Arlo App New UI is horrible

[flyclinch]

Wish I had checked this community before opt-in for the new app UI. It only allows for 3 modes (home, away & standby)! Wouldn’t people usually need at least 4 modes? 2 for day and night when you’re at home (e.g. you need the siren to go off at night but not during the day) and 2 for day and night when you are on holiday. Why take custom modes feature away if it’s already working nicely. Seriously considering moving onto another product.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

I don't think you can't opt out; certainly, it wasn't an option for me, and with local storage now being made significantly more bothersome to access, I don't think that's right either. Not having access to custom modes is a huge disadvantage.

By being forced to use the new app, one feels that they've been put at a disadvantage overall in comparison to the previous app. If features/access to features were/was comparable, it'd be a different story. 

[DannyBearAgain]

I believe the three modes limit on the new app experience was intended to remove confusion for users of their arlo security hub that only supports three physical mode buttons.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

Very much so @DannyBearAgain - and that's ok, of course - but why restrict the user but not allowing them to have an *option* to add a mode if they wish to do so.

[DannyBearAgain]

@Edinburgh_lad1 

Because doing so doesn’t fit in with their business model.

[Mama88]

Anyone else also have problems with being notified but no recordings coming through? 

[DannyBearAgain]

@Mama88 

It’s best to wait for a response on your other thread.

The super users here on the forum may respond in a few hours after getting up.

I do know that there is little documentation about on how to use the new app experience so likely your issue can be resolved by them taking you through it.

[DK17]

Couldn't agree more. This app "upgrade" is a serious downgrade. The look os fine but the ability not to add custom modes is a mess. Let's home someone smartens up and adds that feature. For those of us with multiple hubs and cameras the three defined modes simply doesn't allow for things to be managed properly. 

[Hap8213]

Agree. I just want the option to arm and disarm individual cameras without so much trouble. I no longer can find a way to do this. Horrible change they've made.

[StephenB]

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@Hap8213 wrote:

I just want the option to arm and disarm individual cameras without so much trouble.

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You can just go into the device settings for a camera and temporarily turn it off.  If I remember correctly, that is the same number of steps needed to arm/disarm individual cameras with the old "Library" interface.

One thing perhaps worth pointing out - arming/disarming individual cameras manually with the "Library" interface is only easy when the cameras are directly connected to your home wifi.  It isn't easy at all when the cameras are connected to a base.

[Hap8213]

Hello,  Thank you for replying.

Yes I see where you can go to Devices... Settings... and Turn the Camera Off... the problem is that it completely turns the camera off. There now longer is an option to just stop one camera from recording. If the camera is turned off you can't even see live feed. I have several outdoor cameras and I'd like to be able to do as I did before, where they are all on recording and then I can turn off the recording option on just one of them. For example, when I'm in the backyard I want all the others in the front yard continue to record. Not having this option will run my batteries down quickly because I'm the one setting off the activity causing it to record.  Ridiculous that this simple option was removed. This will cause me to cancel my service and return the new cameras for sure!

My cameras are all connected to wifi. I don't use a hub. 

I appreciate your input. Any other ideas? It's become a big headache now to operate these. 

[Hap8213]

Oh... and also I spent a ridiculous amount of time talking to Arlo and explaining this and the only thing they to had as a response was, "that there just isn't any way to do that anymore" and "the feature was removed" then they send me a long prefabricated instruction list of how to use the new modes which aren't usable at all. I know how to use them. I don't need them to keep repeating the same thing. I do need the problem addressed and fixed or I'll just be taking my business elsewhere. There's way too many security camera companies out there to have to settle for poor service.

[StephenB]

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@Hap8213 wrote:

Yes I see where you can go to Devices... Settings... and Turn the Camera Off... the problem is that it completely turns the camera off.

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It'd be useful to know more specifically why you consider that to be a problem.  The practical differences are

• you'd need to turn on the camera before you livestream
• you'd need to turn on the camera again before scheduling or geofencing could rearm it. 

FWIW, I wouldn't find either of those to be a problem, and in fact would likely want the camera to stop recording until I manually re-enabled it.  But obviously others might have different perspectives, and Arlo should hear them.  

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@Hap8213 wrote:

My cameras are all connected to wifi. I don't use a hub. 

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Which is the only reason why you could directly disarm single cameras before you migrated to "Feed".

FWIW, Arlo has certainly heard the complaints, and there are a lot of use cases where people need more flexibility than the three built-in modes.  I expect they will add back custom modes, but that doesn't address your particular issue.