# Button not able to assign actions - bug? **URL:** \ **Category:** Devices & Integrations\ **Created:** [November 27, 2023, 10:31pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/button-not-able-to-assign-actions-bug/273907 "2023-11-27T22:31:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tin\_Hwee\_Wang](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/tin_hwee_wang/32/105758_2.png) [@Tin\_Hwee\_Wang](https://community.smartthings.com/u/Tin_Hwee_Wang)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 10:31pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/button-not-able-to-assign-actions-bug/273907/1 "2023-11-27T22:31:27Z")
Hi anyone have this issue on the buttons not able to assign actions. It is asking me to add all devices back under manage devices in order to assign actions. This does not seems right ![IMG_8730](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/original/3X/1/f/1ff58ad728f7cae0c7ca88acacd743d6615ac552.png) ![IMG_8731](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/original/3X/c/f/cf712e9fd89906d8c1889523b53c7f1b9faa3f08.png) ---
**Author:** ![orangebucket](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/orangebucket/32/81590_2.png) [@orangebucket](https://community.smartthings.com/u/orangebucket)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 7:01am UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/button-not-able-to-assign-actions-bug/273907/2 "2023-11-28T07:01:26Z")
> [@Tin\_Hwee\_Wang](#): > > Hi anyone have this issue on the buttons not able to assign actions. It is asking me to add all devices back under manage devices in order to assign actions. > This does not seems right I am seeing that in the Android app. It only seems to affect the button actions on the device details page as far as I can tell. Deselecting just one device is enough to cause the issue, even if it doesn’t have any actions. ---
**Author:** ![Tin\_Hwee\_Wang](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/tin_hwee_wang/32/105758_2.png) [@Tin\_Hwee\_Wang](https://community.smartthings.com/u/Tin_Hwee_Wang)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 7:35am UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/button-not-able-to-assign-actions-bug/273907/3 "2023-11-28T07:35:52Z")
Hi Graham, ok thanks for the feedback. Not sure if this is the intended design. @AlejandroPadilla , can you confirm, as i dont see why user need to add all the devices back in order to assign actions to the buttons? ---
**Author:** ![AlejandroPadilla](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/alejandropadilla/32/175701_2.png) [@AlejandroPadilla](https://community.smartthings.com/u/AlejandroPadilla)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 7:41pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/button-not-able-to-assign-actions-bug/273907/4 "2023-11-28T19:41:36Z")
@Tin_Hwee_Wang let me check it 🫡 ---
**Author:** ![AlejandroPadilla](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/alejandropadilla/32/175701_2.png) [@AlejandroPadilla](https://community.smartthings.com/u/AlejandroPadilla)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/button-not-able-to-assign-actions-bug/273907/5 "2023-11-30T21:47:18Z")
The team told me that for the routine feature, all the devices should be selected, so it appears to be the expected behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Tin\_Hwee\_Wang](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/tin_hwee_wang/32/105758_2.png) [@Tin\_Hwee\_Wang](https://community.smartthings.com/u/Tin_Hwee_Wang)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2023, 11:24pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/button-not-able-to-assign-actions-bug/273907/6 "2023-11-30T23:24:39Z")
Hi @AlejandroPadilla It is not routine actually but assigning actions to the button. Dont quite understand why all devices need to be selected before button actions can be assigned ![IMG_8778](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/original/3X/c/2/c20da778bd56814fca4ba1a7a1bde867b9c85d1a.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![orangebucket](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/orangebucket/32/81590_2.png) [@orangebucket](https://community.smartthings.com/u/orangebucket)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 5:14am UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/button-not-able-to-assign-actions-bug/273907/7 "2023-12-01T05:14:43Z")
> [@AlejandroPadilla](#): > > The team told me that for the routine feature, all the devices should be selected, so it appears to be the expected behavior. I can see why they think it might be a good idea (I’m not convinced) but the problem is the inconsistency of implementation. @Tin_Hwee_Wang has illustrated the “Can’t assign actions” status and the error message for button actions. You get that even though you may have had no intention of creating an action involving controlling a device at all, let alone an unselected one. The text of the error message is particularly misleading because … There is nothing to stop you creating Routines with or without device conditions and actions via the ‘+’ button on the _Favourites_ and _Routines_ pages and also via the routines tab on device details pages using the ‘+’ or ‘+ Add routine’ buttons. There you just get offered the selected devices. Just to add to the inconsistency, the Routines tab on motion sensor pages normally offers shortcuts for ‘Turn on lights upon detection’ and ‘Motion detection notifications’ but if you have any unselected devices the ‘Turn on lights upon detection’ shortcut is completely hidden without any comment whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![Jason\_Silva](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/jason_silva/32/215579_2.png) [@Jason\_Silva](https://community.smartthings.com/u/Jason_Silva)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 8:31pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/button-not-able-to-assign-actions-bug/273907/8 "2023-12-01T20:31:15Z")
Yea, im having the same issue. I cant assign commands on a light switch, so i have to do it by routines instead… very annoying. All because i deselect a couple devices from being viewed ---
**Author:** ![Tin\_Hwee\_Wang](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/tin_hwee_wang/32/105758_2.png) [@Tin\_Hwee\_Wang](https://community.smartthings.com/u/Tin_Hwee_Wang)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 10:47pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/button-not-able-to-assign-actions-bug/273907/10 "2023-12-01T22:47:15Z")
@Mariano_Colmenarejo do u exclude some devices to be use ? ---
**Author:** ![Tin\_Hwee\_Wang](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/tin_hwee_wang/32/105758_2.png) [@Tin\_Hwee\_Wang](https://community.smartthings.com/u/Tin_Hwee_Wang)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 10:47pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/button-not-able-to-assign-actions-bug/273907/11 "2023-12-01T22:47:51Z")
@Jason_Silva yes that is the option now but it just dont make sense at all ---
**Author:** ![orangebucket](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/orangebucket/32/81590_2.png) [@orangebucket](https://community.smartthings.com/u/orangebucket)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 11:42pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/button-not-able-to-assign-actions-bug/273907/13 "2023-12-01T23:42:17Z")
> [@Mariano\_Colmenarejo](#): > > Do you mean editing the routine and removing devices from the actions? No, it’s about the option to choose which devices the app manages. ![Screenshot_20231201-233704_SmartThings](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/original/3X/b/7/b71fc3de743ac72feb521f737c32cf439f95c6fe.png) ---
**Author:** ![Tin\_Hwee\_Wang](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/tin_hwee_wang/32/105758_2.png) [@Tin\_Hwee\_Wang](https://community.smartthings.com/u/Tin_Hwee_Wang)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 11:56pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/button-not-able-to-assign-actions-bug/273907/14 "2023-12-01T23:56:39Z")
@Mariano_Colmenarejo nope. See the comments from @orangebucket Unless u r using the older ver of the smartthings app, that is why you are not seeing this. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Drumtechjp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@Drumtechjp](https://community.smartthings.com/u/Drumtechjp)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2023, 2:31am UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/button-not-able-to-assign-actions-bug/273907/15 "2023-12-11T02:31:33Z")
I’ve also been running into this lately, and have been really frustrated by it. It seems like the more logical way to prevent issue would be any time you deselect devices to use, you receive a warning that it’s used by 1 or more device actions, or routines, and give you the option to proceed anyway, or go back. Even better would be to actually specify what it’s in use by, but I haven’t seen that level of detail in a lot of similar situations in the app, so wouldn’t expect it.