Athom is going to kill off the desktop app?!

Floodnl · May 2018

Hi guys,

This is regarding this:https://nl.hardware.info/tv/1249/interview-stefan-witkamp-over-athom-homey-smart-home-controller

Also read the comments below i do think they speak for us regarding our opinion on this. If they do kill the desktop app off i think it's for me an reason to say bye bye to homey.

Not sure why but lately i get more and more fed up by athom homey. Things not working as it should or only randomly, so many promises made and yet so few of them actually completed. I find support with real issue poor really poor (like the orangelamp syndrome).

Athom really needs to step up if they want to be in this business as more other devices are launched or getting launch that surpasses homey by now.

What do you guys think? Can you live without the desktop app and do this on a tablet or phone?

cbh · May 2018

Unfortunately, the answer is yes - it's been a debate since last summer and Athom seems confident that those of us who are doubting the benefit of this strategy and argue there should still be a desktop-based way to work with Homey will change our minds when the new mobile app is released - apparently the design of the app eliminate the need for input best done with a keyboard etc...
If you search the forum you will find several threads with vivid debate on the subject - but nothing that has made Athom change their minds on the subject, unfortunately...

qtech · May 2018

I agree. The desktop app is very convenient and cannot fully be replaced by a tablet or phone for configuration.

Desktop: Configuration, organizing devices, setup flows.
Phone/tablet: Adding new devices. Use as remote control for lights etc.

lubbertkramer · May 2018

Floodnl said:

Hi guys,

This is regarding this:https://nl.hardware.info/tv/1249/interview-stefan-witkamp-over-athom-homey-smart-home-controller

Also read the comments below i do think they speak for us regarding our opinion on this. If they do kill the desktop app off i think it's for me an reason to say bye bye to homey.

Not sure why but lately i get more and more fed up by athom homey. Things not working as it should or only randomly, so many promises made and yet so few of them actually completed. I find support with real issue poor really poor (like the orangelamp syndrome).

Athom really needs to step up if they want to be in this business as more other devices are launched or getting launch that surpasses homey by now.

What do you guys think? Can you live without the desktop app and do this on a tablet or phone?

Maybe you can better replace the link from Hardware.info into this blog from July 2017 about 2.0 and the mobile vision, this blog from April 2018 about 2.0 or this answer at Trello because the international users don't understand a Dutch interview :P

But i agree, i always said first expierence then judge but after using the mobile app (also including the new design) and even it's beta (it will not change much as it is now unless release is again a year later) i can say mobile is not for complex flows with variablen / lots of cards.

DaneeDeKruyff · May 2018

lubbertkramer said:

But i agree, i always said first expierence then judge but after using the mobile app (also including the new design) and even it's beta (it will not change much as it is now unless release is again a year later) i can say mobile is not for complex flows with variablen / lots of cards.

I’m not that concerned about managing flows (without having access to the version you are running) I guess that is something that can be improved.
My main concern is the settings pages for apps, I can truly not think of any way I can get the settings for Heimdall to fit on a mobile device and have an acceptabke UX.
And no where I’ve insights seen mentioned, is that even available in the new app?

lubbertkramer · May 2018

DaneeDeKruyff said:

lubbertkramer said:

But i agree, i always said first expierence then judge but after using the mobile app (also including the new design) and even it's beta (it will not change much as it is now unless release is again a year later) i can say mobile is not for complex flows with variablen / lots of cards.

I’m not that concerned about managing flows (without having access to the version you are running) I guess that is something that can be improved.
My main concern is the settings pages for apps, I can truly not think of any way I can get the settings for Heimdall to fit on a mobile device and have an acceptabke UX.
And no where I’ve insights seen mentioned, is that even available in the new app?

Agree on above, settings for indeed your app Heimdall will be a problem. But for the insights there is a section under settings but not working at the moment

[Deleted User] · May 2018

The interview was a bocus (like the spider) to avoid the in-depth user (community) concerns. It feels like a check the boxes (integration with Google, Alexa, Fibaro, ......) interview avoiding to address the fundamental next steps for the most committed customers aka early adopters.
The interview was quite impressive from performance point of view, the 'marketing' vision is great - to follow.

jjtbsomhorst · May 2018

lubbertkramer said:

DaneeDeKruyff said:

lubbertkramer said:

But i agree, i always said first expierence then judge but after using the mobile app (also including the new design) and even it's beta (it will not change much as it is now unless release is again a year later) i can say mobile is not for complex flows with variablen / lots of cards.

I’m not that concerned about managing flows (without having access to the version you are running) I guess that is something that can be improved.
My main concern is the settings pages for apps, I can truly not think of any way I can get the settings for Heimdall to fit on a mobile device and have an acceptabke UX.
And no where I’ve insights seen mentioned, is that even available in the new app?

