Amazon will now automatically order you detergent when you're running low

IMAGE: KIM KIRBY/LOOP IMAGES/LOOP IMAGES/CORBIS

BY ALICIA MARIE TAN1 HOUR AGO

Last year, Amazon announced its Dash Button, letting people order products from its site with the push of a button. By September, the button became available to all Amazon Prime customers for purchase. With one push, you could order numerous items without having to go through the online checkout process.

Amazon announced on Tuesday the activation of its first Amazon Dash Replenishment Servicedevices, which will restock your goods without the push of a button. In other words, the service will automatically order products from Amazon when supplies are running low. The service was introduced last year along with Dash Buttons, but it didn’t actually work with any connected appliances until now.

The first slate of devices include select Brother printers, a General Electric washer and the Gmate SMART blood glucose monitor. If you have a compatible Brother printer, you can start using the service now, but the GE washer and Gmate monitor will be ready by the end of the month.

One thing to keep in mind is that the service is triggered when goods are running low. That means it only works with devices that can measure supply levels, so we’re not completely giving ourselves up to a life of laziness.

For example, if you have a compatible Brother printer — the service currently works with more than 45 models — you can enable automatic ordering through Brother’s website. When the printer measures low toner or ink levels, you’ll get a new batch before you actually run out.

The GE washer works the same way. Its Smart Dispense technology stores detergent and dispenses the right amount for each load. You can use Dash Replenishment and the accompanying app to set your preferred preorder level. 

When the washer detects your detergent is running low, Amazon will deliver more for you

When the washer detects your detergent is running low, Amazon will deliver more for you.

No online shopping carts, no button-pushing. Just straight up forgetting about it.

Amazon has already announced a bunch of other companies with devices that will work with the Dash Replenishment Service, including Samsung, Brita, August, Oster and Petnet. On Tuesday, Amazon also added Purell and Whirlpool to its list of compatible brands.

The Dash Replenishment Service APIs have also come out of limited private beta and are now available to anyone. That means device makers and developers can now integrate the Dash Replenishment Service into any device that can connect to the Internet, so that they can place orders for their customers.