# Mobile Presence Automation Issue **URL:** \ **Category:** SmartApps & Automations\ **Created:** [February 21, 2019, 3:43pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/mobile-presence-automation-issue/155123 "2019-02-21T15:43:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DougF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@DougF](https://community.smartthings.com/u/DougF)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 3:43pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/mobile-presence-automation-issue/155123/1 "2019-02-21T15:43:31Z")
Coming from Lowes IRIS and just getting set up on Smartthings. Using regular Smartthings hub, not the ADT version. I am using the new Samsung version of the Smartthings app (not the classic) on a Iphone 6 and Iphone XS Max. I have several automations set up and they are working fine such as outside lights coming on at dusk/off at sunrise; and automatically locking a door when a multi-purpose sensor closes. All is working fine there…but…I cannot figure out why the mobile presence automation is not working to change my HOME mode to Away. When the two Iphones leave the geofencing zone I have set up, I can see in the IDE devices tab that the Smartthings hub is seeing both phones leaving and arriving, BUT, no action is happening in the automation. I even deleted the automation and created a new one with just my phone instead of both of ours; still nothing. So my automation specifics are; IF my Iphone is not present (any selected), THEN change the HOME mode to away. I have no delay selected. This routine does not work at all and that’s my issue. I also set up an automation to turn the HOME mode back to disarm when my iphone gets back into the geofencing zone and that didn’t work either when I manually change my status to away. So I’m really stuck on why this particular automation is not working. Thanks for any suggestions… ---
**Author:** ![Bry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bry](https://community.smartthings.com/u/Bry)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 3:51pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/mobile-presence-automation-issue/155123/2 "2019-02-21T15:51:31Z")
I can’t specifically comment on the Connect app as I’m still using Classic. But generally speaking, there have been issues with presence detection in ST. Different things seem to work for different people. I have geofencing set up in the Classic app. But I have intermittant issues with arrival sensing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t and sometimes it’s delayed. I solved my issue by coding a backup arrival sensor in IFTTT. I did that about a week ago, and so far my arrival detection has been flawless. If you search for “presence detection” here, you’ll find many threads discussing the issues. Also, here is a FAQ: > [@FAQ: The Many Ways of Detecting Presence (2020)](https://community.smartthings.com/t/faq-the-many-ways-of-detecting-presence/51563): > > Presence, regardless of the device you use, is one of those features that works great for some people, not at all for other people, and is randomly flaky for still others. It’s very much affected by local conditions. So some people will find that phone presence works much better than the SmartThings-branded presence sensor. Other people will find the reverse. Still other people, myself included, find that they have to use a combination of two devices in order to get reliable presence indication. So if this feature tends to work differently for different people, where do you start? 1. Using a Smart Phone as a Presence Indicator Well, since most people who have SmartThings have a smart phone, it’s worth starting there. This method has changed significantly in the change fro… ---
**Author:** ![DougF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@DougF](https://community.smartthings.com/u/DougF)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/mobile-presence-automation-issue/155123/3 "2019-02-21T15:57:36Z")
Thanks Bryan - Coding a IFTTT scenario is through the WebCore thing I’ve been reading about? ---
**Author:** ![Bry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bry](https://community.smartthings.com/u/Bry)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 5:19pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/mobile-presence-automation-issue/155123/4 "2019-02-21T17:19:07Z")
> [@DougF](#): > > Thanks Bryan - Coding a IFTTT scenario is through the WebCore thing I’ve been reading about? No, webCore is something else. IFTTT (If this then that) is a web based and app based solution. You can code what you need either through a web browser or their phone app. It allows you to create applets that do things with ST. > **[IFTTT - Automate business & home](https://ifttt.com/)** > > Get started with IFTTT, the easiest way to automate your favorite apps and devices for free. Make your home more relaxing. Make your work more productive. We... IFTTT can’t directly address your ST mode, but it can address switches. So if you are looking to control your ST mode, create a virtual switch in ST that will set the mode you want to switch to, then in IFTTT, set it to turn that virtual switch on when your presence is detected. I have my ST virtual switch tied to a routine (Classic app), so that when the switch flips, several actions can occur. ---
**Author:** ![JDRoberts](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/jdroberts/32/56577_2.png) [@JDRoberts](https://community.smartthings.com/u/JDRoberts)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/mobile-presence-automation-issue/155123/5 "2019-02-21T17:26:18Z")
First, we need to be clear whether you are talking about the “away“ which is part of the “location mode“ or the “away” which is part of the smart home monitor “security mode.“ These are actually two completely different things. ( in the classic app, “security mode“ was called “armed state.