SmartTiles is the app that makes ST shine! I like is so much, that like others, I cut out a piece of my wall to mount a tablet dedicated to run SmartTiles. And before you ask, yes I supported Alex with a donation. Why? Because the ST phone app sucks and SmartTiles is an elegant solution that anyone was able to install and configure. I have “sold” two ST hubs to friends because after they saw SmartTiles in action at my place, they had to have it. One of them was a move from Insteon to ST. I blame ST for their lack of support to the developer community. They are the ones that make their platform attractive. I hope ST wakes up instead of resting on the laurels. It is just a matter of time before Apple and Microsoft start providing home automation solutions. They don’t play nice with the competition, but treat their developers like royalty. I would be a huge mistake for ST to alienate developers like Alex; developers that innovate, push the platform limits, and create apps that ST lacks and that end users love. All it would take for example for Microsoft is to write an universal home automation app, and make it available to Xbox owners. That will effectively put a home automation hub in millions of homes overnight. That universal app and Windows 10 running on a Raspberry Pi 2, and now you have $50 home automation hubs. Of course all of this is hypothetical, but you get my point. Wake up ST, get the developers the app store you promised to them. Work with your developers to grow your platform, instead of writing posts about why apps like SmartTiles may not be published. The information on that post should have been a private discussion between you and Alex to make his app work to your liking, not a public condemnation of his app. My 2 cents.
I can’t help feel partially responsible here for igniting the flames by sowing the seeds for the thread about how SmartTiles wouldn’t be approved by SmartThings even if Alex states that he’s doing it for other reasons. I am sad to see this news, but I understand why it had to be done.
I think that there are a lot of things at play here and SmartThings definitely has a challenge as it grows.
First, security wise, SmartThings has to ensure that all apps and devices have some minimum level of security to prevent outside interference with the automated home. This is really tough because it directly goes against the interest of developers wanting to create useful and exciting apps and extensions to the platform. Apple is on the strict side of this thinking- it requires authentication chips and a completely locked down interface compared to the openness of this and even some open source home automation programs, platforms, and systems.
Second, SmartThings is trying to be open, but in reality, it’s not open as in open source, it’s open in that it supports many devices and has a development platform. They are a business after all, and not only must they make money, but they must make a consistent experience for non-technical consumers. Anyone, developers and hackers, that interfere with the experience through misuse of the IDE and the SmartThings development platform are not good for business. While Alex fairly and respectfully used the development platform, it’s clear that others are manipulating it and taxing it to the detriment of others.
Which leads to my final point, SmartThings will have to provide additional APIs and clear procedures about how to hook into their system to not only poll the system regularly, but to create new and useful apps.
I think these competing interests (Security, Usability, Openness, and Developmer Access) are tough to manage and will sometimes result in awesome projects like SmartTiles from having to reevaluate how they interact and utilize SmartThings. Let me know if I’m off base here.
I hope that everyone can work these issues out so we can move forward to create amazing smart homes that enrich our lives in new and exciting ways.
Kind of wondering how many non-technical customers are there. No sarcasm here. If we go thru all the threads, the non-technical base appears to be the x’s in xAF’s. And how many of these x’s are actually comfortable using it? Something in the lines of SmartTiles made it easier for them. ST should have definitely worked with Alex and address the issues on one to one basis together with him as a team. It would have added so much value to ST. Pretty much all device types and smartapps lately I have seen are from the community and/or taken from the community.
For some of us who travel international for extended period on a regular basis, the biggest thing missing in ST land is a web interface on your laptops and not rely on your mobile phone.
It’s never too late.
All said, it’s a good thing SmartTiles is not yet dead; not having multiple instances (for a single hub) is just an inconvenience. I would not be surprised if (when) SmartThings has a tile dashboard on future versions of their app, and hopefully it will be Alex’s web-based interface. In the very least SmartThings should give large credit to Alex for his tool and help publish it… which I foresee happening. (purely my opinion)
Again, thanks for SmartTiles. It is my preferred interface on my Android and iPhone, and so nice to access on a desktop and laptop computer. It’s fast, clean, concise, reliable, and customizable just right. There’s not much to configure, virtually nothing to setup - it just works, a simple interface anyone at any computer experience level can just look at and know what it is and what to do with it. (I’m preaching to the choir) 
I’m sure it will get better fairly soon. Best wishes.
Tough news…I too adopted his solution early and was a contributor to fund his efforts.
The reality here is when I show off SmartThings for a project we are working on in healthcare…you know what I show? SmartTiles. People gather around and are agape at the simplicity … and the realization that it is approachable for many different types of people. I have never shown the mobile app as we’d be done before we start.
So while I don’t fully understand where this is all going yet as I am imagining we are seeing the tip of an iceberg here poking out of the ocean, Alex’s contribution was tremendous and I had hoped would be fully embraced by ST in time.
Good luck, Alex, and keep us up to date on how things progress!
Name one that I cannot control from my desktop when I am out of the country and interact with over my desktop/laptop like Nest (thermostat, dropcams and nest cams), Ecobee, Rachio, Philips hue, Chamberlain etc. etc. thru their websites at least.
Alex’s work is the only thing I could interact with ST when mobile/cellphone was not an option.
Did you read the post? It was not an attack on SmartTiles or a condemnation of @625alex’s work! If anything it was a condemnation of the lack of support we have given to developers like Alex.
This is my point.
