Putting WiFi in a washing machine makes a lot of sense. For once you could replace all the buttons and dials and fancy displays by a $5 WiFi chip and a $0 app, cutting manufacturing costs and reducing parts that can break. Instead of two dials for cycle and temperature and few other options, or a complex menu on a tiny screen that must be navigated with up and down buttons like it's 1969, you can get a fancy user interface on your touch tablet, which could range from a washing wizard for grandma to an API giving access to all sensor readings and the ability to write your own washing cycles and add new features. Such as delaying operation until your solar panels reach peak output, or modify spin settings at night for noise reasons. If something goes wrong you won't be greeted with puzzling blinkenlights or error codes, but a proper error message, and if the problem isn't user solvable, one tap on the screen connects you and the machine to service, who will inform you about your options, like dispatching a repair guy who already got the required spare part. If you want to go mad with this, the machine could even monitor its own health and call service before it fails. Lastly you can control the appliance remotely, say check from the kitchen what the washer in the basement is doing, or get an alert when the cycle is finished.

Of course things could backfire too. You may have to buy a tablet just for this purpose. You can't wash if the tablet breaks or you're computer illiterate. Odds are the app sucks donkey balls and you're not allowed to change anything, however criminals, law enforcement, and the Russian secret service all have complete control because the manufacturer doesn't give a fuck about security. And remote service could mean the appliance will do jack shit without dialing home, asking its real owner for permission, and report in detail what you're doing with it.