Are we supposed to quit using the classic Android app and only use the new one?
Is the classic app going to be abandoned by ST?
You can use both. I donāt know if the Classic app will be formally retired, but it isnāt receiving any more updates.
Any app not receiving regular updates Iād pretty much write off.
Per the other message I just posted, if the New app can do everything the Classic app can do then I donāt really have a problem moving.
See the FAQ:
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Facing the same question here. Just installed new Samsung washer and dryer and surely enough they only work with the new app, but I have a whole bunch of custom devices that only work with the āclassicā. So there you have it - Iāve been using SmartThings for 5 years now and can only use two words to describe it - āperpetual messā. 
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Thereās threads showing how to get custom devices that used standard capabilities to work.
@geko For better or worse Iād say you better suck it up and run with the New (and improved?) app. :-/
@pr4jct92eh2 I must admit Iām as big a nerd as anyone, but these apps really need to perform the basic functions āout of the boxā. I think the Classic app did a pretty good job of this. Having to mess around with stuff to get the new and improved app to perform the same functions is for the birds.
If you arenāt going to support backward compatibility you better have pretty sweet features to make up for the hassle.
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I think youāre going to need to āsuck it upā, you are talking about Samsung here. They bought SmartThings so they can turn on/off light switches from their phones. Itās amazing that we donāt all do just that and are still able to automate things. Kudos for SmartThings folks who were able to keep the Classic afloat, those who are still around.
You can continue to hibernate, nothing has changed yet, itās still a āperpetual mess,ā but at least they are (still) working on it. 
So I have a number of people that want me to help them automate, has anyone tried Google? I could move my existing Z-Wave switches over couldnāt I?
Neither Alexa nor Google support Z-Wave. The new Echos have Zigbee radios but their routines are not as advanced as what a SmartThings hub can do.
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To use zwave, the hub has to be certified for Z wave. As of this writing, Google did not have any certified zwave controllers in any of its devices. Google gives you voice control over zwave switches through a cloud to cloud integration to the Z wave hub that controls the switches. But it canāt control them on its own.
There are several good choices for DIY zwave hubs, but most of them expect you to have a strong technical background and they donāt necessarily have a good app. That would include homeseer and Hubitat.
The one that has the nicest app other than smartthings is probably Abode. It also has excellent security features. But it does limit the total number of devices you could have to around 100 and it doesnāt support rules of the same complexity a smartthings.
Ring Alarm does have a Z wave controller, but it really doesnāt have a lot of home automation features yet, just pretty simple stuff. Itās more for people who want to turn the lights on if the alarm goes off.
Wink is a good simple zwave system but I have questions about the companyās long-term viability.
So there are options for your friends, but it depends on exactly what their situation is.
1) Contract systems that offer zwave
Xfinity Home and ADT pulse are both decent zwave systems, but both require a monthly contract.
2) Good security, decent Home Automation, good app, zwave support
Itās possible that ring will get better over the next year, itās hard to tell. But for now, if the household is not very technical and you want zwave support , I would probably go with abode.
3) good zwave hubs, but require strong technical background and may not have an app at all
If they do have at least one family member who knows what a raspberry pi is and is OK reading code, I would look at Hubitat or Homeseer.
4) Starter Systems for non-technical people. Good apps, good customer service. Focus on ease-of-use. No zwave support
But for someone who is just getting started and is not technical and doesnāt already have an investment in Z wave, I would probably look either at an echo plus based zigbee system or at appleās HomeKit. Both have excellent apps, really good customer support, and Are sincerely committed to ease-of-use. Thereās a more limited selection of devices, but the selection is decent. And you can use Lutron Caseta switches and the Phillips hue bridge system with both.
They only support pretty simple logic, but they do both allow for Geo presence, time schedules, and sensor triggers. And again, excellent customer service so you wonāt be getting too many calls afterwards.
However, neither support Z wave so they donāt work for someone who has an existing investment in Z wave devices.
( although you can connect hue lightbulbs directly to the echo plus, I recommend using the hue bridge as well and connecting the bulbs to that. You get a lot more functionality.)
I wouldnāt run out and buy an iOS device just to be able to use HomeKit, but if the household already has at least one iPhone, HomeKit is a strong candidate for a starter set up.
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While not a scientific poll, thereās certainly indication that the Classic App continues to be preferred (and I personally prefer older, stable software).
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Hear, hearā¦ Iāve tried to hold on to Windows XP for as long as I could, but eventually had to give it up. Darn it M$. 
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Thanks for the FAQ @JDRoberts. As always, thorough and super helpful. 
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