Hands on with Siri in the shower thanks to U by Moen

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2019
In 2018, Moen announced the U by Moen shower unit, promising HomeKit support down the line. That time has finally come and AppleInsider was on hand to see what it really was like to use Siri to control our shower.




We were more than skeptical going into the U by Moen, but after testing out, it may have won us over. There is no getting around that the U by Moen is expensive, but HomeKit seems a worthwhile addition to a traditionally low-tech fixture.






The basics of the unit include a non-touch screen wall controller that gives you the shower's status, as well as a few buttons for jumping to presets or controlling the shower without your device. As the water approaches the selected temperature, the screen changes color to be easily glanceable.

Then of course, you have the HomeKit integration. Here, you can view the shower status in the Home app, turn on the water, change the temperature, toggle the showerhead, and toggle the hand wand.

The perks of HomeKit and Siri support don't come in way of trying to make turning a shower on easier than a simple knob, but it is creating presets and tying it into scenes. For instance, you can ask Siri to set your post-workout scene where the bathroom lights and shower both turn on to their appropriate color and temperature respectively.

It also can help save water. When you turn it on to heat up, it will reach temperature and pause as to not send water down the drain unnecessarily.




In our testing, U by Moen was extremely fast and responsive and we could see the utility of being able to turn it on from anywhere in the home, always having the shower and lights set to your preference. It is useful for multiple people in the home who prefer different temperatures where they don't have to spend time twisting the knob waiting for it to get to the perfect temp.

AppleInsider will be attending the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show starting on January 8 through January 11 where we're expecting 5G devices, HomeKit, 8K monitors and more. Keep up with our coverage by downloading the AppleInsider app, and follow us on YouTube, Twitter @appleinsider and Facebook for live, late-breaking coverage. You can also check out our official Instagram account for exclusive photos throughout the event.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 23
    First Siri 'finally jumps into your shower' (https://iphone.appleinsider.com/articles/19/01/06/siri-finally-jumps-into-your-shower-with-upcoming-u-by-moen-showerhead-update), now 'hands on with Siri  in the shower'.

    😬
    randominternetpersonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 23
    mf2kmf2k Posts: 11member
    Was there actual pricing? Can you divulge it please? If Mac users can buy a $5k iMac Pro, then they can afford a Moen smart shower head.  :)
    jbdragon
  • Reply 3 of 23
    Ridiculous. Is a toilet next because we’re all too lazy to flush and want Siri to do it for us?
    minicoffee
  • Reply 4 of 23
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,717member
    We were more than skeptical going into the U by Moen, but after testing out, it may have one us over.
    I'm somewhat skeptical two
    jkrarupmaltztokyojimudewmebeowulfschmidtdoctwelve
  • Reply 5 of 23
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,305member
    Ridiculous. Is a toilet next because we’re all too lazy to flush and want Siri to do it for us?
    You don't have to buy it, but I think it's kind of nice. I wouldn't mind having it. Being able to just jump in the shower with it already at the correct temp. Setting up scenes can really make things nice. There's already lots of fancy toilets, and I think some are already voice controlled.

    Here you go, back in 2012.

    Here you go, a do it yourself toilet flusher from 2015.

    Here's another!!!

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2018/01/08/flush-new-kohler-toilet-operates-voice-command/1014261001

    So I guess we're now past ridiculous. There's others,...
    edited January 2019
  • Reply 6 of 23
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    mf2k said:
    Was there actual pricing? Can you divulge it please? If Mac users can buy a $5k iMac Pro, then they can afford a Moen smart shower head.  :)
    PC users buy $5000 PC for gaming too, troller! 
    AppleExposedroundaboutnowRayz2016StrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 23
    jbdragon said:
    Ridiculous. Is a toilet next because we’re all too lazy to flush and want Siri to do it for us?
    You don't have to buy it, but I think it's kind of nice. I wouldn't mind having it. Being able to just jump in the shower with it already at the correct temp. Setting up scenes can really make things nice. There's already lots of fancy toilets, and I think some are already voice controlled.

    Here you go, back in 2012.

    Here you go, a do it yourself toilet flusher from 2015.

