Fix for Android presence arrival problems

Apps & Clients
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I think I have come up with a work around for smart phone app presence constantly arriving and leaving even when home.
I created a Virtual Presence Sensor using the Universal Virtual Device Type Handler. I then use 3 IFTTT recipes and an ST Smart App to control the Virtual Presence

  1. IFTTT Android Location enters a location, turn on ST Virtual Presence Sensor. This location is the same size GeoFence as ST
  2. IFTTT Android Location leaves a location, turn off ST Virtual Presence Sensor. This location is much bigger as it includes the areas where Google thinks I’m jumping around to (more on that later)
  3. ST Smart Lighting App to turn on Virtual Presence Sensor when my Android Presence Sensor arrives.
  4. IFTTT Android connects to Home WiFi turn on ST Virtual Presence Sensor

Now change your Routines (I’m Back, Goodbye, etc) to use your new Virtual Presence Sensor instead of your Smart Phone sensor.

What this does is any time I enter my home geofence, either IFTTT or ST will turn on my Virtual Presence Sensor. Because it’s a switch, turning it on multiple times when its already on won’t trigger multiple events. Using both ST and IFTTT should help trigger your arrival as soon as possible.

When sitting at home my location will occasionally jump around due to it using cell phone towers for location instead of GPS. Using Google’s Location History, I looked at several days history to determine where it thought I was teleporting too. Most where to the same location not too far from me but further than I would like my ST Geofence to be. In IFTTT I created the 2nd recipe above using a much larger geofence that is large enough to include these locations. That way when Google think I magically teleport to these locations it won’t trigger a presence sensor left event. For the most part, when I leave my house I leave this area anyway, so will just take a little longer for ST to think I’ve left, but shouldn’t be more than an extra minute.

You can see your Google Location History by going into Maps on your phone, click the hamburger menu icon top left, and selecting “Your Timeline”, then click the calendar icon top right to check out different days. Zoom into the area near your home and look for your presence going somewhere you were not several times. You’ll basically see a bunch of lines going from your house to that location (see my post above).
You can also see your Google Location History in a web browser.
https://support.google.com/maps/answer/6258979?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en

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