The latest industry news on June 26 shows that WeChat AI is accelerating its deployment on the smart home track. Midea, Haier, TCL, Siemens and other leading home appliance brands have almost simultaneously announced the completion of the first batch of adaptations. This means that the multi-APP fragmentation problem that has troubled smart home users for many years will soon be solved: in the future, users will not need to download exclusive home appliance control applications for each brand. Voice control of all categories of smart home appliances can be achieved only through WeChat, and it supports scenario-based demand identification, completely breaking the linkage barriers between devices of different brands.
Unlike traditional smart control terminals that only support the operation logic of a single command, the WeChat AI connected this time has natural semantic understanding capabilities and can accurately identify the user’s potential needs: when the user says “I am a bit cold”, the system will automatically adjust the air conditioner to the appropriate temperature, and determine whether the humidifier needs to be turned on based on the indoor humidity; when the user says “I want to watch a movie”, a series of linked operations such as closing the smart curtains, adjusting the lights to viewing mode, and automatically turning on the projection equipment can be simultaneously triggered to achieve intelligent response in the entire scene.
Many people in the industry believe that WeChat’s entry into the smart home track may trigger an ecological restructuring of the entire industry. The core reasons focus on three points:
The first is the overwhelming user base advantage.
At present, the number of users in the leading smart home ecosystem is only a few hundred million, while WeChat’s monthly active users have exceeded 1.4 billion, covering people of all ages.
In the past, it was difficult for many middle-aged and elderly users to master complex APP operating procedures due to high learning costs. However, WeChat is extremely popular and users can quickly get started without additional learning. This will directly expand the potential user pool of smart homes several times and further increase the penetration rate of smart home products.
The second is complete service closed-loop capabilities.
WeChat does not just exist as a device control portal, but relies on AI, mini programs, and payment systems to form a complete service link: after the user expresses the need to “invite friends to home for hot pot tomorrow,” WeChat AI can first identify the existing ingredients in the refrigerator, recommend adapted recipes to the user, and then automatically jump to the takeout mini program to place an order for missing ingredients. It can even book movie tickets after the meal simultaneously without switching to other applications.
This kind of “device control + life service” series connection capability is difficult to achieve in the current smart home ecosystem of a single brand.
The third is neutral platform positioning.
Previously, many home appliance brands were reluctant to connect to the smart home ecosystem of leading third-party brands. The core concern was that user data and operational initiative would fall into the hands of competitors. However, WeChat itself does not produce home appliances and has no competitive relationship with all home appliance brands. It only provides technical and traffic support as an infrastructure service provider. Therefore, it has been widely accepted by the entire industry. After the news was announced, many leading brands immediately announced adaptations in order to seize this wave of traffic dividends.
For the Mijia ecosystem, which has been deeply involved in the smart home field for many years, the entry of WeChat has indeed brought certain competitive pressure, but the industry generally believes that Mijia does not need to be overly anxious: Mijia’s core advantage lies in its own full-link device ecosystem, with all categories of smart devices from lighting, home appliances to security
Deep interconnection has been achieved, and the user stickiness accumulated over the years is difficult to replace with a single entrance. However, in the future, the decision-making logic for users to purchase smart home products may shift from “whether to support Mijia” to “whether to support WeChat AI control.” Mijia also needs to adjust its ecological strategy according to market changes.
For ordinary consumers, the benefits brought by this change are very obvious: first, the threshold for using smart home appliances has been significantly lowered. In the past, many users purchased smart home appliances but never used the smart functions. In the future, they can operate them with one click through WeChat, and middle-aged and elderly people can easily enjoy the convenience of smart homes; secondly, purchasing home appliances no longer needs to be ecologically bound. Products of different brands can be linked as long as they support WeChat AI. Users can choose products based on their own needs and preferences, without sacrificing purchase freedom for ecological adaptation.
Currently, WeChat AI’s smart home adaptation function is still in a small-scale testing stage and is expected to be gradually opened to all users in the second half of 2026. The new smart home experience is worth the public’s expectations.
