New SmartThings Alexa skill (2020)

Devices & Integrations
41

The new integration will not show up in SmartThings classic like the old one did because it is not a smartapp.

Can you describe “So now, I can’t even link the account correctly.”? Does the linking from Alexa app fail? If not the devices should all appear in Alexa as normal…

42

Stopped working after unlinking and relinking to new skill or just old skill stopped working?

43

If you see issues with virtual devices in new skill, can you please describe the issue in detail and what DTH you are using?

44

I’m just got off the phone with support with Smartthings and Alexa. Here’s what I’ve learned.

  1. The Classic Skill in Alexa is gone. If you break the connection, it’s gone forever.
  2. The Classic App and Skill haven’t been updated in over a year. They want people to switch.
  3. They aren’t getting many calls with people having problems with the Classic App. “Most people have switched”.
  4. I enabled the new Skill in Alexa and it does show up as a “Connected Device” in the new App.
  5. Support said everything was showing good on their end, that it shows my Alexa is connected.

After 30 mins, Support transferred me to Alexa Support and we spent 45 mins running through the gambit of scripted trouble shooting steps.

One this that I did notice that neither Smarthings or Alexa support could answer, was this…

When I am in the Alexa app and try to manually add a device - > Hub -> Smartthings, it always told me that nothing was linked (even though I was linked with the new Skill). When I continued to add the hub manually, it always took me to the Classic Skill to install, which is no longer available. So Alexa wants to use the Classic skill for some reasons.

The 90 mins ended up with Alexa Support escalating to a technical team. Should hear back in 2-3 days.

45

I don’t know yet. These are very much “plug and play” mass market consumers. One of them has a high-end Samsung television, which is why they are using smartthings. The other two got it when they got a smart lock. They’ve all had smartthings for at least a year, and one case I think maybe three years. I’ll see if I can find out more. Basically they just sent me a text: “SmartThings stopped working with Alexa, do you know what’s wrong?”

46

Another observation I just made in the new Smartthings App

  • If I go to add a device -> voice assistant, it shows "Amazon Alexa Connected to " (it’s blank)
  • When I go to “Connected Devices” and delete the Amazon Alexa Account, it disappears as expected
  • When I go back to add a device -> voice assistant, it shows “Alexa Connected to Smartthings”
    • And in the Alexa app, the skill is still enabled
    • But she still can’t discover devices
47

Has the virtual switch bug been patched? I’m using the simulated contact Sensor from the DTH list. I have it set as a trigger got my alexa routine and it doesn’t fire the routine.

48

my virtual switches are working as actions of an Alexa routine, but no love for sensors triggering them (real or virtual sensors).

49

I’m going to change my simulated contact sensors to virtual switches and see if that corrects my issue.

50

You can’t use switches to trigger Alexa routines.

1 Like
51

Ok, then scratch that. Waiting for a fix.

52

I hope they can resolve everyone’s migration issues.

Since the previous motion sensor worked to trigger an Alexa routine on a fresh clean install of the new Alexa skill, I just setup another Alexa routine to test a multi-purpose sensor to announce on my Alexa speaker that the door was opened and it worked too.

I’m glad that I wasn’t totally invested with a lot of Alexa routines and groups since I was able to just wipe everything in Alexa and start fresh since I only had three Alexa groups with various lights in them which were real easy to set back up.

Anyway, I guess I’ll need to start taking a look at other Skill’s that Alexa routines can trigger as actions and see if there’s anything I like.

53

Hi everyone,
If you have been seeing issues with motion sensors not triggering or locks not giving an OK response, please run a new discovery in Alexa (either via Alexa app or say “Discover new devices”). No need to unlink and relink.

Let me know if that does not resolve the issue. Simulated sensors should also work as expected now.

2 Likes
54

Awesome work Lars! My simulated contact sensors are now triggering the appropriate Alexa routines!

1 Like
55

Sensors are working again with routines.

I’m still seeing weird behavior with devices flagged as a light. This z-wave dimmer is flagged as a light in the Alexa app and shows under Lights in its room, and it along with the Wyze bulbs flagged as lights can be manually turned on and off using the switch for the whole Lights group, but verbally saying “Alexa, turn off the lights” (or on) only changes the Wyze bulbs. With the Classic skill it worked correctly verbally with the SmartThings dimmer, too.

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56

A post was merged into an existing topic: Issues With Classic Alexa Skill (2020)

57

interesting. Any issues with this and devices outside of SmartThings? So far i’ve tested with Kasa and Wyze devices set as lights and they both work.

58

@Lars

This is the same issue one of my friends has. They have not made any changes, they are still using the old skill, and devices that used to be included as “lights“ still show as lights in the app but are not turning off when they say “echo, turn off the lights.“ And they used to.

1 Like
59

For the “light” tagging issue, did anyone reach out to Amazon support?

Marking the device as a light in Amazon app has nothing to do with the skill implementation which would explain why you are seeing the issue both with old and new skill. I will reach out to my engineering contacts at Amazon as well about this.

1 Like
60

Does the new skill support the ability to not share devices with Alexa? When I open the connected service I don’t see any options to remove devices from discovery.