Part 4/8:
Upon firing up the Bosch, a peculiar realization came to light: essential features like delayed start and eco modes could not be accessed without downloading the Home Connect app. The stated requirement baffled me, as I sought a simple rinse cycle to test functionality. Instead, I found the task unsolvable through the control panel alone.
Digging through the user manual revealed a rudimentary oversight: the rinse cycle could only be initiated via the app, exclusively after connecting the dishwasher to Wi-Fi and setting up a cloud account. The childlike simplicity of just turning a dial or pressing a button was replaced by a convoluted web of connectivity and cloud-based accounts.