Geofencing not disarming when I arrive home after iOS app update 2.7.9

[hallinmas]

I have Arlo Pro cameras and just today my geofencing is not working. I am home and the app says that I am "In Zone", yet it is saying that the system is armed. I also noticed that Arlo Smart is not filtering, and it is allowing all motion for one of my cameras to come through when it should only be People. Is there a bug? Any help would be appreciated. I already tried unplugging the base station and restarting. Thanks!

[AncientGeek]

I have the Touch ID disabled in Arlo on all of our devices and my Geofencing has been working reliably since the cloud server update and the coincident App update to 2.7.12 (which reportedly is unrelated to Geofencing, but remains a fact in my configuration...relevant or not.). My wife went shopping this morning and I stayed at location 1.  Geofencing reported our locations in/out correctly.  I drove to location 2 and geofencing correctly identified me as being out of location 1 and in location 2.  Location 1 armed appropriately and location 2 Disarmed appropriately as I arrived.  I left location 2 and returned to location 1.  Location 2 armed and location 1 Disarmed appropriately.  I use a Schedule for Home Mode in all locations.  I use Armed for Away Mode.

I don’t understand how an App that has been “force quit” could also “remain signed in”.  By definition, of the app isn’t running, it isn’t connected to anything...period.  How are you determining the app is still signed in on that device, if the app has bee force quit?  Can you see it as being signed in on some other status screen on another device.  If so, the system reporting the app on that device as being signed in, may think it is and may behave as though it is signed in, but the app on the device can’t actually be signed in or communicating with the cloud servers by definition.

[wsscott]

Mine seems to be back working properly for last 2-3 days on my and my wife's iPhone 7's.  All firmware and software for IOS and Arlo are current and up to date.  My phone is the main account and my wife's is an authorized user account, as has always been.

[85BearsFan]

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@85BearsFan wrote:

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@85BearsFan wrote:

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@85BearsFan wrote:

For iPhone users who are experiencing geofencing problems, specifically with Arlo not recognizing the location of an iPhone:

Please open the Arlo app on the iPhone that is having the problem and go to Settings-->Profile-->Log in with Touch ID.  Is that setting enable or disabled?

I've noticed that with that setting enabled, the Arlo app logs out every time the Arlo app is force quit, but that if the setting is disabled, the Arlo app remains logged in even when force quit.  Thus, I'm wondering whether having that setting enabled somehow is interfering with the Arlo app communicating the iPhone's location to Arlo's servers.

Although I previously had that setting enabled on my iPhone XS Max (which uses Face ID instead of Touch ID) and and my wife's iPhone 7 Plus, I just disabled it on both our phones.  My older son tells me he recently disabled it on his iPhone X.  I'll let you know if geofencing starts working for us.

When my wife and I left for the movies together, Arlo quickly recognized my iPhone as being Out of Zone; however, it did not recognize my wife's iPhone as being Out of Zone (it still showed her as In Zone). However, at some point after we got to the theater (I'm not exactly sure when because I didn't check Arlo again until after the moview as over), it did show her as being Out of Zone.  When we both returned home (together), Arlo promptly and correctly showed both of us as In Zone.  

We will see how tomorrow goes when my older son and I each go to work....

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No joy this morning.  When I left the house, Arlo correctly showed me as Out of Zone.  When my older son left the house about five minutes later, Arlo correctly showed him as Out of Zone.  However, when my wife left the house about 48 minutes ago (about 22 minutes after my older son left), her Arlo status did not change.  She still (48 minutes after leaving the house) shows up as being In Zone even though she is not, and the Arlo mode is still set to Home (Disarmed).

My Geofencing radius is set to Medium right now.  When I go to Mode-->Base Station-->Geofencing-->Notifications-->Push notifications on my phone, my iPhone is the only one that has a box checked.  I am going to try checking the boxes for all the devices.  I doubt that will have any impact, but who knows.

So, right now, it seems like this could be an issue with my wife's iPhone as Arlo is tending to read the location of my phone and my kids' phones correctly, at least most of the time whereas we seem to have the most amount of issues with my wife's iPhone.  I'm frustrated that I can't seem to delete all the Arlo data when I delete the app off her iPhone.  

