What you want to see after the 2021 App update (Clean Slate)

Apps & Clients Features & Feedback
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This is a post meant to influence how the Smartthings team should prioritise their work according to our feedback. @garrett.kranz @blake.arnold @cbaumler @Emre_Evinc @Brad_ST @nayelyz

Please write what you would like to see in small statements.

To do lists for the not so distant future:

  1. Add a search option in automations

  2. Add the notifications to be able to run the automation locally on the hub (even if notifications cannot be delivered)

  3. Add the option to see which automations a device belongs to within the device page

  4. Add a member card to the app

  5. Add RTSP camera support within the Smartthings app

  6. Add official support for number pads

  7. Switch STHM to run locally

  8. Add the ability to add Lighting Groups within automations

  9. Add nested statements within automations

  10. Add custom icons for devices and scenes

  11. Add all capabilities to run locally on the hub

  12. Add many more sensors and devices for galaxy Upcycle.

  13. Add TTS for Echo and Google devices

  14. Show graph value time stamp and date when selecting a value

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Allow change to some device types where appropriate

Smart plug has LED lights attached, I do not want it seen as a smart plug I would like ST to see it as a light, the light could then be used within the relevant companion app
Allowing the device flexibility on its type similar to Amazon’s Alexa offerings would be usefull

Smart show app
Home page (not favorites) poorly chosen currently
Alow the app/back end to determine which devices are most used at certain times ( the data is definitely available) and surface those devices to the top of the home page when the app is opened, this actually does then make the app Smart, or have a section headed Smart show on the home page when tapped displays devices most used at that time regardless of state

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ITEM 3 from Andreas POST above

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Thinking of just the app, I would like to see:

  • Any functionality that doesn’t actually need to be local running in a web view so that web, Android, iOS and Windows apps all work the same and aren’t stuck in a monthly release cycle.
  • The apps reporting their geolocation with presence.
  • The apps acting as a device or devices in addition to presence, including information such as: battery level; model name and software version; visible, paired and connected bluetooth devices; visible, saved and connected Wi-Fi; IP addresses; etc.
  • Stop hiding mobile presence in the app. Junk Member Locations and make it about the devices not the people who nominally own them. Deal with raw presence instead of the home and away and arrival and departure nonsense.
  • Stop trying to be ‘one app’. Anything that isn’t a SmartThings integration needs to move out - TVs, appliances and SmartThings Find for example, except for any functionality actually available through SmartThings integrations. As a specific example, SmartThings Find is just a crippled app for Find My Mobile. It doesn’t belong. However as a cloud integration of Find My Mobile it would be really useful. Similarly direct app connected devices don’t belong in the app unless they become app/mobile connected devices linking to the cloud.
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As for things outside the app:

  • Make Automations visible in API so it is clear what they are actually doing.
  • Expose/document more of the Rules API. It is about nine months since any changes for the punters and it clearly can already do more.
  • Finish off the capability presentations. My very first capability presentation still doesn’t work over a year on.
  • Decide whether to support multiple hubs in locations or not and end all the vagueness (clue: supporting them is the correct answer).
  • Expose device metrics via the API.
  • Drifting back into app territory, it would be nice to be able to use cards with custom SmartApps as e.g. STHM and Find do.
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Nice! Tagged some staff members in the conversation

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I would like to see personal devices removed & have rooms brought back instead.

Mobile presence is still riddled with errors & should be fixed & made viewable in the app.

Allow sunset & sunrise to be the only condition to start an automation.

Add a reboot hub option to the app.

Ads tts to echo & google.

Add more icons & allow devices & automations icons to be replaceable.

*** not sure if this is possible but add tiles to each room that could take a temp from.a sensor & display room temp… again not even sure this can be done but it would be great if it were an option.

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Good topic idea. Overall I quite like the new app. Agree with most of the above (I won’t repeat all, just one):

  1. Google home /Alexa TTS or audio notifications via nest in some format would be a game changer

  2. On the wallpaper section (great addition BTW) - Appears to make backgrounds pretty dark (I’m assuming this is done if my device is in dark mode). Would be nice to manually turn of this extra darkening of the background

  3. not so much a priority but I hope to see more useful things in the life tab. At the moment it really doesn’t add much

  4. better widgets (in keeping with the recent push from IOS and android 12) that could include device control /device status (e.g. doors open/closed) and not just scenes.

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Z-wave device OTA firmware updates.

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I don’t know if this can be posted in this wish list, but it would be nice if the stock device handlers could recognize more Tuya Zigbee devices, as for example switches, double switches, buttons, and we can stop using 3rd party dth running in the cloud.
Those devices use to have very standard capabilities so difficult to accept why they’re not added to the stock dth of Smartthings.

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Lots of great ideas here that I’d like to see.
1 other useful addition would be to add a small comments box to automation so you can add comments.

I’ve got nested automations with things like virtual switches/devices and it’s getting harder to remember how I’ve set some things up.

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I would like to see all of the documentation at Samsung support updated to match the 2021 app since now most of the instructions given don’t work. :disappointed_relieved:

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I hadn’t even thought of that one… that’s alot of updating.

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Yeah, that one! As @JDRoberts said, but without the end of the sentence. :laughing:

Otherwise @JDRoberts, don’t worry they will delete it first, but leave the links to it everywhere.

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  • Camera RTSP / Onvif
  • TTS Echo
  • STHM local
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With you on this one definitely! @garrett.kranz looks like the need is there :slight_smile:

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I have a blog on Brazil smartthingsbrasil.com.br ) and a group on the telegram where the most awaited by everyone is the possibility of adding RTSP or Onvif cameras

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Please link this here for the staff to see

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I created a poll in the group… I will post the result here later

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The main thing I would like to see is a straightforward reliable voice-accessible system which works well for most people without the need for any custom code for primary features.

Take for example the following 4 devices:

  1. the Aeotec zwave plus Wallmote quad

  2. the Qubino zwave plus flush 2 relay

  3. the Fibaro zwave plus Smart Implant

  4. the Tuya Zigbee 4 gang switch

All work just fine out of the box with most hubs. All can no longer be made to work with SmartThings, even with custom code, probably because of ST’s own abstraction layer which is applied to multi endpoint devices. All 4 have historically sometimes worked with ST using custom code but then without warning or a documented change path just stopped working because of undocumented architecture changes.

Maybe none of this is important because Samsung believes the future is Matter and their intention is simply to provide full support for Matter capabilities. (Samsung hasn’t said so publicly, but it’s a position some companies are taking.)

To which I say OK, but then ST better drop the need for custom code just to get a 3 gang switch to work. :thinking:

If ST offers a flawless Matter UI with no custom code requirements, much will be forgiven. :sun_with_face:. If it’s also voice-accessible, I’ll be able to start recommending it again. We will see.

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