Why everything has to be controlled with a phone

This article was originally published in the issue of AVPlus magazine 4/2024 (#228).

Text Teppo HirviKunnas

The idea of the topic arose when we tested new online music players, which, like many other devices, are designed to be controlled primarily through a phone app. While the apps can offer added value and improve the user experience, they also bring significant challenges and questions with them.

One of the key problems is that controlling devices via a phone requires the phone to be always on hand. This may sound like a trivial issue, but it increasingly ties us to devices that many of us are trying to consciously get rid of. While technology aims to make everyday life smoother, in many cases it makes simple functions unnecessarily complex. For example, starting the amplifier and starting music playback, which used to be done with a few button presses, now may require several steps through an app. If only the phone happens to be connected to the home network and the device has been updated to update the software.

Many of us find ourselves longing for traditional buttons and remotes. They were simple, always at hand, and worked without additional steps or app updates. As technology advances, we should consider when it really makes our lives easier and when it unnecessarily complicates them. Could it be that in some cases, a return to simpler solutions would be appropriate?

Teppo Hirvikunnas
Chief Editor