I don’t know how much truth is in this (maybe someone else here does?) But I did hear a suggestion recently that the ‘other platform’ were considering moving to a subscription model (similar to ifttt) ?
No, they are not considering a move like IFTTT or WINK. They are planning on offering an OPTIONAL subscription service for cloud-based hub backups and extended warranty on the hub. No existing functionality will go behind a pay wall.
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The “other platform” is Hubitat and it is not moving to a subscription model. You own it, you control it, you execute your stuff locally on it.
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I had the same issue with dead child devices following the latest Samsung update where I moved to the new application. Broke 2 of the KOF devices that had been working great with voice control.
I deleted and discovered, repaired with ST Hub, nothing worked… I bought a Hubitat several months ago and already had it plugged in so I thought I would try it. I had both fans and the lights working within 3 minutes. I guess that is the nudge I needed to move off SmartThings. I’m not suggesting any one abandon SmartThings if they are happy with it, but I grew sick of Samsungs craptastic updates breaking my automations and this time I was able to do something about that ‘issue’. 
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Yeah they changed the way child devices work in there new app, so a lot needed to be recreated after DTH’s were updated. What a pain if you have a lot of automatons. Fortunately this DTH works properly for the child devices and Alexa/Google control of them. I’ve been using it for a few months and it works great in the new app.
When I had Wink, the hub would go down for a day or two and I’d always be like “is this it?”. Did they run out of money to pay the electric bill? Maybe they lowered my expectations, but Smartthings is far from being in that situation where I would jump ship just yet. Definitely a good discussion about alternatives over here though Alternative Hubs
Overall I’ve been very happy with SmartThings for years, besides a few hiccups here and there, and never considered looking elsewhere. Unfortunately, life360 and echo-speaks are in my case must-haves for safety reasons, so I ended up having to scramble and migrate to another platform.
I want to take this as an opportunity to thank the ST community that has been awesome and helpful. In particular, thank you @jkp, @milandjurovic71, @mwav3, @benerkens & others !
As a way to give back to the community, I’ve taken some notes during the migration and documented the findings here. I hope this will help others in a similar situation as mine make an informed decision and, if applicable, a smooth transition.
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So after 30 days, my formula is this:
Hubitat+SmartTools+{Lots of Hours} > SmartThings+ActionTiles+Pi+{Lots of Hours}
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@jody.albritton - I totally agree with moving posts from other sections talking about alternative hubs to this thread, since those other subjects can quickly go off topic from that debate.
However, I’m hoping this is not becoming the “dumping ground” for any criticism of Smarthings, and fear it is. What exactly does it mean that this topic was “unlisted 4 hours ago” and there is an eye with a slash through it? I tried searching for this topic and now it doesn’t come up.
I’ve been far from a “white knight” for Samsung, and have offered my own fair share of criticism, but I’ve decided to stick with it. I’ve also been helping people work through their issues to stick with Smartthings when possible too. But lately, the lack of communication, and now this, is starting to reveal a potential problem with the corporate culture itself, which can’t be fixed easily by updating a few lines of code. I thought Samsung was based in South Korea, not North Korea. If they don’t like the criticism, then fix the product. Maybe I’m over reacting and just reading into this wrong, and would like to hear your take on things. Thanks.
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@mwav3 I wouldn’t be surprised if your comment directly above this one, vanished into thin air in a couple of hours time.
Edit, why is this comment being deleted and flagged as off topic if we are talking about censorship and posts being deleted by ST staff?
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That’s why I took a screenshot
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What “Unlisted” means is that this thread that we are posting in is completely hidden.
Go to the Other Hubs category and you’ll notice it no longer shows up.
https://community.smartthings.com/c/general-smartthings/other-hubs/105
Take a screenshot of the whole thread. I suspect it disappears soon.
@jlv I kind of figured that was what was going on.
@JDRoberts , you’re the top poster on here and have been around for far longer then I have. Take a look at the posts above on what’s going on with this thread. Should we be concerned? Have they ever done stuff like this before? A forum depends on open communication and dialog. Obviously there is a TOS, but I don’t see anything posted on here that violates it to deserve this thread being silenced like this.
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Wow unbelievable
Well, SmartThings doesn’t have to let discussion of alternate platforms happen on it’s community forums. That the whole “Other Hubs” area exists at all was an amazing example of patience and openness on their part.
them monitoring the community forums has much better success than fixing App problems
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I’m only the “top poster” because due to errors introduced by my dictation software I have to edit each of my posts six or seven times when putting them up. I actually had to ask for an accessibility accommodation from the forum moderators about 4 years ago because I kept getting locked out of editing my own posts for having too many edits in too short a time.
As to why this thread was hidden, I have no idea. You would have to ask staff.
If anyone is looking for a brand agnostic discussion group, the home automation subReddit is good:
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That does make sense, it is their platform and they’re paying for it and all. I just feel like a business doing things like this, and censorship in general, usually doesn’t end well.
I was just going to ask if there was a better more generic forum to discuss this on, and saw @JDRoberts reddit link. That seems to be a much more “neutral ground” do discuss the various alternatives without the “wrath” of any one company not liking what’s said.
JD, you may not be the “top poster” then, but your posts are always invaluable. Thank you.
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