cannot connect to wifi”. I tried everything and still nothing. Delete and reinstall and app and it just gets stuck on a blank screen when you click sign in. I am now unable to use my appliance yet again due to another alp not working… Hopefully I like it either on full blast, or off. How hard is it to make an app that works properly? A group of high-schoolers could do it better than this entire company.

If you do not already own a GE appliance and you are reading this, DO NOT waste your money on this dumpster-fire, I am begging you

If you do already own a GE appliance: Good luck!

by Rgunther

I was glad to see the rebranding of GE’s awkwardly-named GE U+ Connect app to something a little more streamlined. It’s prettier, sure, but I’m not sure it really delivers what I want as a connected appliance owner. First off, this app and the associated icon tells me nothing as I’m swiping through apps trying to find the one that operates my appliances. Second, the capabilities really haven’t gotten any better for my connected Microwave. I stopped getting notifications over a year ago, and they’ve never started up again. The library of products I can scan to cook in the microwave also seems to have stagnated, and multi-step cooks just don’t work beyond the first heating stage. As I added new washers and dryers, it took me forever to find the option to rename each so I could tell them apart. And SmartHQ still only supports one home, so appliances between my primary and vacations homes are all mixed in together. This is GE and Haier. I expect better from a name of this caliber. It suggests that Haier, like so many other connected product manufacturers, just isn’t dedicating the budget and talent to SmartHQ that’s necessary to continue to add value beyond just plugging in new product models.

by KY Redhead

I’ve had a smart connect washer/dryer for several years. Everything worked great at first. But all my problems since have been with app communications. SmartHQ no longer sends messages to my phone (iPhone 12 Pro Max). I can look in SmartHQ and see the messages but I can no longer get proactive notifications. When this happened before, I was told that I had to delete and then reinstall SmartHQ . Which also meant that I had to reattach each device to SmartHQ . Having to reattach the GE Devices to SmartHQ happens far too often. That resolution is too painful. So now when I start the dryer, I set a timer on my phone for the anticipated finish time. I can then look in SmartHQ at the anticipated finish to get a more accurate finish — it’s always going to be longer than the first reported time. So then I can set another timer.

I like that I can turn the Extended Tumble on from SmartHQ . And the GE machines are excellent at cleaning and drying. Too bad the promised communications don’t work as they should. Drives me crazy.

by Davescontact

My biggest problem is that there is no documentation, or at least not that I can find. How can I figure out how to operate the features? Getting the thing hooked up was a bit of a guessing game. I have a washer and dryer which have external “u-connect” modules. I did manage to trial and error guess at the correct settings. A little documentation would have helped. So now I can see the status of both washer and dryer but can’t figure out how to control them, like change a setting remotely or start the dryer remotely. No docs to look up how-to stuff. Otherwise, SmartHQ does notify me (a lot—can we control which notifications we really want? Do I really need a loud notification that the washer is 5 minutes from being done and another loud notification when it actually is done? And another one badgering me to remove the clothes after 30 minutes? And three more similar notifications from the dryer?). Maybe there is a complete user guide somewhere or even a quick start guide? I could not find it.

by Kwalk14

The worst thing about Cafe smart appliances is, they’re wifi connected but can’t directly update themselves. They require your phone to be screen ON and in SmartHQ for 30 minutes at a time to update and half the time it fails. Nobody has time for that. I’ve tried to update this stupid thing 3 times. And timers set in SmartHQ no longer function. I just can’t use it at all.

