Is it just me or are scenes no longer supported? Searching around returns mixed answers. There are still official docs describing the feature such as here and here.
The Platform Transition FAQ mentions the Scenes API and also advises on porting SmartApp functions to scenes:
Many of the features once found in SmartApps can now be created using the SmartThings Scenes and Routines section of your app. This new feature set has the added benefit of faster controls and local execution. If you are unable to find a custom solution using the SmartThings Community here before the shutdown on December 31, 2022 , we recommend you recreate your SmartApp configuration using a Routine or Scene if possible.
But the function isnât in any of the menus in my Android phone app. For example, on the first page after opening the app I can add devices, services, or routines, but not scenes:
Scenes are similarly not in the menus for any of the other main categories at the bottom - Devices, Life, Routines or the hamburger menu.
In the Advanced IDE if I go to the Devices page there is an option to add a new device, but on the Scenes page it looks like it would list scenes if I had any but does not allow new scenes to be made.
Searching the forum I find lots of topics discussing various issues with scene functions but nothing suggesting the functions are removed. Nor does the official documentation or FAQ suggest they are removed, in fact the docs for Scenes API suggest the opposite. All of which makes me wonder whether it is something about my profile or account, specifically.
Any suggestion on how I might fix this or clarification on the status of Scenes would be greatly appreciated. This has been driving me nuts. Thanks in advance!
Hereâs what it looks like in iOS this morning at the time of this writing. As @jkp notes below, it looks like they may have changed the name in android. Without announcement, or documentation, per usual.
Man, I wish smartthings would implement normal changelogs!
choose âAutomationsâ from the bottom row menu.
tap on the plus sign at the top right and you should be given the choice to âcreate routineâ or create scene.â
One more thing: âmanually run routinesâ is a very odd name since as far as I know, these can still be actuated from a regular routine. And maybe other ways as well.
âSceneâ is a perfectly good standard industry term for a state snapshot of multiple devices, used on many home automation platforms. Why change it?
I can understand the need to make the app beginer user friendly, having given it 2 seconds of thought the answer is quite simple and keeps all other existing mentions of scenes in place
In the ST app only change the text from
âManually run routinesâ
To
âScenes / Manual routinesâ
Some basic changes can solve complex issues
And if the devs want to be really fancy, they can add a (i) for information and supply some info text to help people
Also
Make the fonts damn well bigger for goodness sake
Also
ST do not read or take note of anything we see or say
Thanks! Unfortunately, my app doesnât have an Automations menu item, it only has Routines. When I select Routines then the + it takes me straight into routine creation with no intermediate options. I checked the Play store and there is no update pending o the app. This discrepancy across app platforms is another source of aggravation because it limits the degree to which the community can help itself. Samsung, are you listening?
Found that but didnât recognize what it is. Thanks!
Ah, yes. I think I remember that term introduced in UI Design 101.
I own a Samsung wall oven and thereâs an option to sync the time over the Internet. Unlike virtually every other device that performs this function, from a $3 Single Board Computer chip to an $80k truck, the Samsung oven doesnât periodically poll the network time server. The user must manually initiate the time sync and it REBOOTS the oven to do it! Donât even get me started on the TV UI. The Cluster F#ÂŁk phenomenon appears to be widespread in the brand.
Thanks @orangebucket for the screen shot! Marking yours as the solution because of the reference to an authoritative doc. Sorry, @jkp, it was a close call but gotta go with the most authoritative source.
Exactly. After reading all the replies I searched for âmanually run routine controllerâ and, unsurprisingly, found nothing. Scene controller returns hits-a-plenty though. The term is unlikely to change among hardware vendors who currently all agree on it for a specific type of device. Changing it in the app creates a situation in which the functionality and the device made to utilize that functionality have different names, the only outcome of which is to up the level of difficulty to use the SmartThings ecosystem. Why anyone would think that was a good idea and sign off on it is beyond my understanding.
Agreed.
I am imagining a Python-esque dialog here.
âST do not read or take note of anything we see or say.â
âYes, we do.â
âNo, you donât.â
âIâm responding now.â
âBut it isnât substantive. It doesnât address any technical issue.â
âIt addresses our responsiveness stat in the CustSat survey.â
âI still donât have scenes!â
âSure you do. You are making one now.â
Thanks for all the replies. I was out all morning on a job and delighted to find all the helpful responses.
I would just note that, regardless of the name change, the-things-formerly-called-Scenes still do not appear in the Routines tab of device details pages.
What happened to the ability to toggle routines on and off? I edited one that was toggled off, it came back to life, and now I canât figure out how to toggle it off again.
This is the correct answer. Also, a scene I used every night was deleted after the cluster fâŚI mean update was applied. So, the orcs that released the update lied.
It was a boneheaded move, but now someoneâs pride is going to prevent changing it. Or perhaps it will wait until said bonehead moves on to another jobâŚ
it made tracking down automations and issues easyâŚ