    Here's another!!!

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2018/01/08/flush-new-kohler-toilet-operates-voice-command/1014261001

    So I guess we're now past ridiculous. There's others,...
    Uh huh.


  • Reply 8 of 23
    maltzmaltz Posts: 453member
    Ok, while it's certainly extravagant, I can see some utility in displaying the temperature and having presets.  But Siri integration is just ridiculous.  I can't conceive of an instance where I'd want to operate a shower by voice or remotely.  At least none that don't involve a prank.  lol  Even for the disabled, if you're capable of bathing yourself at all, you're capable of operating a shower knob.
    randominternetpersonelijahg
  • Reply 9 of 23
    larryjwlarryjw Posts: 1,031member
    This stuff counts as innovation? Pathetic. A fidget spinner has more utility.
  • Reply 10 of 23
    Forget Siri to control my shower, please point me to an option for Siri from my shower.  I listen to podcasts in the shower via a basic Bluetooth speaker perched near the shower, but to do anything more complicated than change the volume I have to reach for my phone.
    minicoffee
  • Reply 11 of 23
    larryjw said:
    This stuff counts as innovation? Pathetic. A fidget spinner has more utility.
    Oh!  How about a voice-enabled, battery-operated fidget spinner that pairs with your smart phone?
  • Reply 12 of 23
    fallenjt said:
    mf2k said:
    Was there actual pricing? Can you divulge it please? If Mac users can buy a $5k iMac Pro, then they can afford a Moen smart shower head.  :)
    PC users buy $5000 PC for gaming too, troller! 
    No, we buy $1,500 worth of parts and put it together ourselves.
  • Reply 13 of 23
    maltz said:
    Ok, while it's certainly extravagant, I can see some utility in displaying the temperature and having presets.  But Siri integration is just ridiculous.  I can't conceive of an instance where I'd want to operate a shower by voice or remotely.  At least none that don't involve a prank.  lol  Even for the disabled, if you're capable of bathing yourself at all, you're capable of operating a shower knob.
    Kohler is supposed to be shipping (some day) a tub faucet that supports HomeKit. I already have a “Bath time” HomeKit scene set up for when we have to give our daughter a bath. Being able to add the faucet, that Kohler says will dispense water to a specific capacity and temperature, to the scene and start it a few minutes before we need to be in the bathroom would be very handy. Currently we have to start the water, check the temperature with our finger, adjust, check, maybe adjust again and then turn it off at the right depth. That’s potentially wasted time if it could be automated. 

    While not entirely the same I can see myself setting up a morning shower HomeKit scene that sets the lights and temperature for me while I’m rolling out of bed. How is this a bad thing?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 23
    I thought this was funny at first but i'm starting to use Siri more and more as she becomes able to do things. I've been surprised that she is becoming useful. Lots is changing recently. 

    So for me, a scenario I could see isgetting home and telling my shower to warm up. I take care of my dog and other things so that when I get upstairs, I can jump in. Not a huge win, but if I never expended any time to start it (i.e. voice commands can be given while taking off my shoes), then that 30-60 seconds of time saved is kinda nice. 

    I don't know if I would buy this... but in the future the price may enter my range of convenience. 
    edited January 2019 watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 23
    cwingrav said:
    I thought this was funny at first but i'm starting to use Siri more and more as she becomes able to do things. I've been surprised that she is becoming useful. Lots is changing recently. 

    So for me, a scenario I could see isgetting home and telling my shower to warm up. I take care of my dog and other things so that when I get upstairs, I can jump in. Not a huge win, but if I never expended any time to start it (i.e. voice commands can be given while taking off my shoes), then that 30-60 seconds of time saved is kinda nice. 