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My wife just left the house.  Unlike when she left the house this morning, this time Arlo picked her up as being Out of Zone and switched the mode to Away and Armed our system.  The only thing that is different than when she left this morning is that I enabled Push Notifications in the Arlo app (Mode-->Geofencing-->Push Notifications) for her phone (as well as for both my sons' phones).  Let's see what happens when she returns home later this afternoon.

[85BearsFan]

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@AncientGeek wrote:

I don’t understand how an App that has been “force quit” could also “remain signed in”.  By definition, of the app isn’t running, it isn’t connected to anything...period.  How are you determining the app is still signed in on that device, if the app has bee force quit?  Can you see it as being signed in on some other status screen on another device.  If so, the system reporting the app on that device as being signed in, may think it is and may behave as though it is signed in, but the app on the device can’t actually be signed in or communicating with the cloud servers by definition.

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What I mean is this:  When I had Use Touch ID enabled, after force quitting the Arlo app and then re-opening it, the user would need to use a fingerprint or facial recognition (depending on the type of device being used) to log-into the Arlo system.  In contrast, when the Use Touch ID is disabled, after force quitting the Arlo app and then re-opening it, the user does not not need to log-into the Arlo system; the log-in occurs automatically.  So, I'm not sure whether force qutting still leaves something secretly running in the background or whether it's just an issue when re-openning the app after force quitting.  The bottom line is this:  With Use Touch ID disabled, the user does not need to any credentials to log into Arlo; the login process occurs automatically whereas with Use Touch ID enabled, some type of user interaction is required every time the app is opened after it is force quit.

[AncientGeek]

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@85BearsFan wrote:

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What I mean is this:  When I had Use Touch ID enabled, after force quitting the Arlo app and then re-opening it, the user would need to use a fingerprint or facial recognition (depending on the type of device being used) to log-into the Arlo system.  In contrast, when the Use Touch ID is disabled, after force quitting the Arlo app and then re-opening it, the user does not not need to log-into the Arlo system; the log-in occurs automatically.  So, I'm not sure whether force qutting still leaves something secretly running in the background or whether it's just an issue when re-openning the app after force quitting.  The bottom line is this:  With Use Touch ID disabled, the user does not need to any credentials to log into Arlo; the login process occurs automatically whereas with Use Touch ID enabled, some type of user interaction is required every time the app is opened after it is force quit.

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Ok.  I have the same experience.  I think what’s happening is that Arlo sort of implemented Touch ID backward.  Instead of using Touch ID to let us login with a fingerprint or Face as a shortcut versus entering credentials manually, Arlo appears to use this as a gatekeeper.  We get logged in automatically (via keychain credentials) if we DON’T use it, but if we enable it, we can’t sign in UNLESS we use a fingerprint or face.  It is actually easier NOT to use it.  As you said...the app just opens up and signs in automatically.  That’s why I disabled TouchID after trying it for a few days....long ago.

So it isn’t signed in after the app has been force quit.  It just signs in automatically using Keychain credentials when the app is executed.

[85BearsFan]

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@AncientGeek wrote:

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@85BearsFan wrote:

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What I mean is this:  When I had Use Touch ID enabled, after force quitting the Arlo app and then re-opening it, the user would need to use a fingerprint or facial recognition (depending on the type of device being used) to log-into the Arlo system.  In contrast, when the Use Touch ID is disabled, after force quitting the Arlo app and then re-opening it, the user does not not need to log-into the Arlo system; the log-in occurs automatically.  So, I'm not sure whether force qutting still leaves something secretly running in the background or whether it's just an issue when re-openning the app after force quitting.  The bottom line is this:  With Use Touch ID disabled, the user does not need to any credentials to log into Arlo; the login process occurs automatically whereas with Use Touch ID enabled, some type of user interaction is required every time the app is opened after it is force quit.

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Ok.  I have the same experience.  I think what’s happening is that Arlo sort of implemented Touch ID backward.  Instead of using Touch ID to let us login with a fingerprint or Face as a shortcut versus entering credentials manually, Arlo appears to use this as a gatekeeper.  We get logged in automatically (via keychain credentials) if we DON’T use it, but if we enable it, we can’t sign in UNLESS we use a fingerprint or face.  It is actually easier NOT to use it.  As you said...the app just opens up and signs in automatically.  That’s why I disabled TouchID after trying it for a few days....long ago.

