LG Electronics has announced that new products set to debut in the United States during the first half of the year – from appliances to air solutions to home entertainment devices – will allow consumers to communicate, control, monitor and share content via the popular “LINE” mobile messenger platform and the unique LG HomeChat service. LG will unveil its latest generation of smart innovations that use LG HomeChat’s Natural Language Processing technology at the 2015 International CES.

Via HomeChat, LG’s virtual assistant, users can control and operate their LG products through text and voice messages from the LINE messenger app on their mobile devices. With 350 million users worldwide, LINE is available on most major smartphone platforms, including Android and iOS. HomeChat also offers customized recommendations for each user based on usage history, patterns, personal preferences and more.

With HomeChat, users can now use three main smart functions for everyday situations: Vacation, Leaving Home, and Coming Home modes. The Vacation and Leaving Home modes allow users to ensure the products are using minimal energy with LG’s Smart Saving technology, or are powered off while away from the home for an extended period of time. The Coming Home mode can help users prepare the home for their arrival by turning on the Smart Air Conditioner remotely, for example, or by requesting recipe suggestions from the Smart Oven.

“We find that consumers always look for an easier way to manage their busy households, and HomeChat helps simplify the process of communicating with appliances.  Now, users can ‘speak’ naturally with their appliances through text without having to input special computer commands,” said T.J. Lee, senior vice president, home appliances, LG Electronics USA. “We will continue to lead the industry with our smart home technologies and advance its availability in the U.S. market.”

Smart Refrigerator

Thanks to the messaging capabilities of HomeChat, new LG smart refrigerators can provide users with real-time status updates anywhere, at any time, proving most helpful when grocery shopping (users can see what’s currently in the fridge from its interior camera). Meanwhile, the Smart Saving function allows the refrigerator to consume minimal energy when users are outside the home. Family members can even upload photos to the refrigerator from their smartphones via LINE, which can then be displayed on the appliance’s exterior display panel.

Smart Laundry

Using HomeChat, users can quickly and simply monitor laundry progress, seeing how much time is left in a cycle and even remotely stopping cycles altogether in their smart washer or dryer, if needed. Users can also download new cycles such as Wool, Baby Careand Cold Wash that suit the user’s needs and to always keep the washer updated.

Smart Oven

The Recipe Search function, along with HomeChat allow users to communicate directly with their smart oven, collecting recipe recommendations and discovering exactly which ingredients are needed. Conveniently, the oven will then auto-select the appropriate setting, which helps users avoid the hassle of having to manually set the cooking mode, as well as provide alerts when recipe updates become available. Another convenience feature allows users to remotely monitor the status of the oven, keeping a close eye on the cooking time of those tasty treats.

Smart Air Conditioner

Users can also interact with LG’s smart air conditioner systems via HomeChat to receive up-to-the-minute status updates, including details on current and desired temperatures, power mode, fan speed and more. This allows consumers to more conveniently monitor the air conditioner’s energy usage, which can ultimately help lead to enhanced energy efficiency and cost savings.

Smart Multi-Room Audio Systems

LG’s Music Flow Wi-Fi portable speakers allow consumers to build a custom home audio system that can be controlled using LG’s Music Flow mobile app, and are compatible with Android and iOS devices. Through HomeChat, users can communicate directly with the speakers with simple text commands such as “play songs for party” or “turn off music after one hour.” The speakers can also act as a personal assistant, setting alarms and alerting users of upcoming events on command.