    I don't know if I would buy this... but in the future the price may enter my range of convenience. 
    I hope it reminds you after a few minutes.  Otherwise I would expect quite a few "oh #### the shower has been running for an hour because I got distracted and forgot about it" situations.
  • Reply 16 of 23
    Siri, wash my pits. 😷


    I want a Siri bidet to go along with my Squatty Potty. 💩
  • Reply 17 of 23
    maltzmaltz Posts: 453member
    maltz said:
    Ok, while it's certainly extravagant, I can see some utility in displaying the temperature and having presets.  But Siri integration is just ridiculous.  I can't conceive of an instance where I'd want to operate a shower by voice or remotely.  At least none that don't involve a prank.  lol  Even for the disabled, if you're capable of bathing yourself at all, you're capable of operating a shower knob.
    Kohler is supposed to be shipping (some day) a tub faucet that supports HomeKit. I already have a “Bath time” HomeKit scene set up for when we have to give our daughter a bath. Being able to add the faucet, that Kohler says will dispense water to a specific capacity and temperature, to the scene and start it a few minutes before we need to be in the bathroom would be very handy. Currently we have to start the water, check the temperature with our finger, adjust, check, maybe adjust again and then turn it off at the right depth. That’s potentially wasted time if it could be automated. 

    While not entirely the same I can see myself setting up a morning shower HomeKit scene that sets the lights and temperature for me while I’m rolling out of bed. How is this a bad thing?
    A tub faucet would be way more useful.  It could even compensate the water temperature for the volume of water that came out before the hot water arrived, so the tub as a whole is the desired temperature.  It also takes a lot more time to fill a tub than to warm up a shower, so it could send a notification when it's done, etc.  As for the 30-60 seconds it takes for a shower to warm up, there are other (probably much cheaper) ways to make that almost instant already.
    AppleExposed
  • Reply 18 of 23
    Ridiculous. Is a toilet next because we’re all too lazy to flush and want Siri to do it for us?
    larryjw said:
    This stuff counts as innovation? Pathetic. A fidget spinner has more utility.
    You're not reading the articles or are being willfully obtuse. Picture this, you pull up to your house and while you're getting out of your car, you tell Siri to get a shower ready. While you're entering the house, your shower begins heating up to your preset temperature, reaches it, and pauses water output until you reach your bathroom and enter the shower, saving you time and water. Maybe you have it attached to a HomeKit scene that also plays the news on your HomePod and turns the closet lights on for when you're ready to get dressed. This is something people do *every day* and many people place great value on their time.

    Guess which utility bill is by far my highest? Water. The fact it saves water means it pays for itself given enough time and usage.

    "A fidget spinner has more utility" is the dumbest thing I've read all week.

    cwingrav said:
    I thought this was funny at first but i'm starting to use Siri more and more as she becomes able to do things. I've been surprised that she is becoming useful. Lots is changing recently. 

    So for me, a scenario I could see isgetting home and telling my shower to warm up. I take care of my dog and other things so that when I get upstairs, I can jump in. Not a huge win, but if I never expended any time to start it (i.e. voice commands can be given while taking off my shoes), then that 30-60 seconds of time saved is kinda nice. 

    I don't know if I would buy this... but in the future the price may enter my range of convenience. 
    I hope it reminds you after a few minutes.  Otherwise I would expect quite a few "oh #### the shower has been running for an hour because I got distracted and forgot about it" situations.
    Reading is fundamental: "It also can help save water. When you turn it on to heat up, it will reach temperature and pause as to not send water down the drain unnecessarily."
    edited January 2019 StrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 23
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    I tend to lean on the techy side, and always intrigued by smart-home "stuff" announcements...
    but this one leaves me cold. (pun intended). Nothing I'd bother with even if it was far cheaper than the current $1300-$2300 price (plus install)

    Some things are just a little too Wall-E IMO.
    edited January 2019
  • Reply 20 of 23
    Andrew_OSUAndrew_OSU Posts: 573member, editor
    Forget Siri to control my shower, please point me to an option for Siri from my shower.  I listen to podcasts in the shower via a basic Bluetooth speaker perched near the shower, but to do anything more complicated than change the volume I have to reach for my phone.
    Have you seen the new SimpleHuman mirror? 

    https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/01/07/new-simplehuman-airplay-2-equipped-vanity-mirror-debuts-at-ces

    It utilizes AirPlay 2. Much easier to stream to over Bluetooth. Plus, you can use Siri to adjust the volume without touching your phone.
    watto_cobra
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