Sonos speakers can now communicate with GE Appliances

If you own a recent Sonos speaker, chances are you already use it to control smart home devices like Philips Hue lightbulbs. With a new integration from GE Appliances, you can now get notifications from your appliances as well — provided they’re GEA-branded, of course. With the new functionality, your Sonos speaker can alert you when the oven is preheated or a dishwasher cycle is complete through notifications you can set up in the GEA SmartHQ app. With today’s launch, Sonos speakers can communicate with GEA-branded ovens, cooktops and refrigerators, but in the future, GEA says the notification functionality will work with its full portfolio of appliances.

For Sonos, this one of the first non-music integrations the company has done. It’s also one that makes a lot of sense. Since it came out with the Sonos One, the company has consistently argued that one of the strengths of its ecosystem is flexibility. You’re not tied to a shortlist of streaming platforms or, for that matter, a specific voice assistant. You can mix and match those as you wish, to the point it’s possible to use a combination like YouTube Music, Alexa and AirPlay 2 on the same device. Adding GE connectivity makes the company’s speakers even more versatile.