Agree on above, settings for indeed your app Heimdall will be a problem. But for the insights there is a section under settings but not working at the moment

Or you could turn the question around. If Athom decides to go full mobile / tablet app makers should adapt their applications accordingly. Ofcourse Athom should provide the tools to do so ( for instance by providing basic tools to generate pages , fields and such)

Floodnl · May 2018

jjtbsomhorst said:l
Or you could turn the question around. If Athom decides to go full mobile / tablet app makers should adapt their applications accordingly. Ofcourse Athom should provide the tools to do so ( for instance by providing basic tools to generate pages , fields and such)

Well the biggest issue that i have with this is, that the product has been sold to me with the feature that i can use the desktop app, and i am not sure what laws say about this selling a product A and years after change the whole thing this is not why i spend 300€ on homey i really feel screwed over.

And it's not like this is the only thing i noticed it was sold to me (mediamarket) to be an top supported product while there is an orangeled issue for months ongoing leaving people even not able to use homey as it should. No communication from Athom's side at all for months we really feel ignored while more and more people are addressing this issue. Not to mention the people that do not find the github and stay on forum or just give up.

rogierh · May 2018

I always use the browser, yes, it says it is not supported, but it works really well and from everywhere, without any installation needed. Athom, please keep the option available to access homey via the browser.

Peet91 · May 2018

It is quite bothersome, which is an understatement, that Athom is planning to remove the desktop app. Personally speakingg, with 73 devices and +200 flows (including some very extensive flows) it can simply not be correctly managed using a device such as a mobile phone.

Removing the desktop app will be a huge setback. Hopefully, the people at Athom make up their mind. For the more tech sided users this could be decisive for replacing Homey.

marcovanhuizen · May 2018

I was not planning apss and scripting to do with a phone or tabled, I do everything with the PC. the PC is my most used smart device that can no longer be connected to homey ?????.

if athom removed this pc support, then we see a lot of homeys for sale on ebay and marktplaats.

JPe · May 2018

It is possible to use an Android Emulator like BlueStacs, to run the app's on your PC:

There also will come a Tablet version, so better wait and see before complaining.

daesland · May 2018

I have visual problems which rely on my using accessibility options that are only available on my computer.
My homey is going to be useless to me when the desktop program stops working. I have emailed athom about it and the response I got was actually quite rude and basically 'tough, were not doing that any more'.

Hy homey has been great on the whole, with a few issues. I will have to sell it or bin it when I can't use it it any more. Interesting as athom have used their blogs to market the homey to people with disabilities.

Does anyone know of other good home controller hubs? I was thinking of the fibaro home centre 2. Even thought of buying a computer fitted with a z-wave controller and software that I can leave on all the time.

jjtbsomhorst · May 2018

daesland said:

I have visual problems which rely on my using accessibility options that are only available on my computer.
My homey is going to be useless to me when the desktop program stops working. I have emailed athom about it and the response I got was actually quite rude and basically 'tough, were not doing that any more'.

Hy homey has been great on the whole, with a few issues. I will have to sell it or bin it when I can't use it it any more. Interesting as athom have used their blogs to market the homey to people with disabilities.

Does anyone know of other good home controller hubs? I was thinking of the fibaro home centre 2. Even thought of buying a computer fitted with a z-wave controller and software that I can leave on all the time.

What is on your computer that is not able to be used on your phone/tablet? Maybe we as a community can help

marcotics · May 2018

rogierh said:

I always use the browser, yes, it says it is not supported, but it works really well and from everywhere, without any installation needed. Athom, please keep the option available to access homey via the browser.

True. I use a Chromebook for most of the flow-writing, so a desktop app is not even available for Chromebooks. Via a browser works like a charm and i don't believe they will be killing of browser support, like ever.

robertklep · May 2018

marcotics said:

rogierh said:

I always use the browser, yes, it says it is not supported, but it works really well and from everywhere, without any installation needed. Athom, please keep the option available to access homey via the browser.

True. I use a Chromebook for most of the flow-writing, so a desktop app is not even available for Chromebooks. Via a browser works like a charm and i don't believe they will be killing of browser support, like ever.

You can believe that, but it doesn't make it true

The desktop app is basically a standalone browser, so when they say they're killing the desktop app, it also means they're killing the browser version.

canedje · May 2018

I realy hate the idea.
I'm only using the desktop version for creating flows etc. The overview is much nicer en works fine because of the bigger screen.
I can not imagine that developping flows etc. also is workable on a small device as my Phone..
I can understand if there is a mobile versioin beside the desktop. But only mobile is not an option imo.
I only use the current mobile version for messages and check status of devices

If I had known this at the forhand I didn't buy a Homey.

daesland · May 2018

i need my 27 inch screen so i can see it and plan flows etc.
im going to ditch homey when they stop the desktop version.
Thinking about the fibaro homecentre 2 or the vera.

captkiwi · May 2018

I totally agree that a desktops works way more efficient than a small tablet or phone.
Next to it, the navigation with a mouse is much faster than swiping.

