SmartHQ vs Living Forward
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SmartHQ
Control and monitor smart appliances from multiple brands in one app. Receive notifications, update software, and personalize settings. Get expert help and track energy usage.
- Remote appliance control
- Appliance notifications
- Software updates
- Personalized settings
- Voice integration
- Energy/water usage monitoring
- AI cooking recipes
- Product registration
- Expert assistance
- Proactive service alerts
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SmartHQ: Your Connected Home Command Center Effortlessly control your smart appliances from GE Appliances, Profile, Café, Monogram, Fisher & Paykel, and Haier – all in one app. KEY FEATURES: • REMOTE CONTROL – Monitor and control your appliances from anywhere, ensuring peace of mind and convenience. • STAY INFORMED - Receive timely notifications about your appliances, including alerts and updates. • SOFTWARE UPDATES - Keep your appliances running smoothly with the latest software updates and access new features as they become available. • PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCE - Create shortcuts for frequently used functions and download new appliance modes. • VOICE INTEGRATION – Add your appliances to Amazon Alexa and Google Home hubs for voice control. • MONITOR ENERGY & WATER USAGE - Gain insights into your appliance's energy and water consumption, helping you make informed choices. • ENHANCED COOKING EXPERIENCE - Generate cooking recipes using Flavorly AI. Monitor your oven's progress with the built-in camera and pair accessories such as smart cookware and probes. • CONVENIENT PRODUCT REGISTRATION - Register all your GE appliances, even non-Wi-Fi models, for quick access to manuals, specs, and support. • GET EXPERT HELP - Access the SmartHQ Assistant for answers to your appliance questions. • PROACTIVE SERVICE - Receive service alerts when your appliance needs attention and use the diagnostics tool to troubleshoot issues. • SCHEDULE SERVICE - Schedule a technician visit or access appliance support contact information. *Note: Features may vary depending on your appliance model and country of residence. REMOTE CONTROL REQUIREMENTS: Requires a compatible SmartHQ-enabled appliance or SmartHQ Connect module. SmartHQ Connect modules can be purchased online: https://www.geapplianceparts.com/store/parts/spec/PBX23W00Y0?SpecType=SpecType. OPTIONAL APP PERMISSIONS: • Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth/BLE - Used for commissioning nearby appliances. • Notifications - Used for product updates and status notifications. • Camera/Media Files - Used for Flavorly Picture to Recipe feature. - To scan QR codes to add appliances. - To scan product barcodes and provide recipes. • Precise Location - Used for enabling Automation feature (i.e. Home/Away mode).
Living Forward
Discover the vibrant energy and natural beauty of Willow Valley Communities. This app serves as your personal guide to pursuing passions, making friends, and enjoying a healthy, active lifestyle within a captivating neighborhood.
- Experience community energy and friendliness
- Explore natural beauty and architectural elegance
- Pursue passions and make new friends
- Grow, learn, and engage
- Enjoy a healthy, vibrant lifestyle
- Create memories with family
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Living Forward is your personal guide to experiencing life at Willow Valley Communities. You’ll feel it the moment you arrive. It’s the energy and friendliness of the people who live and work here. The natural beauty of the landscaping and the architectural elegance of the buildings. The sense that you’re part of a diverse and captivating neighbourhood. It’s that simple, wonderful sense that, yes, this is the place. Willow Valley is a place where you can pursue your passions, make new friends, grow, learn, engage, and pursue a healthy, vibrant lifestyle. It’s also an ideal place for you and family to enjoy special times together and create new memories. Welcome to Willow Valley Communities.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Living Forward at 100% against SmartHQ's 17%. Living Forward also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). SmartHQ's advantage is ratings volume (89K vs 13) and rating (4.6 vs 4.3). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SmartHQ holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmartHQ has 89K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 17% of SmartHQ's written reviews are positive against 100% of Living Forward's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SmartHQ ships an update every 4 weeks, Living Forward every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SmartHQ | Living Forward |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (89K ratings) — better | 4.3 (13 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 17.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 89K — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #81 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 251 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | HAIER US APPLIANCE SOLUTIONS, INC | Alosant |
Customer experience
SmartHQ
Living Forward
Bugs and requests
SmartHQ
Reported bugs
6 issues- Account verification loop
- Inability to connect appliances to WiFi
- Crashes and freezes
- Inaccurate cycle tracking
- Disconnection issues
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- Incompatibility with certain devices
Requested features
7 requests- Allow setting favorites as default
- Provide more granular control over appliance settings
- Integrate with smart home platforms
- Add more customization options
- Improve notification controls
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- Provide access to appliance manuals
- Enable remote control of all appliance functions
Living Forward
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SmartHQ
No in-app purchases
Living Forward
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SmartHQ free?
Is Living Forward free?
Which has better reviews, SmartHQ or Living Forward?
Do SmartHQ or Living Forward have ads?
Which is updated more often, SmartHQ or Living Forward?
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