Mercedes-Benz is adding a new feature to its MBUX Voice Assistant. Starting today, the tech will receive smart home functionality, allowing users to control their in-home appliances and security equipment with their voice.
The new MBUX Voice Assistant smart home feature supports products from Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, TP-Link, and myQ by Chamberlain Group. Devices and equipment users can control include lights, smart plugs, thermostats, motion detectors, and garage doors.
The service also allows users to check the status of several home appliances and systems with a simple voice request. Users can ask, “Hey Mercedes, is everything okay at home?” The system could respond: “All the windows are closed, and the light is still on in the bedroom.” The new update can connect different smart home systems simultaneously.
Users can connect their smart home accounts through the vehicle by simply asking, “Hey Mercedes, connect my smart home account.” This generates a QR code on the central display that users can scan with their smartphone and streamline the process. Users can also add accounts through the Mercedes me connect mobile app.
The new feature set arrives as Mercedes releases a larger update for its MBUX infotainment system this month. The automaker brought Dolby Atmos sound to its vehicles through the over-the-air upgrade. It included other Voice Assistant updates that allow users to control infotainment features, like playing a song or reading the news, with the addition of the NewsFlash app.
Mercedes also brings the YouTube web app to select 2024 vehicles. The list includes the S-Class, the EQE, and the EQS equipped with Entertainment Package Plus. The Hyperscreen in the EQE and EQS also receive increased functionality, allowing passengers to listen to dynamic content with in-car audio and to select a personalization photo for the dedicated screen. The company offered the update on more than 700,000 vehicles worldwide.
Mercedes is readying the third generation of its MBUX system for 2025. We got a taste of the infotainment updates earlier this year, which includes an array of app integrations like Angry Birds, TikTok, Zoom, and the Vivaldi web browser. The next-gen system also includes automations, making it easier to change several vehicle settings, like HVAC, seat cooling, and the radio station, with one command.
That tech is still a few years away, but the complimentary smart home function is available now on Mercedes vehicles equipped with MBUX Voice Assistant. It does not require any package upgrades or additional cost to use.