The only thing SmartHQ does for the fridge is allow you to schedule hot water or notify you if the door is left open. On the fridge and in SmartHQ , there is no real-time temperature display even though I know it has precision sensors. I know this because I can “hack” a way to display the current fridge and freezer temps by changing the current fridge and freezer settings. Doing this will display current temperature. It would also be great to be able to see how long it will take the refrigerator to get back down to the current setting after new food has been loaded or the doors were left open for too long. It would also be good to know if that time is longer than ok for food safety reasons. Oh yeah, and there’s a feedback option in SmartHQ that literally doesn’t work. Doesn’t do anything. You type your feedback and then it doesn’t accept the submission

by YZ600R

I downloaded SmartHQ because the ge app became broken and still has not been updated or fix. SmartHQ allowed me to once again use the smart features I payed extra for on my ge ac. However I have a few things I don’t like one is the adds I rent so most of the smart devices out there are not worth my investment because I don’t own the property, SmartHQ recently now bothers me every time I use it to give it Bluetooth access on my phone yet my ac dos t have so there is no need for that access for me asking one and saying no should be enough not every time, the old ge app I had would show me the estimated usage by both the total day but I could also see by the hour it let me fine tune my settings through out the day as I have to use it a lot in the summer so my dog is comfortable while we are at work I do miss that.

by Jedined

We have 2 appliances linked to SmartHQ , our range and refrigerator. The rang was built in, and if this review was just for that it would be 5 stars. Love the pre heat and timer complete pop up on phone. Based on that (and no easy way to control/know the temperature) we purchased the plug in unit for the refrigerator. For everything it does one would think that if the door was open it would pop up on SmartHQ . It does not. Knowing that and being out of ear shot of the fridge would make the purchase a no brainer. At this point I would caution anyone purchasing the wifi enabler not to. The only other function that would be great is since the range and microwave communicate it would be great if those alerts would come through SmartHQ . Sadly the dishwasher we bought in the set is a model below compatibility.

by Jane Ellen+

We got SmartHQ to enable our new Hestan Cue pan to work with our range. We are enjoying the control that it offers, but getting used to it was harder than it needs to be.
Pros: the precision cooking that SmartHQ makes possible, and the recipes and suggestions that it offers.
Cons: instructions for syncing the pan with our range were not clear; it took quite a while and some persistence before we figured out how it was supposed to work. And the recipes are difficult to follow — not because of ingredients or technique, but because of the way they are written into SmartHQ . Having to click through all the successive steps one by one (some of which provide no information at all!) in order to figure out what’s going on is simply ridiculous.

by Amsmith69

I really like this GE washer that I bought. It’s the 850 and what I really like is the ability to link the washer to my phone app to see when the washer is done. Makes it handy when I get busy and forget about the clothes. I also like the smart dispenser to where you fill it and don’t have to refill each load. You can turn off smart dispenser and put in a different kind if you choose so you don’t have to use one kind every time. There is an autodose program to reorder detergeant so as not to run out and your machine determines when it’s time to reorder. What I don’t like is that it shakes a lot during spin. Sounds like it’s going to fall apart or run away. I checked to see if it’s level and it is still, amazingly. Would still recommend.

by Diddvgha

Originally we had a GE profile set. Absolutely loved how they talked to each other. The washer started to make noises so we decided to just get a new set. We stepped down from the profile series to a mid range set.
Cons:This set does not talk to one another and the washer is so tall, this 5’5” gal has to stand on her tip toes to reach clothes on the bottom. Also my old washer was much quieter. I know, the old set was a profile series but the old set is about 15 years old. Pros: This set does have a dispenser bin that holds up to 72oz of detergent which I love and has WiFi. I like the idea of being able to start the washer from my phone so that the load will be done by time I get home from work to put in the dryer. Speaking of the dryer. Oh my goodness. Love it! It’s so big and with our three Shiba Inus, gets all of the hair off the blankets. This is something the old dryer could not do.

by 1Mari4

I have filled the rinse aid cup until it starts overflowing having allowed burps and bubbles to clear before completing my task. I continue to get a message telling me the rinse cup needs filling. The instructions tell me I only need to fill it about once a month and I have filled it three or four times since we had the dishwasher installed, which was February 9, 2022.
I find this dishwasher is more difficult to load (I am learning) than my old Bosch, but having the extra spray under the utensil baskets is very nice and the little holders on some of the upper shelf tines is nice for holding down plastic refrigerator containers.
Egg yolk dried on a plate all day gets shiny and clean at the end of the day when the dishwasher runs.
All in all this dishwasher really gets the dishes clean! And that’s what we want isn’t it?

by Petekrueger

The classic story is that you leave the house and are worried that you might have left the stove on. Now you can pull up SmartHQ and see if it actually is on without turning around and going home! You can also turn off anything directly from SmartHQ , plus it gives you insights on how to make the most of your oven. I also really like that I can preheat my oven using just my voice from anywhere in the house!

