Device Deletion Changes

Today’s platform update includes a change to way device deletion is managed. As many of you are probably painfully aware, deleting a device that’s used by multiple SmartApps required that you edit the settings of each of those apps to remove the device before you were able to delete it. That’s no longer true, as of today, when using the Web IDE. If you click Delete on a device that’s used by one or more SmartApps you’ll see a dialog listing those apps and have the option to go ahead and delete the device and remove it automatically from all of the apps. Of course, in some cases an app may no longer work, if it depends on the deleted device, and you’ll want to either remove it or reconfigure it to use another device. In many other cases however the app will continue to work fine with it’s remaining devices. We’re working on providing the same feature in an upcoming release of the mobile apps, but you can start using it right now from the Web IDE.

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Awesome! :heart_eyes:

That is a great.

I would love to see this morph into having that ability to choose a device to replace the device being deleted… which would of course replace it within all of the applicable smartapps.

… and big thank you… this does definitely make our lives easier.

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Now this kind of improvement is indeed worthy of a VP visit. Thank you very much. This makes life so much easier!!!

Requesters and skepticists of this feature, rejoice…

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Yeah, a device swap would be great. Add the new device to the network, swap, delete old one. Or… create virtual device, swap old device for new device, delete old device, re-add it as new device, swap virtual device for newly reinstalled device. Yey!

Thank you @bflorian!

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I just (as in 10 minutes ago) had to go thru the smartapp reconfiguration process just because of this very case! Awesome news!

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That’s awesome!!!

All we need now is a clone device option to make it even more easier. Add a new device select “clone a device” choose a device and all of the smartapps include the new device. I’ve found myself constantly adding this manually when I purchase new bulbs or lamps into the same room as existing lights.

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Great news!

What does the replace option do under the device settings? I’ve never used it, but I always assumed it would replace that device wherever it’s used with another you want to add.

Replace is a zwave utility.

Each zigbee device has its own unique ID which it tells to the coordinator at the time that it joins. That becomes its network ID.

Zwave works very differently. It is the controller that tells the device what its network ID is at the time of Pairing. So with replace, you are re-using an old ID for a new device.

Ah, so it works as I thought, but only for z-wave devices. As always, thanks for your insight JD!

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Great news. I’ve notices some Aoen devices have the ‘replace’ feature - very handy indeed!

I don’t know if this has been discussed before but it is incredibly frustrating to remove a device from every single smartapp before you can delete it. Has anyone found a faster way? I have 3 devices that stopped working and I’m trying to remove and add them back but first I have to go to every smart app and remove the device first. Some devices have 12 different apps that I have to remove it from. Then I’ll have to go back in and add it to all of those apps again. There must be a way to make it easier to delete a device without removing it from every app. Having the ability to transfer app assignments to the new device would also be really helpful.

This is what I do…

Rename the old device… “Light Switch Old”
Name the new device… “Light Switch New”

Then go into the old devices smartapps list and switch them out one by one. It removes the old one and adds the new one all at once. Then delete the device.

Also, If it’s a z-wave device, use the “Replace” feature. Just disconnect power to the old one, tap on Replace in the ST app and when it says ready to replace, just activate the new device. It just adds it right in place of the old one. Then you’re done. Though, this method does not always work.

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So I call customer service because when I switched to the new smartthings app all of but one my virtual switch show as disconnected. I knew I was in trouble when the customer service rep wanted to know what brand and where I had purchased my virtual switch. It was down hill from there.

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Which SmartThings app are you using? I can’t find the replace function.

Probably the Classic app. I don’t believe the new app has that yet. I’d double check for you, but I can’t even use the new app since the update on April 15th (Android version) :scream:

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New app does not have zwave replace yet.

If it did not have it 7 days ago, it does now with the latest release (updated yesterday):

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