So it isn’t signed in after the app has been force quit.  It just signs in automatically using Keychain credentials when the app is executed.

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I very much like the way you describe it:  Arlo uses the Touch ID setting as a gatekeeper.  I find that to be counter-intuitive, unlike most of the other aspects of the Arlo app.  They ought to consider rethinking implementation of that "feature."

[themixguy]

Today while both current iOS iPhones were home, got an Arlo notice that we had left home (Geofence mode). Moments later, we were magically back home with another notice.

We had had a power outage last night so I opted to restart the base station with the app. The cameras never came back online. Force quit the app and they are back online and Geofence mode is normal... for now.

[RSC1]

I have my Smart Hub on a UPS that should keep it going for about 4 hours. My router and Samsung Smarthub with Philips HUE are good for about 2 hours on their UPS.

Still trying to figure out how to insure that internet is not lost.

[AncientGeek]

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@RSC1 wrote:
I have my Smart Hub on a UPS that should keep it going for about 4 hours. My router and Samsung Smarthub with Philips HUE are good for about 2 hours on their UPS.

Still trying to figure out how to insure that internet is not lost.

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I have all of my equipment on UPS’s.  It keeps them from bouncing around during power fluctuations and holds them up for several hours.  I also have many of my devices plugged into smart plugs, so I can remotely power cycle them if needed.  At two locations, I also have backup generators, but that’s an entirely different level of investment.

[RSC1]

But if someone cuts my cable, I’m done. I don’t think Comcast will rout the coax through the attic, which they should.

[AncientGeek]

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@RSC1 wrote:
But if someone cuts my cable, I’m done. I don’t think Comcast will rout the coax through the attic, which they should.

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That’s the problem with cloud storage.  I have multiple systems and on uses local storage, so I have both bases covered.  They’d have to cut the cable and find the local storage system.  I also have some Arlo cameras on an LTE router for backup, but I leave them off unless my normal system goes dark.

[85BearsFan]

Today my older son left the house first, and Arlo promptly recognized him as being Out of Zone.  I left the house about 5-10 minutes later.  Arlo promptly recognized me as being Out of Zone.  However, when my wife left about an hour later, it did not recognize her as being Out of Zone and continued to show her as being In Zone (with the system mode remaining Home/Disarmed).  My son arrived home first, and Arlo recognized him as being In Zone.  My wife arrived home next. Of course, because Arlo never recognized her as being Out of Zone when she left the house in the morning, Arlo didn't change.  However, when my wife left the house again later in the afternoon, Arlo that time recognized her as being Out of Zone.  (Because my son was still home, though, Arlo never switched modes to Away.)  When I arrived home, Arlo recognized be as being back In Zone.

So, to summarize the last two days:  When my wife was the last person to leave the house, Arlo did not recognize her as being Out of Zone.  However, both times when she left the house but my son remained home, Arlo DID recognize her as being Out of Zone.  I still don't know whether this is a problem with her device in particular or whether this is a problem with the third device to leave the house.

[AncientGeek]

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@85BearsFan wrote:

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So, to summarize the last two days:  When my wife was the last person to leave the house, Arlo did not recognize her as being Out of Zone.  However, both times when she left the house but my son remained home, Arlo DID recognize her as being Out of Zone.  I still don't know whether this is a problem with her device in particular or whether this is a problem with the third device to leave the house.

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That is indeed odd.   All I can think of is iOS Settings, the state of the Arlo app...foreground, background or force-closed, airplane mode or other phone radio state.  If those are not changing in these instances, then it is truly weird.  I did have one instance where Arlo did not change the mode until I opened the App on my iPhone Xs while I was sitting in the yard of location.  But it only happened once soon after the cloud update.

[JessicaP]

If you're still having problems where your Geofencing is not working properly as it should, please make sure to participate in the survey by clicking on the link below:

Arlo Geofencing Survey

The information gathered in this survey will help our team to enhance and optimize the Geofencing feature for a wider variety of unique user environments. We are once again grateful your continued patience as our team works to optimize this feature for all users.

