Things I like BETTER about the new app vs Classic

I’ll be completely transparent about my bias here. The more awkward the SmartThings App is for “everyday use”, the more valuable that Customers will find ActionTiles to be.

With unlimited custom Panels in any layout you want, we give you even more than just “Rooms”. Any Thing can be in any number of Panels (even Things from multiple Accounts & Locations). So you can have Things organized by physical Room, and also by functionality (e.g,. a “Security Panel” that shows all your door and window sensors; a “Battery & Temperature Panel”, a Panel tailed for the children in the house, etc., etc.). … https://ActionTiles.com (4.9-Stars Rated on Facebook with over 180 ratings / reviews / recommendations).

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Complaints and critiques go in a different thread. From the first post here:

There’s been a lot of discussion about the negatives of the new app, so I thought I’d start one about the positives. Who knows, maybe there is some SmartThings dev out there that is having a bad day and will read this and feel better :slightly_smiling_face: Feel free to add your feedback and let’s keep this thread positive!

Thanks! :sunglasses:

And here’s the thread where you can post your critiques:

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Did you hit the like button?..:roll_eyes:

Bringing this back on topic, the new app lets you take still shots for Ring devices that allow video streaming

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Found something else today I like better. The new app version of Smart Locks (called Smart Lock Guest Access) lets you send the code you setup via any communication means (at least on iOS). Classic only allows sms.

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There’s now several brands of devices that can only be paired through the new app. I’m guessing cloud integrations using the new cloud to cloud api.

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someone was posting about Modern Forms recently

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One update I don’t think was posted in here: Lighting Groups are now available in the new app. Currently can only control them manually, but I believe they plan to include them in scenes and/or automation creator eventually.

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As discussed a little, there are also a lot of brands now that are only available in the new app due to them using the new cloud to cloud integration tools. Kasa, Yeelight, NexxHome, Sensibo, etc.

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That’s a bad thing.

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I would have to respectfully disagree, since they announced over a year ago that the V2 app was at end-of-life and would be discontinued eventually. There’s no reason to spend company resources maintaining the older option if you already know you’re going to discontinue it.

And this thread is about things that people like better in the new V3 app.

Complaints, discussions of design philosophy, etc. belong in the following thread instead:

"SmartThings Classic" vs "SmartThings (Samsung Connect)"

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I respectfully disagree. When I made that initial post, I was looking for information, what I got, we’ll you know what I got. Anyway, just kidding @JDRoberts, but my intent was info.

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I like that the new app loads 4x faster than the old app and the ability to put shortcuts to specific devices on my phone’s home screen. The search bar for the “all device” list is handy too.

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So for a new install, would you all suggest using only the new app now since it’s been updated?

I wouldn’t but that’s me. It doesn’t currently (ever?) do everything that the classic version already does, so I have little desire to use it regularly until/if it ever does - or I’m forced to.

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I would start with the new app. If you find a use case that requires Classic, then install classic and use both.

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I agree with @Automated_House . :sunglasses: Start with the new V3 app. If it does everything you need, you’re all set.

If it doesn’t, you can also use The V2 classic app, but know that they have said it will be going away eventually, we just don’t know exactly when.

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There’s a new easy to use timer and scheduling function directly on the device page for switches/bulbs.
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You can now wipe your personal info from within the app settings

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When creating scenes in the V3 app, adding a device to the scene adds it with it’s current settings. So this means you can go around manually setting up the devices how you want them, then create the scene and when adding each one they get added in their current state.

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Just be aware that deleting your personal data is essentially the same as resetting the hub and wiping your account and you will not be able to use the hub again without again setting up a cloud account. That’s because it’s using the GDPR definition of “personal data“ which includes your location, your IP address, and any name that you have given to a device. See the following discussion:

Private Data Delete

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