App control for washers

I'm not sure though but I have heard it mentioned on a youtube channel for blind people.

I don't have any Appliances though, so I'd listen to others who do.

I use a Maytag washing machine with their accessible app. I did need help from a sighted person to set it up. Also, needed to use some tactile stickers to identify the buttons needed to start machine.

"I bought a Samsung washing machine and dryer in November.
From the mobile app, I can do almost everything.
The panel additionally has buttons marked in Braille for turning on, starting, a button for enabling smart control, and the others.
The knob makes a sound when changing positions, and when the menu wraps back to the first position, the sound is slightly different.

Samsung appliances predictably use the Smart Things app. I used a Samsung washer at a friend's house for a month and found the app very accessible. The panel on the machine only had those awful capacitive buttons, and at first I was hitting things accidentally, despite there being "p" and "s" Braille labels next to them. Once I got the app going, I went that route. Only the higher-end models have this, but still half the price of a Bosch. I have a non-smart Bosch now, and wish I could afford a smart one: the drive doesn't use a belt, and as a result it's been running perfectly for 17 years until a couple of weeks ago.

A bit late to this conversation. I don't tend to post often. This is one topic I feel I could help lend a hand.

The LG ThinkQ app makes some LG washer and dryer units accessible. Each unit provides a different experience. I specifically purchased the following LG product:

Model: SWWE50N3
Product Name: STUDIO WashTower Stacked SMART Laundry Center in Noble Steel 5.0 Cu.Ft. Front Load Washer & 7.4 Cu.Ft. Electric Dryer

Note: Gas dry model is SWWG50N3

One source of information, here is the link to the product page at Home Depot:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/LG-STUDIO-WashTower-Stacked-SMART-Laundry-Center-in-Noble-Steel-5-0-Cu-Ft-Front-Load-Washer-7-4-Cu-Ft-Electric-Dryer-SWWE50N3/324595210

Physical description:

This is a stacked unit, but it is also LG's largest tower. There isn't a single physical button on the unit. However, the power buttons and start / pause buttons are static elements on the touch screen that never move. I placed large tactile dots just below each of these, so that i can touch directly above these dots to activate the power and start. For low vision users, depending on vision conditions, the interface is bright large text on a dark or black background. Two low vision friends have commented at how they can use the unit quite well due to the minimalist UI and high contrast display.

This particular model is very large, you can easily wash bedding in it without feeling the barrel is overstuffed. It also has a self-dispensing feature for your washing product, and you only need to specify in the settings how much liquid you added and how many washes that liquid claims to be good for. It then calculates the proper dose based on the composition and weight of the laundry, and your washing routine choice. This is much better than trying to dose it yourself, no more random drops on your hands to go wash off if you don't get things perfectly poured.

The unit also has an easy to access lint trap in the dryer, and a cleanable filter for the dirty water hose that is accessed in the bottom left corner via a removable hatch. The act of cleaning it out is entirely tactile, if you're ok with getting your hands a bit dirty and know how to handle wast water situations. Running a cleaning cycle is recommended every 30 washes, and the app will remind you.

The app itself is quite accessible, however, it is also taking the risk that if the app becomes inaccessible, so does the machine itself. This means needing to immediately report any bugs to LG with actionable steps to reproduce, screen recordings, and a backup plan. The good news is that by default the machine runs a normal wash and normal dry with no interactions beyond turning it on and pressing start, so under the worst conditions you have a default wash and dry cycle. My use is exclusively via VoiceOver and these limited tactile markings I have installed, no visual assistance other than original configuration to get the unit on wifi.

Beyond the above warning, the app itself works quite well. I can pick a wash and dry cycle without issue. There are multiple optional preferences such as steam in the dryer, they appear as toggle switches and properly report dimmed if they don't qualify for a particular wash or dry routine. There is even an AI wash and dry cycle that uses a combination of sensors and weight to determine what materials are being washed and then later dried, it works quite well with loads of the same type of clothing, such as a load of shirts, underwear, sox, etc. Not so great for mixed loads where the materials make choosing a cycle style more ambiguous even for the AI.

Overall the app was quite accessible. Like many apps, some controls may have swipe order issues, and the occasional unlabeled button. I've taken the time to email support about a few of these, but they didn't prevent my usage so far. Even the timed dry controls are accessible, but appear out of swipe order. I have not encountered a show stopper yet.

I found the documentation to be readable, the manual comes as a PDF. It has a large section providing information about the various wash and dry cycles, which actually helps both save time with the wash and provides less stress for clothing when using the incorrect cycle. As an example, there is a cycle for towels that will spin cycle at an extreme speed, which isn't so gentle on your button down shirts. However, use it with a load of towels and they come out of the washer ready to dry so much faster having had the water squeezed out under incredible pressure in there. Having never had access to finite controls on a washing machine or dryer before, it is quite satisfying to know I'm no longer limited to a very basic machine or one where there are options but only the basics are accessible.

One of the best parts of having a machine like this compared with previous machines I've used, the opportunity to get a push notification that the thing is actually done. Not only that, but if I know ahead of time I am not going to be around to grab out the fresh dry items that wrinkle, I can set a wrinkle guard that occasionally turns the unit back on for a few moments and tumbles the load under light heat to keep the wrinkles from forming.

Hopefully this is enough detail to consider giving the LG products a try. The real challenging part is knowing if a specific model is going to work just as well, or perhaps not at all. Thus, I can only speak to the exact model I listed above. It might be overkill for some people, so consider looking at similar models that may be smaller in capacity or lacking premium features like the automatic dispenser if you don't want to spend as much on a machine like this.

I sure hope this was useful information, it took a few moments to write this review, but if you're going to be spending good money on an appliance you hope is going to be fully accessible, at this time, this model at least works perfectly well for my needs as a VoiceOver user living entirely independently.

Thanks,
Ryan

Hi Ryan, Excellent review. As you say the total dependence on an app that can go inaccessible at any time is kind of scary. But it seems to be the world we're living in. I now want one of these LG with all those features! Haha.

Do you know the measurements of this unit? You said it was a stackable, so is it very tall, also how wide is it? Asking for a couple that I am friends with. Their washer and dryer currently our separate machines, but both are seeing their last days. One is cited, so he can help with any accessibility issues, the other is fully blind, and is mainly the one that does laundry. I figure this will be the best of both worlds for the both of them.

Thanks in advance.

A couple of years ago, I had to buy a new washer/dryer. And you can still get one with good old fashion buttons on it. The one I chose is an Amana . The washer has very few buttons and the dryer only has two. Easy peasy!

From the product website:
https://www.lg.com/us/washers-dryers/lg-swwe50n3-washtower#pdp_specs

Carton (WxHxD)
30 1/16" x 79 11/32" x 33 23/32"
Depth with Door Open
57 3/8"
Product (WxHxD)
27" x 74 3/8" x 32 3/4"
Weight (Product/Carton)
333 lbs/368 lbs

I believe carton refers to the packing box.

Thank you for the info. :-)