[85BearsFan]

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@AncientGeek wrote:

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@85BearsFan wrote:

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So, to summarize the last two days:  When my wife was the last person to leave the house, Arlo did not recognize her as being Out of Zone.  However, both times when she left the house but my son remained home, Arlo DID recognize her as being Out of Zone.  I still don't know whether this is a problem with her device in particular or whether this is a problem with the third device to leave the house.

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That is indeed odd.   All I can think of is iOS Settings, the state of the Arlo app...foreground, background or force-closed, airplane mode or other phone radio state.  If those are not changing in these instances, then it is truly weird.  I did have one instance where Arlo did not change the mode until I opened the App on my iPhone Xs while I was sitting in the yard of location.  But it only happened once soon after the cloud update.

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Yeah, I know it's really weird.  I've been trying to methodically eliminate variables, but it's difficult to do with four users in the family.  I'm pretty sure my wife doesn't open or close the Arlo app.  I checked settings this morning, particularly Background App Refresh and Location Services, and confirmed they were set to On/Enabled and Always (respectively).  I know my wife doesn't turn on Airplane Mode or do anything with her phone radio states.

[AncientGeek]

I road my bike to Location 2 today and the system correcly switched to Home Mode when I rode through the yard.  Until recently, I would always have a video of me riding through as the system failed to recognize that I was Home.  It has been working pretty well for us since the cloud update.

[85BearsFan]

This morning, I left the house first.  As has been happening, Arlo correctly changed my state to Out of Zone.  My older son left next, about 15 minutes after I left.  As with the last few days, Arlo correctly changed his state to Out of Zone.   Unlike the last two days, my wife did not leave the house (instead, she remained home) while my older son and I were at work.  After my son returned home (and Arlo switched his state to In Zone), my wife left the house.  Unlike yesterday and the day before, Arlo actually changed her state to Out of Zone.  The only difference between today and the past couple of days is that when my wife left the house today, my son was home whereas when she left yesterday, neither my son nor I were home.

I arrived home about 15 minutes after my life had left the house.  While my wife was still out of the house (and Arlo was showing her as Out of Zone), I decided to do an experiment to see whether Arlo was failing to change the state of the last device to leave the house.  To test this theory, I had my son leave the house first.  As soon as he reached the edge of the Medium Radius, Arlo switched his state to Out of Zone.  I then left the house.  Once I reached the edge of the Medium Radius, Arlo switched my state to Out of Zone and switched the mode to Away (Armed).   I then returned home.  Arlo promptly changed my state to In Zone and switched the mode to Home (Disarmed).  My son then returned home, and Arlo changed his state to In Zone.  Next, we switched the order of leaving the house--I left first, and he left second.  When I got to the edge of the Medium Radius, Arlo changed my state to Out of Zone but did not change Modes.  However, when my son got to the edge of the Medium Radius, Arlo changed his state to Out of Zone and switched the Mode to Away (Armed).  I returned home first, and Arlo switched my state to In Zone and switched the Mode to Home (Disarmed).  My son returned home second, and Arlo swithced his state to In Zone.  As I write this post, my wife still is at the grocery store and Arlo still shows her state as Out of Zone.

So, what does this say?  I'm not sure.  Maybe it's an issue with my wife's iPhone?  Maybe Arlo doesn't like it when she is the last user to leave the house?  I've already tried uninstalling the Arlo app on her phone a couple of times, but I might try it one more time, tonight.  I just wish I could clean out all the Arlo cobwebs from her device.  I think that when I first installed the Arlo system in May, I might have set her up to use the master Arlo account and then later given her her own account (but I'm not sure about this) so maybe there is some vestige of the main account on her iPhone even though it shows she is logged in under her account?

[85BearsFan]

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@JessicaP wrote:

If you're still having problems where your Geofencing is not working properly as it should, please make sure to participate in the survey by clicking on the link below:

Arlo Geofencing Survey

The information gathered in this survey will help our team to enhance and optimize the Geofencing feature for a wider variety of unique user environments. We are once again grateful your continued patience as our team works to optimize this feature for all users.

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Jessica, I already completed the survey about a week ago (as I mentioned in a prior post).  If you want me to do anything in particular to help troubleshoot, please let me know.