I also love that they can add new features to the oven over the internet! They’ve pushed out new features and settings twice already in the year that we’ve owned it!

The downsides are that you can’t control everything with voice assistants. For example, I can ask Google to turn on the oven, but it can’t turn off the oven. ?? There’s also no HomeKit support.

by Alaskanspear

This is my first smart washer machine with the Smart HQ app. I am heavily invested into the smart home ecosystem. SmartHQ is great so far it gives me quick access to my washing machine. Things I love- 1. Quick access to see current status of load such as time left and what cycle it’s on 2. Ability to see how many washes I’ve done by day and month 3. How much is left in my auto dispense tray 4. Notifications!! this is awesome it tells me right away when there’s five minutes left in the load and then again when the load is complete even gets the notification on my smart watch love love love this!! 5. Stability …not once has my washing machine become disconnected from my network or had any issues with SmartHQ connecting to my washing machine Cons- i’m gonna be honest here… I really can’t think of any. I think these folks have done a wonderful job with SmartHQ so far …cannot wait to see what they do next

Update: would be cool to have the ability to see time left in cycle of both washer and dryer in Home Screen. Currently you can see they are both in a cycle on Home Screen but you need to select each on to see how much in time left.

by Playfulevil

Update: now SmartHQ works. They have fixed the password issue. I do love SmartHQ. It’s very convenient.

Previous review:
I used to be able to use SmartHQ for my ge washer. My husband and I both had SmartHQ . I didn’t realize that it had updated. He was using his. I kept trying to connect to the washer and kept getting to the last step. When I try to enter my WiFi password, SmartHQ will bounce and not allow me to enter it. I uninstalled and reinstalled thinking it would work. No go. Same issue. I asked my husband to disconnect. Still no go. Now I’m thinking I shouldn’t have had him disconnect because I think that when he comes back he won’t be able to connect again.

by Sew Happy Girl

We’ve had this oven for nearly two years now. I knew I’d love it but I didn’t realize how much. The new feature I wanted most in this was the ability to turn it on before I got home from work so it was preheated and ready to go when I got home. I use this feature OFTEN and I LOVE the convenience. The probe is another feature I had to have as we had it and loved it on the previous oven. Our other oven had it only in one and I like having it in both the upper and lower ovens. Finally, this oven has an amazing self-cleaning feature. I turn it on and just wipe it down when done. There is absolutely no scrubbing. The only thing I really do not like is the way the racks slide in and out. The bottom shelf is great; the others do not slide easily.

by K-Lovely

So far I have no complaints for my washer or dryer. They clean and dry extremely well, with plenty of options in each appliance. We opted for the washer without the self dispensing detergent feature because we were concerned about the tubes, etc. becoming clogged with detergent overtime. We saw no indication that this possibility was addressed with a flushing system after each wash and that’s probably needed if they want to have that handy feature without burdening buyers with future repairs but we could’ve overlooked something. All that said, that is literally the only feature I would want to add. Well, they need to continue working on the ventilation system to dry the area around the door seal after each wash. I don’t really see how that’s doing a whole lot? To avoid the possibility of mold, we try to be diligent about letting the door air out at the end of our wash week or wipe it down. Not a super big deal.
All in all, a solid machine so far, enjoying the WiFi feature that notifies me when loads are ✅.

