Forced app upgrade this morning can no longer turn cameras on or off via the app

[FrankArlo2]

Have 4 cameras that worked fine using the old Andriod app, then I was forced to use new app which has a major issue with being able to disable/turn off the phones in the app. Making the switch to on it'll only stay for 30 seconds or so before it turns camera back on. If the switch stays on for a camera, when trying to return to view all phone devices the camera stil shows up as disabled. Tried via the website and it worked fine, just like the old app, turing off/disabling the phone on and off works properly. Spoke to Arlo help for over an hour, tried all kinds of things which didn't work so then they decided that its an app issue with Samsung S23, which I don't understand since the app, before it was upgraded this morning, worked perfectly. Arlo has laid the debug on me while also recommending I upgrade to which I said why would I do that since you told me its an Android app issue on this device; I'm no buying a new phone to make Arlo work properly. Quite disappointing... while i can understand planned obsolescence not happy to have Arlo phones that worked fine as is earlier today. 

[FrankArlo2]

3/24/25 Now Arlo has locked me out of using my devices, the phone app doesn't work properly and the browser app doesn't show any activity recordings. It appears that I'm forced to purchase a "plan". As noted previsouly why would I do that when their service team told me the app doesn't work properly on a late model Samsung phone? This forced subscription model isn't what I'm looking for.

[FrankArlo2]

I was able to get back into my account after removing some Arlo cookies from my browser. I've noticed that there's some functionality available that provides access and functions to the Android app; configuring the home page to include the cameras. What's interesting is that these widgets have the user slide the icon to the left to delete the recording; uncovered this after testing other options on that interface.

[FrankArlo2]

The new app is unreliable with managing the cameras, turning off the camera is impossible within the app. When you turn off the camera and use the go back arrow it turns the camera back on thus have to use the web browser to disable/turn off the cameras.

[jguerdat]

I just tested this and it works as advertised on my Pixel 9. Try rebooting your phone and maybe reinstall the app.

[FrankArlo2]

Hi, thanks for your assistance. I tried this a few times over the past week; removing, readding app, powering on and off phone and smart hub and since you were kind enough to help I did these actions again today, along with using the Reset button on the hub and still the app doesn't truly manage the device; I can switch the camera off from the app but it gets turned back on as soon as I move off that cameras settings screen and it'll also switch back on after a period of time, which I've timed but is not consistent.

I just tried a new sequence of steps and think this may have worked, using the Dashboard Arm Home then setting the camera off and low and behold was now noted as Disabled; previously the the Dashboard was set to Standby. I re-enabled the camera and it turned back on properly. This leads me to believe that there are some internal dependencies within the app now that weren't there prior; Something about the Dashboard governs some features as in the Device view managing the device doesn't keep changes made...

[jguerdat]

I'd agree that something about using Standby (there's no rules for the camera in that mode, right?) and disabling the camera is interacting. I guess the reasoning would be, why disable the camera if it's not in use in the first place? Dunno if that's intentional or not.

[FrankArlo2]

Agree, its a quandary. I was testing the various permutations of these Dashboard "features" and thought maybe standby would disable the camera, but it didn't.

[StephenB]

---

@FrankArlo2 wrote:

Agree, its a quandary. I was testing the various permutations of these Dashboard "features" and thought maybe standby would disable the camera, but it didn't.

---

Standby will disarm the cameras - nearly the same as turning the off.  You can still livestream them, but there will be no recordings or motion/audio detection.

[FrankArlo2]

Well, back to same lousy sititation with being unable to manage devices via the app. The workaround is to use the Web App on Windows which really impedes using the camera system; I'm not going to take my laptop along any time I think I think I may need to manage the cameras. The web app (chrome browser) on Android has an Arlo Plan Selection page that I cannot get by to manages the devices.

[FrankArlo2]

Think this'll be my last post on this. The app just worked properly on 3 of my 4 cameras, I was able to disable them from the app, however the other camera, same model, won't disable. The 3 I did disable I cannot re-enable from the app 😞

[StephenB]

---

@FrankArlo2 wrote:

 The web app (chrome browser) on Android has an Arlo Plan Selection page that I cannot get by to manages the devices.

---

It sounds like you are no longer using the Arlo app on the Android phone - that instead you are using Chrome.  Is that the case?