Simulated Alexa Switch Stopped Triggering Alexa Routines (August 2020)

Simulated Alexa switches (virtual device by bjpierron) have stopped working? Everything was working fine until yesterday. I have been using these virtual switches for months without any problem. These virtual switches are being used as triggers in Alexa routines. State changes fine in app, but routines do not trigger. However, I can trigger those routines manually from Alexa app. It’s just those switches are unable to trigger Alexa routines from smartthings app. I have unlinked and re-linked smartthings skill in Alexa app multiple times, but to no avail. Anyone else is facing this issue? Thanks in advance.

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I just checked my “welcome home music” switch. It’s working fine for me.

I use seven of them and they are all working…

When you say “not working“ can you be more specific?

If you toggle it in the smartthings app does anything happen? Does the state change in the app?

Did it used to work but now something has changed? Or is this a brand new device?

Were you using it trigger an Alexa routine but now that’s not working?

Were you using it as part of a group?

A few more details would help. :sunglasses:

Thanks, Sorry for not being specific. Yes, everything was working fine until yesterday. I have been using these virtual switches for months without any problem. These virtual switches are being used as triggers in Alexa routines. State changes fine in app, but routines do not trigger. However, I can trigger those routines manually from Alexa app. It’s just those switches are unable to trigger Alexa routines from smartthings app. I have unlinked and re-linked smartthings skill in Alexa app multiple times, but to no avail. I am not using any device group.

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Got it. Unfortunately, multiple people have reported that recently, but I don’t know if there’s a workaround.

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All I know is when I ask Alexa to turn off my porch light it’s no longer working, removing Amazon Alexa from voice controls and adding it back makes it work again for about a day and then it stops working saying the hub is not connected, but I can turn all my devices on and off from the smart things app and the Alexa app on my iphone

Same problem here, was using the classic app and it migrated me, the new app isn’t available for my phone so I used my wife’s but now all my smartthings virtual switches don’t work with Alexa routine, Alexa does detect the change of the virtual device but doesn’t activate the routine, but Alex can control a Phillips hue bulb that’s connected to it, so it’s just smartthings to Alexa. Also I’m using adt hub, been looking everywhere with no luck

Same problem for me…

It’s a known problem, engineering is working on it, no estimated date for the fix yet. You can follow reports in the following thread:

Has this been remedied? It is now November and I am having this problem.

My routine with Alexa Simulated switches stoped working after installing Smarttings Classic app on my iphone
I had to remove my classic app, Disable Smartthings skill and reenable it, run discover on devices and my routine start working again

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Has this been fixed yet?? My Alexa routines still not being triggered even though simulated Alexa switch verified to work in Alexa app. Tried everything short of re-doing new Simulated Switch.

It’s never been officially announced as fixed, and although it was fixed for quite a few people for about a month and a half it appears to have broken again. :disappointed_relieved:

Yep, that’s my experience as well. Actually got it to work for a few months, and now broken again.

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possible this broke with the new firmware (attempted / paused) rollout? Mine stopped working I think on the 16th

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Besides my Alexa virtual switches, even all of my physical motion sensors and multipurpose sensors have stopped triggering my Alexa Routines. I see the motion/multipurpose sensors and Alexa Virtual switch change states in Alexa, but the Motion or Open/Close feature is not triggering the Alexa Routines at all.

I contacted support, and their response was to remove the Alexa connected service and reconnect it. Well, that didn’t fix anything.

I also contacted Amazon Alexa support which is totally worthless if you ask me since they didn’t do anything.

I had a similar problem, the routines never trigger for me. I try to deactivate the smart things skill in Alexa app and re-activate tha skill and now the routine works.

I have had this problem for a few weeks now. Deleting and reactivating the SmartThings skill in Alexa did not resolve the problem for me. Not sure if I did this correctly because I didn’t have to reload in all of my SmartThings devices into the Alexa app. The Alexa simulated switch changes state in both SmartThings and Alexa but it won’t trigger Alexa to play the sound that I selected. When I test the routine in the Alexa app it does ring the church bell that I selected. So as suggested above that may mean that this is a SmartThings issue. There have been no changes in 3 years to bjpierron’s device handler for the virtual Alexa switch so that is very unlikely to be the cause. I also tried various reset times for the simulated switch to turn off from 1 minute to 2 seconds, to no avail. It appears that some people do not have this problem and others do. Have there been any new developments on this? Has anyone tried something that made a difference?

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The Simulated Alexa Switch integration has just been hit-and-miss most of the time lately. It works about 80% if the time.

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