Every day, I get one or more notices via the Orange Dot, on the Menu icon, then the How to Use icon. No dot on any other How to Use icon. Venturing in to the Virtual Home settings shows that I have active devices in a Virtual Home. I never set up a VH and any attempt to delete these devices results in the message, “ You cannot use this function in your Virtual home.”
Entering the Virtual Home icon temporarily turns off the dot notification, but never permanently. If I delete ST Data and Cache, via App Settings, and then go to Virtual Home, the ST app initiates an install of some sort.
I have no need for a Virtual home currently or in the future. How, if possible, do I delete the Virtual Home and the persistent notification associated with it?
JKnight
(Keeping SmartThings limping along since 2013.)
3
Yup, persistent orange dot notification for me multiple times a day as well since they added that Virtual Home feature/bug. I have tried to just ignore it, but it is really triggering my ADHD.
Thanks for drafting a post about the issue, I have been meaning to for quite some time and just hadn’t gotten around to it.
As suggested, I contacted ST Help about the persistent orange dot on the Menu/How to Use screens. The reply letter is too long to post here but it has a familiar ‘tech customer service’ formula. It starts by saying how much they care. Then they explain what the orange dot means, but they called it a red dot, which suggests to me no human read my complaint. Then they suggest I should delete the app and reinstall and boot the phone. And, if that doesn’t work, I should send pictures, and versions, and error reports, and data logs, and on and on and on. Additionally, I must give them full access to my entire phone.
The errant dot is not a deal breaker and I will continue to use ST, but their customer service is undistinguished and the value of this forum is priceless.
/End Rant
Dan
4 Likes
JKnight
(Keeping SmartThings limping along since 2013.)
8
Same experience here. Only real difference for me was that I was made to feel stupid for trying to provide a bug report and I clearly inconvenienced the AI bot in some way by doing so.
If they don’t care about quality control on the small things, I am terrified about how they handle the really important stuff, like protecting users personal information.
3 Likes
JKnight
(Keeping SmartThings limping along since 2013.)
9
Not sure if someone finally got a message through to support, but today in app version 1.8.18.21 on Android the orange dot seems to finally be gone… hopefully for good unless there is actually something new unread.
Now I am off to poke around to see what they newly broke with this app update.
JKnight
(Keeping SmartThings limping along since 2013.)
12
Well, it looks like I spoke too soon! Sorry folks. It was gone all day yesterday and this morning, but came back again just now with nothing new to read in the “How to use” section. I had been using the app for about an hour this morning looking for what new issues they introduced, when suddenly the damn orange dot returned.