[85BearsFan]

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@85BearsFan wrote:

This morning, I left the house first.  As has been happening, Arlo correctly changed my state to Out of Zone.  My older son left next, about 15 minutes after I left.  As with the last few days, Arlo correctly changed his state to Out of Zone.   Unlike the last two days, my wife did not leave the house (instead, she remained home) while my older son and I were at work.  After my son returned home (and Arlo switched his state to In Zone), my wife left the house.  Unlike yesterday and the day before, Arlo actually changed her state to Out of Zone.  The only difference between today and the past couple of days is that when my wife left the house today, my son was home whereas when she left yesterday, neither my son nor I were home.

I arrived home about 15 minutes after my life had left the house.  While my wife was still out of the house (and Arlo was showing her as Out of Zone), I decided to do an experiment to see whether Arlo was failing to change the state of the last device to leave the house.  To test this theory, I had my son leave the house first.  As soon as he reached the edge of the Medium Radius, Arlo switched his state to Out of Zone.  I then left the house.  Once I reached the edge of the Medium Radius, Arlo switched my state to Out of Zone and switched the mode to Away (Armed).   I then returned home.  Arlo promptly changed my state to In Zone and switched the mode to Home (Disarmed).  My son then returned home, and Arlo changed his state to In Zone.  Next, we switched the order of leaving the house--I left first, and he left second.  When I got to the edge of the Medium Radius, Arlo changed my state to Out of Zone but did not change Modes.  However, when my son got to the edge of the Medium Radius, Arlo changed his state to Out of Zone and switched the Mode to Away (Armed).  I returned home first, and Arlo switched my state to In Zone and switched the Mode to Home (Disarmed).  My son returned home second, and Arlo swithced his state to In Zone.  As I write this post, my wife still is at the grocery store and Arlo still shows her state as Out of Zone.

So, what does this say?  I'm not sure.  Maybe it's an issue with my wife's iPhone?  Maybe Arlo doesn't like it when she is the last user to leave the house?  I've already tried uninstalling the Arlo app on her phone a couple of times, but I might try it one more time, tonight.  I just wish I could clean out all the Arlo cobwebs from her device.  I think that when I first installed the Arlo system in May, I might have set her up to use the master Arlo account and then later given her her own account (but I'm not sure about this) so maybe there is some vestige of the main account on her iPhone even though it shows she is logged in under her account?

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Before my wife returned home, I asked her to run a test, which she did.  She drove home until she returned to the home zone.  After her iPhone gave her a notification that she was "In Zone," she turned around and left the Medium Radius.  Once she did that, she received a notification that she was "Out of Zone."  So, things worked fine for her being the first to leave.  I still need to see what happens when she is the last to leave (to see whether I replicate the issue).    Maybe she'll leave the house tomorrow after my son and me and we can see what happens.

[85BearsFan]

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@85BearsFan wrote:

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@85BearsFan wrote:

This morning, I left the house first.  As has been happening, Arlo correctly changed my state to Out of Zone.  My older son left next, about 15 minutes after I left.  As with the last few days, Arlo correctly changed his state to Out of Zone.   Unlike the last two days, my wife did not leave the house (instead, she remained home) while my older son and I were at work.  After my son returned home (and Arlo switched his state to In Zone), my wife left the house.  Unlike yesterday and the day before, Arlo actually changed her state to Out of Zone.  The only difference between today and the past couple of days is that when my wife left the house today, my son was home whereas when she left yesterday, neither my son nor I were home.

I arrived home about 15 minutes after my life had left the house.  While my wife was still out of the house (and Arlo was showing her as Out of Zone), I decided to do an experiment to see whether Arlo was failing to change the state of the last device to leave the house.  To test this theory, I had my son leave the house first.  As soon as he reached the edge of the Medium Radius, Arlo switched his state to Out of Zone.  I then left the house.  Once I reached the edge of the Medium Radius, Arlo switched my state to Out of Zone and switched the mode to Away (Armed).   I then returned home.  Arlo promptly changed my state to In Zone and switched the mode to Home (Disarmed).  My son then returned home, and Arlo changed his state to In Zone.  Next, we switched the order of leaving the house--I left first, and he left second.  When I got to the edge of the Medium Radius, Arlo changed my state to Out of Zone but did not change Modes.  However, when my son got to the edge of the Medium Radius, Arlo changed his state to Out of Zone and switched the Mode to Away (Armed).  I returned home first, and Arlo switched my state to In Zone and switched the Mode to Home (Disarmed).  My son returned home second, and Arlo swithced his state to In Zone.  As I write this post, my wife still is at the grocery store and Arlo still shows her state as Out of Zone.