“) See the following: > [@FAQ: Armed/Disarmed states vs Away/Home modes confusion](https://community.smartthings.com/t/faq-armed-disarmed-states-vs-away-home-modes-confusion/53367): > > Hello, I’m brand new to SmartThings, and I’m trying to configure Smart Home Monitor to alert not just on door open/close sensors and motion sensors, but also on certain vibration sensors when it is in the Armed state. I can’t find a way to do that. I can use Custom to make a vibration alert based on Away/Home/Night “modes”, but these appear to be totally separate from the Armed/Disarmed states. Am I missing something? In the classic app, you can use Geopresence to change both the location mode and the security mode. In the new app, there is no way to automate the change in the security mode except by time of day. You cannot use Geopresence to arm or disarm smart home monitor in the new app. Also, for those who are using both apps, smart home monitor in the classic app and smart home monitor in the new app or actually two completely separate features that just happened to have the same name. If you arm or disarm in the classic app it does not The smart home monitor settings that you can get to from the new app and vice a versa. Your post mixes terms From location mode and security mode so I’m not exactly sure which one you were trying to describe. I believe you can change the location mode with Geopresence in the new app, but that will not affect the security mode in the new app in any way. And you cannot change the security mode in the new app with Geopresence. 😥 ---
**Author:** ![sidjohn1](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/sidjohn1/32/16652_2.png) [@sidjohn1](https://community.smartthings.com/u/sidjohn1)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 11:10pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/mobile-presence-automation-issue/155123/6 "2019-02-21T23:10:48Z")
One more option since you are on iOS, HomeKit presence detections have been surprisingly consistent. I currently use the keyfob (from the kickstarter days) with a very solid Zigbee mesh and I have found HomeKit iOS presence detection to be on par. If you’re feeling a bit geek, want solid presence detection and Siri control of your devices, start reading around here… > [@\[OBSOLETE\] Hello, Home HomeKit (and Siri!) control via homebridge](https://community.smartthings.com/t/hello-home-homekit-and-siri-control-via-homebridge/16701/647): > > I’m not sure how many of you know who I am but I meant to share this with the community… I’ve ported over and heavily modified the Homebridge (HomeKit) plugin/smartapp made by @pdlovelace. Screen Shots New Features Added Alarm support for Hubitat Safety Monitor Added inputs to define device types in HomeKit for the following: Lights Fans Speakers (Not Supported in Home App) - Apple has really didn’t add much to this except mute and volume control Window Shades (Currently works with the Generic Z-wave Drive) Native HomeKit Irrigation Support (Rachio Only at the moment) You can have Devices created for selected modes in HomeKit that will trigger modes. (They are On when the linked mode is active) Added the ability to restric… ---
**Author:** ![DougF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@DougF](https://community.smartthings.com/u/DougF)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 2:22am UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/mobile-presence-automation-issue/155123/7 "2019-02-22T02:22:09Z")
Thank you Bryan. That’s helpful and I’ll look into that more. ---
**Author:** ![DougF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@DougF](https://community.smartthings.com/u/DougF)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 2:26am UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/mobile-presence-automation-issue/155123/8 "2019-02-22T02:26:07Z")
JD - It’s the Armed (away) in the Security section of Smart Home Monitor that I want to activate. When I’m home, it’s in Disarmed, but when I go out, based on my mobile presence, I want it to switch to the above referenced armed (away) mode. I’m still figuring this all out and thank you for your input. ---
**Author:** ![DougF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@DougF](https://community.smartthings.com/u/DougF)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 2:27am UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/mobile-presence-automation-issue/155123/9 "2019-02-22T02:27:24Z")
Sidjohn1 - thanks for providing that option suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![JDRoberts](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/jdroberts/32/56577_2.png) [@JDRoberts](https://community.smartthings.com/u/JDRoberts)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 4:44am UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/mobile-presence-automation-issue/155123/10 "2019-02-22T04:44:25Z")
> [@DougF](#): > > JD - It’s the Armed (away) in the Security section of Smart Home Monitor that I want to activate. When I’m home, it’s in Disarmed, but when I go out, based on my mobile presence, I want it to switch to the above referenced armed (away) mode. I’m still figuring this all out and thank you for your input. The new version of the app does not allow you to change the smart home monitor “security mode” based on anything except time of day or manually toggling it in the app. You cannot change it based on presence. You could in the classic app. But you can’t in the new one. It now matches the way security mode works for the ADT model hub, but they have applied that to all of the hub models. You can write to support and tell them that you would like to see it changed, quite a few people have. But for now it’s just not an option. 😥 > [@SPECIFIC differences between "SmartThings Classic" (the V2 app) and “SmartThings (Samsung Connect)” (the V3 app)](https://community.smartthings.com/t/specific-differences-between-smartthings-samsung-connect-and-smartthings-classic/124870): > > this thread is intended only as a listing of specific differences between the two apps, not for complaints, suggestions, discussions of design philosophy, bug reports, questions about migration, joke memes or anything else. Just individual feature differences. We originally used the abbreviation STSC for “SmartThings (Samsung Connect)”, but that never caught on, so now we are calling it the V3 app since it came out with the V3 hub. The V3 app is changing rapidly, so feel free to edit this as needed. The official knowledgebase FAQ is at the following link. Read it. wink[https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000114006-New-SmartThings-app-FAQ](https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000114006-New-SmartThings-app-FAQ) The “how to” official articles for the V3 app are at the following link: [https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us/categories/115…](https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us/categories/115000465506-SmartThings-App)