Re-configuring my system I noticed issues with the iOS app.
My Samsung robotic vacuum device page hasnt worked correctly since Nov 16’.
Using an android tablet the device page that I havent seen since 2016 worked perfectly!
My wild guess is that there are too many other things that need to be done beforehand. Plus, improving existing users’ experience has never been their cup of tea. Not now when Samsung dictates, not before when they were trying to attract developers so they can build a name for themselves.
1 Like
I don’t get it though… it just makes sense to offer that functionality to compel people to actually spend money.
Someone asked me that today about how TVs are getting so cheap, and I said it’s because everyone is trying to figure out the post-sale monetization. Add some apps in there, start tracking viewing habits and figure out what to do with all that data, even if it’s just selling it. You add a few new features and 4K 8K 16K whateverK on the cheap… sure beats selling a TV set that people don’t “upgrade” for 5-10 years.
With something like ST, you have 3 different hubs (4 if you count ADT), and yet you have people that will never upgrade unless they don’t have a choice, primarily because there’s no migration path.
“Hey look it has Mega ZWave and WiFi Mesh and it doubles as a robot vaccuum… you should upgrade because YOLO… and you can use Hub Subscription for $1.99 a month and upgrade next year!”
Then you realize that you’d have to move 200 devices to the new setup by hand and you’re like “nah I’m good”
2 Likes
Ha, ha, ha… There was an article in Business Insider just 2 days ago about why TVs are so affordable, and their explanation was a little different than yours: they are selling your data
2 Likes
i’m surprised you guys keep that top banner on your dashboard. I found no use for it.
I hear you, the first company who comes up with a migration tool for the masses will win the game and rule the market. I am not ready to pay for C4 to have that luxury.
You mean like Vera, Homeseer, Fibaro, and HomeKit ( via a $7 third-party app) ? ( wink doesn’t have back up, but it does have a very easy to use migration utility as long as both hubs are working.)
Back in September 2017, Vesternet slammed Homey for not having back up and restore:
There’s also several glaring omissions in functionality, some of which we’ve already mentioned which maybe aren’t so serious, but others that would almost seem crazy to be missing - for example there’s no way currently to do a backup and restore of your Homey system! So if your Homey suffers a hardware fault or some other failure and you need to get a replacement, or perhaps you’d like to revert to a configuration “checkpoint” before something started going wrong, you have ZERO capability in this area.
.
Come on guys, even the FREE open-source non-commercial Smart Home software like Domoticz has that functionality, but Homey doesn’t!
3 Likes
I’m sure you’ve been around the block enough times to realize that there is no one “killer feature” that makes a product or company successful.
Superior technology and/or functionality is not the key to success. Marketing, industry stature, sheer company size and capital, etc., etc., play much bigger roles.
Most (> 95%?) SmartThings customers have a handful of devices and automations. Migration is not a concern to them. Eventually it may become a concern.
Have you seen a single mainstream / high-profile consumer-gadget media review of SmartThings that says Hub upgrade / migration is a showstopper?
2 Likes
What do you mean by “crippled”?
Samsung SmartThings considers the new App to be production ready and is in use by the majority of “average customers” (well… at least those who purchased anytime after ~Feb 2018).
If you are finding functionality missing from New App that exists in Classic App, then that functionality is likely considered unofficial, deprecated, or, at least, non-essential.
2 Likes
Well, I did say for the masses, implying that they sell something that the masses would want to buy that also have at minimum a mix of Zigbee and Zwave and solid cloud. LOL…I get your point. @tgauchat is right, there isn’t one feature, it’s a package that starts with a user friendly platform. An easy migration tool is just the cherry on top of the cake, that ensures revenue continuity.
2 Likes
Who says that Samsung cares about revenue continuity for SmartThings? I guess it is reasonable to assume that they do, but there’s plenty of evidence that they don’t care at this time. Lack of concern for customer experiences during the platform evolution, for example; slow and sub-par tech support; confusing marketing of the various hub model options (i.e., No simple answer to “Should I upgrade?”)…
3 Likes
Interesting, without the Classic App, am I able to install ActionTiles? What about all of the other custom apps that has made SmartThings such an awesome platform for people like me? Is this not crippled?