Yes I read the post before it was edited. Until yesterday, that post singled out SmartTiles. The post and its tittle were edited for a reason. Maybe it was not your intention to single out SmartTiles, but unfortunately that is what happened.
@625alex this is too bad. I think pragmatically there isn’t really any good reason to “close” your code off. Its already out there, propagated, and no one benefits from its removal.
I’ve seen you work hard on the project, donated, and been a power user since day 1. Undoubtedly, you have the #1 ST app, and ST owes you more than gratitude for finding and fixing a niche that the team should have solved independently (particularly when you started getting serious traction)
On a personal level - code is more like a garden and less like a pet. Its very easy to be attached to something that has meant so much. But all technology is ephermal. Just because this was your first successful project does not mean its has to be your only one. 
You nailed it, Ron.
SmartThings’ unintuitive mobile phone interface fine for some, but JUST DOESN’T CUT IT for many. My wife would NEVER had let me do the level of SmartThings installation in the house if it weren’t for it weren’t for SmartTiles and the custom instance I have set up for her on her tablet and laptop. For me, I control the entire house from my DESKTOP at work using SmartTiles. At home, I use SmartTiles on the laptop in the kitchen. When on the road, SmartTiles either on laptop or iPhone. The only times I access SmartThings through the SmartThings interface is when I need to add or change a device!
SmartThings interface: confusing, cumbersome.
SmartTiles: simple, intuitive, elegant.
well its safe to say this news has been the biggest uproar in this communities history (well aslong as ive been around anyways)
Its either time SmartThings put their hand in their pocket and says “thanks alex, youve created something great here and we want to financially reward you for it (or buy it) and have you work with us from now on in-house to manage its evolution as a built in feature and this way we can give it the correct proccessing requirements we couldnt offer your before as a third party developer…”
Or
They need to speed up the concept of an app store and then open up the functions available to what id class as “guru-developers” (ones who have shown exceptional input and value to the brand and users alike who are trusted by ST) to encourage them to stay with SmartThings before any other brands with equally deep pockets start poking there nose in and around these forums and identifying our strongest assets before stealing there loyalty to create great products for them 
As someone said previously, apple looks after their developer community as if they were royalty, because they identified early, that without them, they dont really have anything other than another smartphone… the apps, integrations and features submitted from there developer community has lead to the direct employment of many of there previously third party developers as they were to valuable to loose to competitors and their ideas and concepts were what really helped push the system as a whole forward year after year…
its in everyones interest and more so STs to attract, assist and reward developers like alex who bring major value to the system and will really hold the keys and means to a bigger brighter future for ST.
Despite all the above however, i do feel ST will have identified all this feedback and taken it on board and will no doubt act upon it in the way they see best, they havnt once denied it to be great, even ben stated he loved it but obviously some agreement has to be made to help bigger and more needy third party apps be viable with ST (which lets be fair, is 110% in there interest also, if it keeps us on there system and not someone elses) i just hope its addressed before its to late and other brands identify and kidnap all our finest dev community assets (alex been one)
Kyle
Thanks for the post Kyle.
To answer the most important question…
Yes we are taking this very seriously. We absolutely LOVE @625alex’s dashboard (I may, or may not, have used it before I moved 
) and we honestly want to help him make it great with better tools from us
The two interfaces are designed to solve two different problems. I believe SmartThings is addressing the cumbersome and confusing aspects of the mobile UI in a future update, but it will probably never serve the same purpose as a SmartTiles dashboard. The tiled dashboard would also be as equally confusing if it were being used as the main configuration interface for SmartThings.
I agree with @jody.albritton. IMHO, SmartThings is focused on Home Automation industry, not Remote Controlling your Home industry. If done right, you don’t need to control anything anywhere. Things should auto magically actuate based on sensors without human intervention. At least that should be the main goal of automation.
The often stated idea that “things happening automagically should be the goal of home automation” is a respectable philosophy, but not the only one.
Many of us prefer a mix of home control and home automation, for all kinds of reasons.
My own physical state varies wildly from one day to another. On days when I have a lot of pain, I keep the lights much dimmer. There’s nothing sensors would pick up to distinguish one state from another (currently there is no practical medical monitor for pain levels).
In other homes, there may be “fussy baby” days or “inlaws visiting” days or “don’t interrupt the playoff game” days. Times when we want to overrule some of the scheduled events and just decide for ourselves when certain things happen.
I’m all in favor of automagic event control as an option. But it doesn’t replace the need for a solid manual trigger UI as another option. There’s no “should” preference for one method over the other: each person needs to be free to mix and match as they prefer.
One of the best things about SmartTiles was the degree of customization it provided.
Submitted with respect.
There will come one day where there’s going to be sensors to detect your pain level.
again, sensors for fussy baby. Maybe a complicated combination of heartbeat sensor, stomach bloat etc. etc
Presence Sensor!
well, if you can find internet feed on these, they can be made to event to trigger something.
You may not have these sensors available at all now, but we are moving towards the right step, especially wearable gadget is the first move towards reading your body condition. I’m looking forward to the day where we can measure what’s going on in our body with convenience. e.g alcohol contents, sugar level etc.
That’s an important distinction to make between home automation and home control. I believe most users need both solutions as there are somethings you just don’t want to automate in my opinion (automatically unlocking your door for example). I think the smart things mobile app is ok, not great, at controlling things, but the dashboard built by Alex and Florianz definitely filled a gap. Hopefully ST will take the advice of the “senior” community developers and open up more of the system for them to build more robust, and “system performance friendly” applications and tools.