BSH (Bosch Siemens Hausgerate) is launching a unifying platform called HomeConnect designed to connect all your home appliances, regardless of the brand.

Talking at the IFA Global Press Conference 2014 in Belek, Turkey, Dr Claudia Happ, digital transition project leader for HomeConnect, introduced the new platform, saying that BSH research revealed that 90 per cent of customers had different home appliance brands in the home, but 66 per cent want one app to connect to them all.

Outside the core needs of flexibility, usability and efficiency, customers revealed through BSH research that connectivity was high on the list of desired features, allowing remote control and service functions.

HomeConnect will be an open platform, designed so that a range of domestic appliance manufacturers will be able to use it, not just Bosch and Siemens.

Aiming for interoperability, BSH wants to deliver one app, saving customers from needing to use a different app for each different device. Currently there is no set standard for appliance connectivity, but BSH confirmed today that the aim would be to have HomeConnect work with other domestic control systems, so in the future it could be integrated into a larger home control service.

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HomeConnect will use the home Wi-Fi network to connect devices, offering access through the HomeConnect app over mobile networks when away from home. 

The new HomeConnect service will be officially unveiled at IFA 2014 in Berlin in September, alongside new connected appliances from Bosch and Siemens. Initially rolling out in Germany and another yet-to-be revealed country, HomeConnect is designed to be a global platform, launching on iOS in 2014 and Android in 2015.

Connected appliances have been on the agenda, with the likes of LG and Samsung launching connected devices recently, looking to integrate them with other same-brand products.

BSH said that security would be high on the agenda, however, referring to the recent incident where a rogue connected fridge played a part in a spam email cyber attack.