by Justinphoto

We had the choice of other softeners, and having the ability to access information via WiFi seemed like a good idea, with smart home integration. It says how many days of salt are remaining and so forth, and said it would detect leaks. Well that sounds all good and well, and sounded like somewhat of a gimmick. Much to my surprise as doing things around the house, an alert was sent to my phone showing that a medium flow rate was detected and to check appliances and water connections. Turned out to be a toilet in our newly built house that wasn’t completely sealed when refilling. That alone makes us super happy to have Purchased such a great appliance. Additionally we’ve never had a softener and it sure is nice to not have to use as much shampoo or clean glass, etc near as vigorously. 6 days owned, already satisfied.

by Will Adama

What moron at GE/Café thought their customers who bought premium appliances like Café or Profile would enjoy looking at ads for window mounted air conditioners while checking to see if their oven was preheated? The new app is aesthetically awful: loud T-Mobile-like fuchsia with ridiculous icons. It’s functionally awful too.
They’ve obliterated the one “cool tech feature” of their appliances with this terrible app - not that the in-app refrigerator was actually useful, and the microwave/hood fan functionality is entirely missing, but the oven functionality was not useless. Now I’d rather delete SmartHQ entirely than see this abomination on my phone. The appliances are great, but the idiot in charge of Café apps should be fired.

by Jack Napis

Installed SmartHQ as I received an email saying that the (also terrible) Comfort app is about to be discontinued. Sign in with this new app is slow and tedious, and app doesn’t stay signed in. It’s ugly, functions poorly and includes annoying advertising content. Worst of all, air conditioners are not listed when trying to add an appliance. So, I now have no way of making use of my air conditioner’s wifi feature. What an obvious, stupid oversight.

by Lasorciere7

My GE Profile Range worked perfectly with the old app. When I tried to connect to SmartHQ it would not connect. I got a message to delete the Range and reconnect. Once I did that SmartHQ would not recognize my range at all. Support is a phone number. I do not want to sit on hold for hours to connect an appliance to an app. I want SmartHQ to work and clear troubleshooting instructions when it doesn’t.

by Happytwinsdad

Communicating with your appliance...
Communicating with your appliance...
Communicating with your appliance...
Communicating with your appliance...
Communicating with your appliance...

I used the previous version of GE’s app to connect to my double wall ovens about a year ago without much issue. Why do these companies ‘update’ their apps with something that is a complete piece of junk??

This is pathetic and the developers deserve to be fired.

1) Give users more feedback about what SmartHQ is doing - not an endless useless message.
2) Find creative ways to make your app work faster and more efficiently.
3) When developing apps keep in mind that the user’s experience translates into happy customers who always come back or infuriated customers who will never buy your products again.

by :)!:)!:)!:)!:)!:)!

I recently purchased a GE washer and dryer set that has smart WiFi built in. I’ve spent several days trying to get the dryer to connect and so far I’ve had no luck. This has been very disappointing, we purchased a set specifically for this reason. Why would a company sell a product and deliver with a crappy app that won’t allow you to use the equipment the way it is intended. I was tempted to buy a Maytag set but the higher price steered me towards these. I’ve called customer service but good luck with that... had I known that it would such a headache then I would have went with another brand.

by Bmattb

Edit: Once they get this working again, I’ll be happy but the most recent version of SmartHQ disconnected my oven and I’ve spent hours trying to get it to reconnect. (App connects to the Oven’s WiFi but just sits there “communicating” indefinitely.) It is currently worthless.

Look, I do not like GE appliances. My (now 2 y.o.) home came with GE Café appliances, and frankly, they’re all (DW, microwave, cooktop) awful other than the double ovens. Like, I literally hate them...

So when I say to you “ SmartHQ was the lone bright spot for me,” I want you to know where I’m coming from. I REALLY liked SmartHQ and the functionality it brought me.

But then some update killed notifications, and I just figured it was par for the GE course.

So when I saw others here reporting success with the notifications. I’d tried everything else, so I finally deleted and redownloaded SmartHQ (and re-registered it with GE.)

So, now I seem to be back to where I was. Notifications work again and I’m basically thrilled with the oven again. So if you’re having issues with notifications, try that.