Also, I am using regular GE Dimmer/Switches/Fan Controllers throughout my home. I can control these just fine in the Classic App but in the New App, they appear as being disconnected. As do soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many of my other devices.
Yes, I have reached out to Customer Service several times.
What about how Rooms are jacked up in the New App? How the hell do I get to a Specific Room? I need to guess which little dot to touch? Doesn’t matter anyway because when I finally do find the Room I am looking for, most of the devices in that room are disconnected anyway. Crippled? You bet your arse!
2 Likes
…and that’s what I meant by the company who offers a full package will rule the market. Until then, we keep looking 
I have ge switches and fan switches. They work fine in the STSC app if you use ST stock z-wave/zigbee switch/dimmer DTHs.
2 Likes
I understand that I and alot of us here are not typical users. However, we still exist and should not be left in the cold just because we want more than just a handful of devices and automation. I want and have most of what I desire in my Home Automation.I am pretty unsettled about the prospect of loosing what I have built and the reason for the Topic Title.
1 Like
This has to be an omen. I went to the IDE to see what DTH I was using for my devices that are showing offline in the New App. Then I see that in the IDE that some show offline there as well. Then went to the Recent Tab in the Classic App to show that they were definitely online and working an hour ago. Yep, the writing is on the wall.
Absolutely yes.
If those SmartApps went passed the SmartThings certification and publication process, they should still be available; though, as noted, most of those were only published to Marketplace, and are thus now deprecated. That certainly isn’t great developer relations. Though SmartThings has announced the new API & App about 1.25 years ago, which should have been time, for these Apps to have been migrated - if SmartThings had resourced assistance to those developers.
So that’s Crippled Score: +1.
For a laugh: Have you escalated to Support?
To be pedantic, I would technically consider this to be a support issue, rather than a New App issue. They use the same underlying SmartThings Cloud (and, Hubs, obviously), so ST needs to be aware of the problem to they can fix it.
Use of the Classic App for this case is a workaround. But, end-result is the same: Support may be swamped and appearing to be “crippled” due to the new App having issues.
Crippled Score: +2.
Sad situation for existing Customers - but I really would love to know what new Customers think.
They certainly rate the new App higher: 4.0-Stars (New) vs 3.4-Stars (Classic)
Remember that a lot of people using the new app may not have a hub at all, as it has force replaced the previous app for appliances and televisions. And by all accounts, it’s a much better app than that one. So that in itself might account for the higher ratings.
6 Likes
You certainly have the right to feel unsettled. I sure feel unsettled. Very much.
Unfortunately, we all waived our other rights with respect to continued functionality by agreeing to the Terms of Use:
Will SmartThings ever change the Services?
We’re always trying to improve the Services, so they may change over time. We may suspend or discontinue any part of the Services, or we may introduce new features or impose limits on certain features or restrict access to parts or all of the Services. In some cases, the changes we make to the Services may cause older hardware devices, third party services, software configurations or setups to no longer work with the Services, and you may be required to upgrade or change these devices, services, configurations or setups in order to continue using the Services. We’ll try to give you notice when we make a material change to the Services that would adversely affect you, but this isn’t always practical.
I assume that I don’t need to emphasize the words "try’, “all” and “any” in the above paragraph.
2 Likes
Well, looks like I am having issues that I am only aware of using the New App…That’s a lot right there… but you were successful at proving a couple of points. 
Yes, I have contacted support. 
I do not use a terrible amount of custom apps and DTHs but the ones I do use, play a vital role in my HA. I’m happy that you were able to get ActionTiles working in the New App without the need for the Classic App. AT is an awesome App and I use it heavily. It would have been very sad to have lost that functionality. Unfortunately, many of the custom app developers have not taken the steps you have. Maybe its because they do it for love and not for profit?..
Here is the list of my apps. Maybe I will find replacements one day…Maybe not. 
2 Likes