Notification Troubles

[ZackScott]

I'm just reporting my personal issues with notifications since the latest app updates that enabled the new "Arlo Smart" features.

My Device

I'm using a Google Pixel XL 2 phone with Android 8.1.0 and have the latest version of the Arlo app.

The Good

The notifications are visually better. I like having an image within the notification, and I like the extra data like "sound detected" or "person detected"

The Bad

Notifications are very unreliable. Sometimes they do not make a sound at all. Sometimes they don't come in until I wake my phone up. In this case, once I wake my phone up, all Arlo notifications come in right after the other: ding, ding, ding, ding! I've been trying to scour the forums for help and have not found any.

Fixed

I had an issue where the notifcations were doubled. I uninstalled and reinstalled and then I was getting triple. I followed advice in this thread to fix it: https://community.netgear.com/t5/Arlo-Pro/How-To-fix-Multiple-Notifications-from-one-alert-on-Androi...

Has anyone else been down this road yet? Anyone else with similar issues? I've used Arlo products for over a year, and everything was running smoothly until the latest app updates that incorporated the new smart notifications.

[g3niu5]

i thought it was only arlo but my smartthings does the same on my pixel xl. it will notify me when i wake the phone along with arlo. So i assumed it wasnt arlo and it was a phone issue? same with my wifes pixel xl2

we will both get ding ding ding ding ding ding ding randomly when we look at our phones from alerts(but not always which is whats wierd)

[JamesC]

Do you have any battery saving settings enabled on your device? If so, try adding the Arlo mobile app as an exception to see if you still experience the same behavior.

JamesC

[ZackScott]

I don't have Battery Saver enabled, and I've also tried turning Battery Optimization on and off for the Arlo app, but that doesn't fix the issue.

[ZackScott]

In regards to g3niu5's post, when did this issue start for you? For me, it began with the latest Arlo app update that brought in the new Smart features and fancy new notifcations that includes images of the people it detects. Do any other apps do this for you other than smartthings?

[ZackScott]

One more thing, since this issue first began for me when Arlo updated to include rich notifications, does anyone know of any other apps at all that use rich notifications? I would like to test to see if other apps can send me rich notifications and to see if my phone reliably makes sound each time.

[ZackScott]

I've done a bit of testing, and I just wanted to add to this thread. The low-battery notifications come in just fine, and my issues with the other notifications do not apply to the low-battery notifications.

[ZackScott]

Just wanted to gather all of the info I have into one updated post.

Phone

Google Pixel XL 2

Android 8.1.0

Arlo app version 2.5.2_21629

No custom ROMs or anything of the sort

Issue

Arlo Smart Rich Notifications have not functioned properly since their introduction in the June 5th app update. When the phone is locked, usually they do not make any sound or vibration. Sometimes when unlocking my phone, numerous notifications will come in right after another with the notification sound chiming numerous times in a row. Low battery notifications work properly 100% of the time, even with the phone locked.

I've used Arlo for over a year and have been a paying subscriber for several months. Prior to the Arlo Smart update all notifications were working properly, and I had no significant issues with the system. For two months now, my Arlo system has been rendered useless as a real-time motion detection system due to the lack of functioning notifications on my primary device. I have tested my other devices, and these notifications seem to work properly on my iPad, but my iPad is not my primary device.

Questions
Is there any way to return the notifications back to the old style?
Is there a way to roll-back the app to the previous version?
When will there be another Android app update?

[ZackScott]

I wanted to post an update because this issue has not been addressed. I have a customer support ticket open for awhile, and haven't heard back. Furthermore, today I did two 4 things that did not resolve the issue:

1. I upgraded to Android 9.0

2. I updated the Arlo app to version 2.5.3_23376

3. I did a full factory reset on my Pixel XL 2

4. Lastly, I got out my old Nexus 6P, charged it, updated the OS to Android 8.1, updated the Arlo app, and the issue exists on this phone too.

Smart notifications do not reliably come in with an audio chime and haven't for months now. This issue first appeared for me with the introduction of the Smart notifications.

My next plan of action is to simply cancel my monthly plan, thus eliminating Smart notifications, and see if just regular text-based notifications will make an audio chime instead.

[ZackScott]

Just an update, I got a new phone (Google Pixel 3 XL) and this issue still persists. I've dealt with it by cancelling Arlo Smart because the basic notifications work just fine. I've also checked the Google Play reviews and immediately found two other people with this issue. Customer service here hasn't been of any help for months. I've attached a screenshot of a review that reflects my exact issues.

[TheCausey]

I am also getting delayed push notifications. Happened about a month ago. Some notifications happen right away, others take 2 minutes and i have had notifications appear around 10 minutes later. Tried reloading app, then had to fix the multiple alert problem, tried resetting the modem and router, then the base station. Still a problem. Good thing my ring doorbell works consistently and fast.

[jguerdat]

A couple of possibilities:

1) Recent OSes are aggressive as to battery savings. Apps may not notify you right away because the OS put them to sleep. Changing the phone settings for the Arlo app and battery usage may help.

2) Are you using Smart? That requires backend processing which delays notifications but should only be for less than a minute (likely much less).

[TheCausey]

I put the app in my settings to never put to sleep last night and still received my push alert 3 minutes late. Also I never used arlo smart

[TheCausey]

[jguerdat]

What happens if you trigger a recording/alert while the phone is awake?

[TheCausey]

If on the phone, it would trigger immediately. As seen on screenshot from 1:44 to 1:48 pm and a 10 minute delay when triggered at 12:42. Ring motion alert instantly as always awake or not.

[ZackScott]

After the latest updates, some of the problems have been fixed. The Smart Notifications now make sounds when they come in. However, part of the issue hasn't been fixed, and I believe I can best describe it as follows:

When I have zero notifications on my phone, an Arlo Smart Notification will come in just fine.

However, once Arlo Smart notifications start piling up, my phone will stop chiming and alerting of new notifications. I think this happens around the fourth notification. From that point on, I must unlock my phone, and then suddenly, all waiting notifications appear one after the other, visually appearing from the top and chiming the notification sound one after the other.

It's like the extra notifications queue up and stop reporting in until I unlock my phone.

[pc2k17]

That's an android heatbeat issue. My arlo doesn't do that, but my smartthings app does exactly what you describe sometimes. Wake it up and a bunch of old notifications come in as if they were waiting for the phone to wake, even though I have smartthings set to not sleep. This started for me on this app when google updated android to oreo.