I can control the oven, get notified when timers expire, etc. It really changes how I use and view the ovens.

Lone issue: why do I set the timezone of the oven through SmartHQ if it can’t automagically change the time for daylight savings? What net connected device can’t do that these days???

by Jj_lowkks

So I’ve been wanting to use the WiFi option for my washer/dryer for the longest and when I downloaded SmartHQ it takes more time to “register” then it is to wash your clothes . They ask for way too much information which why would they need it, if it’s an appliance app . They try to gather as much information as they can and to end it off SmartHQ does not work how it should.

by BabyDollSorbs

I had the old app and it was very user friendly and much more simple. Now the new version is way more complex and confusing, and it shouldn’t be. I do not know why it was “updated”. It was working great and didn’t need to be “improved”. Now it’s very frustrating! Thanks for “fixing” it! If it’s not broke- don’t fix it!

by OldPCUser

There are no ac units to select during setup new appliances. Kind of useless to me without them also.
Stay with the older app until this is fixed if you have window ac units you would like to control.

Updated my rating due to the quick developer response. Will update again when SmartHQ is finished.

by 49ers Fan II

Pretty basic user interface. Had problems setting it up initially because the sticker on the unit didn’t print the letters entirely. A “Z” looked like a 7 on the sticker. The person I talk to the customer support was helpful and patient with me and stayed on the phone until everything was working correctly. He mentioned that this is a pretty common problem.

by Me65112

After SmartHQ was fixed, I finally go to test it. I own GE profile refrigerator and oven. Both have smart features.

Oven:
For example, oven app control only works when you physically select “remote enable” on the oven, which is fine IF it stayed enabled. It turns off or disconnects after some time which defeats the purpose for controlling it remotely. You can preheat, set timer and turn on/off oven. You will get a text when preheat is done. SmartHQ will show you the overall status of the oven as well.
You CANNOT control the top burners at all! SmartHQ only shows that they are on or off.

Alexa:
You can also use Alexa to preheat oven and turn off. Alexa will not tell you when preheat is done but SmartHQ will text you or you can check in SmartHQ itself.
==================
Refrigerator:
Controls include dimming interior lights and on/off of water dispenser light, as well as setting fridge individual compartment temperatures.

Alexa hasn’t been able to control anything on the refrigerator.

All in all, SmartHQ is useful primarily for oven preheat and that’s about it.

Appliances themselves are very nice and feel of good quality.

by Sprambo

With the old app, I got notices on my Apple Watch when the pre-heat was done or when the cook time was complete. Now I don’t have that connection anymore. It was more convenient when my watch buzzed to give me the notification. I can’t find a way to get the Apple Watch connected back to SmartHQ .

by Cwhitet

Not sure why so many are having problems getting it to work. Got my new GE washer and dryer yesterday. Had SmartHQ connected to both and up and running within about 10 minutes. Wish it had a few more features, but so far so good

by This Does Not Get 5 Stars

I just downloaded this and thought it wasn’t going to work because of the reviews. I linked my oven (which took 15 min but they stated clearly it could take awhile) and can control it from my phone perfectly. I don’t think people are being patient enough with SmartHQ frankly. To set up it takes longer than just a 3 second Bluetooth connection. I have read some reviews saying after the update SmartHQ doesn’t work. I keep seeing the update button come up but I am not updating because SmartHQ works perfect right now.

by RxChief

I have a GE Profile Induction Range and a Vented Hood. I downloaded the GE app, and followed the instructions. I didn’t have any problems getting the appliances to connect to my home network. It took some time for SmartHQ to find the appliances in the cloud so be patient. Today, I ran an update to SmartHQ freaked out a bit when the range went totally dark. I called the customer service line and Dave said the update could take up to an hour, and that the range should come back online. He agreed to call back in an hour and if the ticket needed to be escalated, he would do that. He did call back as promised to check on me, (yay!) and by that time the range was back online. It has been fine since then. The vented hood is fine too.