So, what does this say?  I'm not sure.  Maybe it's an issue with my wife's iPhone?  Maybe Arlo doesn't like it when she is the last user to leave the house?  I've already tried uninstalling the Arlo app on her phone a couple of times, but I might try it one more time, tonight.  I just wish I could clean out all the Arlo cobwebs from her device.  I think that when I first installed the Arlo system in May, I might have set her up to use the master Arlo account and then later given her her own account (but I'm not sure about this) so maybe there is some vestige of the main account on her iPhone even though it shows she is logged in under her account?

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Before my wife returned home, I asked her to run a test, which she did.  She drove home until she returned to the home zone.  After her iPhone gave her a notification that she was "In Zone," she turned around and left the Medium Radius.  Once she did that, she received a notification that she was "Out of Zone."  So, things worked fine for her being the first to leave.  I still need to see what happens when she is the last to leave (to see whether I replicate the issue).    Maybe she'll leave the house tomorrow after my son and me and we can see what happens.

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This evening, my wife and I left together to run an errand  Arlo properly and promptly switched both our statuses to "Out of Zone" when we left and promptly switched both our statuses to "In Zone" when we returned home.  Because our son stayed home, the Mode remained Home (Disarmed).

[85BearsFan]

Today, I left the house first.  Arlo recognized me as being Out of Zone.  My son left next, and Arlo recognized him as being Out of Zone,  Suprisingly, when my wife left the house a few hours later, Arlo also recognized her as being Out of Zone and then changed the Mode to Away/Armed.  When my son returned home, Arlo recognized him as In Zone and changed the Mode to Home/Disarmed.  When my wife later returned home, Arlo recognized her as In Zone.  I arrived home last, and Arlo recognized me as being In Zone.  

I don't know whether Arlo changed something on their end (server side) or whether today was just a miracle or an anomoly.  In any event, it worked just as it should have.  Let's hope this is a good sign of things to come!

[Hezg]

This did seem to fix the issue but after the IOS update it stopped working again. This time I can’t even trick it into disarming when I enter but selecting disarm the geofencing. Now when I select geofencing while home it says it’s in Home but sets it to Away mode anyway

[Cassius]

Well both my wife and I have the latest updates but Geofencing still doesn’t work.  Get in the zone, and the system doesn’t disarm.  If I leave the zone and it arms even though my wife’s phone is still in the zone.  Really frustrated based on the amount invested in Arlo.  Calling support has been quite useless and a waste of my time.  It seems like I know more about Arlo than the support agents,...yikes!  Any ideas to help me make Geofencing work properly with 2 late model iPhones anyone?

[Dannybear]

If you leave the App running and open will the geofencing work correctly?

It only works for me this way. If I shut it down it will not update location even with all permissions and run in background enabled.

I can leave it open when I leave the home then close the App, open the App before I return home and it updates ok.

[AncientGeek]

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@Cassius wrote:

Well both my wife and I have the latest updates but Geofencing still doesn’t work.  Get in the zone, and the system doesn’t disarm.  If I leave the zone and it arms even though my wife’s phone is still in the zone.  Really frustrated based on the amount invested in Arlo.  Calling support has been quite useless and a waste of my time.  It seems like I know more about Arlo than the support agents,...yikes!  Any ideas to help me make Geofencing work properly with 2 late model iPhones anyone?

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Weird.  Mine was definitely fixed after the last cloud server update by Arlo.  I use my iPhone Xs and my wifes’s iPhone X as the two geofencing location devices.  She has “Granted Access“ to the all of our systems.  My two accounts own the equipment on which we have Geofencing enabled.

Here is a link to a previous post of mine on this topic.  

https://community.arlo.com/t5/Arlo-Pro/Geofencing-not-disarming-when-I-arrive-home-after-iOS-app-upd...

I have subsequently set the iOS setting for Arlo “Location In/Out Notifications” back to “Off” and it still seems to work.  I decide those location status messages when I open the app were just slowing down my use of the app and were no longer needed for diagnostic purposes.