The experience I have with the homey app is that i hardly use it. Its nice to have it on your phone when something needs to be done but working on flows desktop is the way to go.

rickp · May 2018

Jup, the app is nice but for the initial setting up I really really really want a pc. Just sitting nice on a good chair with a keyboard and a big screen. Also setting up homey at other people's place.. "can I use your pc" is a lot different to "I need your phone", and the big screen makes it way easyer to show things. Yes you can cast and whatever but it's not the same.

I think everyone feels the pc/browser option should at least stay

konradwalsh · May 2018

Based on being with Homey/Athom for 1.5 years.. the speed at which they get anything done tells me this -
It will be another year before we see the app being near stable.
It will be another year after that before they feel ready to disable the browser access.
In year three, with the speed technology is moving in the home automation front, we will probably have moved on from homey

androidfroyo · May 2018

captkiwi said:

I totally agree that a desktops works way more efficient than a small tablet or phone.
Next to it, the navigation with a mouse is much faster than swiping.

The experience I have with the homey app is that i hardly use it. Its nice to have it on your phone when something needs to be done but working on flows desktop is the way to go.

I'm new to Homey but yeah it does seem an odd choice to only allow setup on mobile app.

But I guess most people here are powerusers with very complicated flows while for many their flows are simple and the convience of an app is a good thing.

Still I wonder for power users , can't you just simply cast your mobile app on your smart TV (which i presumably being power users you would have a relatively big one?). That gets you the screen space you need.

As for input, it's quite easy to add on a mouse to control no?

marcovanhuizen · May 2018

androidfroyo said:

captkiwi said:

I totally agree that a desktops works way more efficient than a small tablet or phone.
Next to it, the navigation with a mouse is much faster than swiping.

The experience I have with the homey app is that i hardly use it. Its nice to have it on your phone when something needs to be done but working on flows desktop is the way to go.

I'm new to Homey but yeah it does seem an odd choice to only allow setup on mobile app.

But I guess most people here are powerusers with very complicated flows while for many their flows are simple and the convience of an app is a good thing.

Still I wonder for power users , can't you just simply cast your mobile app on your smart TV (which i presumably being power users you would have a relatively big one?). That gets you the screen space you need.

As for input, it's quite easy to add on a mouse to control no?

a TV is to watch films for relaxation not programerig of homey
reminds me of a TV box with adroid. believe me that is dredging
And adding tags? I wonder what kind of mobile app should come then? because the preview beta version is just enough, and I often already experience that the whole thing is stuck with the dashboard app. It is a pity that this discussion just goes away. and sorry for the bad english ...

JanPeeters · May 2018

Would be really sad if they would abandone the desktop app...

Floodnl · May 2018

The only thing is that i hope Moderators will point out to Athom that this is a big issue for us all and we hope they will rethink their decision

lubbertkramer · May 2018

Floodnl said:

The only thing is that i hope Moderators will point out to Athom that this is a big issue for us all and we hope they will rethink their decision

Will not work, when you say too much not being Athom minded they better want to have you step back like i needed to do after the latest discussion on Slack

Moderators have asked already for a lot of things like changing the forum (in a better structure) but it's a community forum in Athom control under Athom rules about structure

I was also since the start of Developer Preview in DP (now i'm out because i didn't want to sign an NDA and share nothing to the community) but the statement Athom made in the first blog is not recognized by me (and as i read by a lot), it was never asked in DP so i'm still really curious about who they asked, maybe they can enlighten us

Most sounds show the most users don't want this change

https://blog.athom.com/homey-v2-0-future/

The future
It’s always exciting to do something new, and we’ve learned that no matter how hard we try, we can never make everyone happy, but I have great confidence in our current plans. When we pitched this idea to some of our most active developers, it was heartwarming to see that they quickly became very excited about all new possibilities. And personally, I feel we’ve finally figured out what Homey should be for everyone.

PetervdK · May 2018

rickp said:

I think everyone feels the pc/browser option should at least stay

+1

Eternity · May 2018

Hey @lubbertkramer

You work your butt off, as a moderator...and that's highly appreciated!

Just saying

canedje · May 2018

PetervdK said:

rickp said:

I think everyone feels the pc/browser option should at least stay

+1

Eternity said:

Hey @lubbertkramer

You work your butt off, as a moderator...and that's highly appreciated!

Just saying

+1

lubbertkramer · May 2018

Eternity said:

Hey @lubbertkramer

You work your butt off, as a moderator...and that's highly appreciated!

Just saying

Thanks but as you can see i'm no longer a moderator because of above. I had a to strong opinion which was not in line with Athom and at the latest collision on Slack where i was not supporting Athom choices they stated that it's maybe better to drop it and i said that will be the choice of Athom and 5 seconds later i was no moderator anymore

Since they started with the moderators more have stopped because of that kind of reasons.

But from being a ex moderator and a DP member i can say listening is not their best part, also better communication keeps lacking. But looking at when the new mobile app would go live (januari 2018) and the latest statement at hardware info which said this monday what needed to be this month i guess they will also not hold that promise if you take a little peek in what is happening in the dark. So i guess the web version will be around for some time to come

Athom is going to kill off the desktop app?!

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The future