New app update for iOS isn't working on Live

[SirV]

The latest app update is a downgrade as far as I'm concerned

Why have you removed the simple indicators of battery level and now you have to click further into the app to find them, who thought that was a good idea.

[ITNinja1]

Seems like the software developers were the only people involved in testing before deployment of this new interface. I can only assume they were tasked with decreasing the load time for camera views and decided less streams of data would speed up loading the live view. The battery and wifi signal strength will only show up when critical but will disappear when they are ok. Basically the same thought process behind new record video. It will show that there is new video but once they have been viewed that icon disappears. Seems to me that all I need to do is toggle those icons on along with a few others that they got rid of like the automatic library filtering for a specific camera and details showing if a camera has audio and or motion recording set... So basically the old user-interface LOL

[AncientGeek]

ITNinja1:  I don’t think the new interface decrease the load time noticeably.  They still load an image for every camera and the additional data required to display the other camera status information should be a small fraction of the data require for the images.  I suspect some “new guy” came in from another company and wanted to make his mark on the UI without a clue of how Arlo users actually use the app...and no interest in finding out, apparently.

[Prowl]

Oh this is special... 

on ipad... on home page.. go landscape.. then back to portrait.  Cameras don’t rescale. That’s 101 stuff.

[mattwjenk]

For me, battery indicator shows briefly when first launching the new app on the devices page then the inidcators disappear. Assume this is a bug rather than a planned feature of the new app as having battery indicator and signal strength were very handy indicators to know whether devices were operating correctly.

[Happypoms2]

I was very satisfied with the Arlo system until the new update a few days ago for IOS.  I was even going to recommend that my sister buy some.  But the new app is so FULL of bugs, I will not be doing that unless it is fixed.  This updated app has the green bird with a blue background.  But it doesn't work on Live at all and I often just get black screens at night although I have lighting outside. The camera, video recording, microphone doesn't work.  It records okay except I often do not get sound and it sometimes records and nothing is there. The older app with just the green bird on a white background worked great and I rated it high.   WHY RELEASE SUCH A BETA VERSION WITH ALL THE BUGS?????????  I spend 4 hours on the phone yesterday and they told me that there are problems with the app (that was after 4 hours of trying to fix it).  I ended up paying $599 to get security for my internet (though I had it with Norton's).  Hope I wasn't a sucker.  The people helping were trying very hard, although it was hard to understand them at times (langage barrier).

Please give us the older app back until you fix the newer one.  And please make sure that there are no bugs before releasing it--I am surprised you did this.

[paddos]

@JamesC

Not experiencing live view problems but here is my list of bugs/suggestions for 2.6.0 iOS app

1. There is an orientation bug. With iPad when changing vertical to horizontal orientation the app sometimes adjusts, other times does not. If in live view in vertical orientation and you expand in horizontal orientation, the app crashes.

2. Just eliminated "call a friend,". Didn't use previously but why take away features with an improved app.

3. Why require two clicks to get to device details. Just bad GUI ergonometics to require extra clicks when not needed. The choice to view device details or cancel could simply be to go direct to device details and hit retire arrow if you choose to cancel.

4. Personal choice but preferred to see wifi signal, armed or not armed etc on first screen. Could see key information without having to go through two clicks to see details. To check my signal strength on ten cameras I now have to go through 3 clicks times 10 cameras or 30 clicks just to check wifi signal for example. Just poor ergonomics for an efficient GUI design.

5. Key stated reason for eliminated info on main view is to just get you to important information. Yet the screenshot/time stamp you see now without important system info is an old screenshot/timestsmp which is not refreshed unless you live view at least twice to update screenshot and time stamp. Could be a lot more useful if screenshot/time stamp is updated when you log in so "just get you to important info" is true. Viewing a 10day old view does not really help. At least change firmware so after you live stream the screenshot/date stamp updates ... which it does not do ... usually updates if you live stream twice.

Have to agree that the new release has some bugs and overall utility for me is a big step backwards. Wish they would just focus on fixing bugs and take a pause modifying functionality. Will continue to run prior app until per normal process the engineers have a couple of iterations to get it right before they break it again.

[pcuser12345]

notifications doesn’t well after camera triggered rednomly get notifications also i get 1 minuets to 5 minutes to get notifications it should be instantly when camea triggered

[Happypoms2]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply--I appreciate it.  I have IOS 12.0.1.  Problems started only a few days ago (10/20/18) when they automatically updated the software.  I now have issues with "sound" always off on one of my cameras (yet it is set for sound) and the sound is either "off or on"  on the other cameras.  On "Live" view, if I take a picture (if it decides to even connect), it says "The devise failed to connect. Try again." Never works nor does the video or microphone.  It does record on three of my cameras but on the main one at the front door, it records without sound.  It shows a almost black screen at night on the cameras even though I have light out there.   Yet it records like normal (except for sound on the main camera). I am in contact with someone representing Arlo and they said the problems was with iphones.  The older version of the app is on my Mac and it works fine.  The newer versioin is on my iphone.  Would love to go back to the older version but I don't know how to do that.  The App Store only has the newer version.  Can you suggest how I can get back to the older version.  Thank you so much for your time.

[paddos]

@Happypoms2

Understand. There is not a way to load a prior version on iPhone. Suggest you turn off auto updates so you have to manually update. I turned off auto updates because Arlo releases have been so buggy. I will try a new release on an iPad and check forum for feedback before I download. So I checked the new and improved 2.6.0 and as we now know it's buggy like prior releases. Their claimed functionality improvement moving system info to two clicks from main screen is just a poor decision. Like I mentioned if I want to check something simple like wifi signal I have to go through 30 clicks on 10 cameras for gods sake. How can that be an improvement. So now I get old screenshots/time stamps which don't even refresh unless I live stream at least twice ... and that doesn't even always refresh screenshot. Can see all wifi strength on prior version just by schrolling through views. Will continue to run prior release until they fix their bugs and perhaps see that their so called improved functionality is a big step backwards. Arlo is the only reason I turned off the auto updates. Don't have these issues with any other hardware like HUE or Cintrol4 or Sonos ... just Arlo. Works great when it works but they cant stop breaking things when they release new firmware.

[Happypoms2]

Thank you for your quick replies.  Once they fix this new update, I will try to turn off auto updates (will try to figure that out).  Your answers were very helpful. Have a nice evening.

[paddos]

Auto update can be turned off on iPhone through settings and iTunes. I would turn off now. No guarantee that next update will be better than 2.6.0 based on my experience. A bit non intuitive but they sometimes break two things while fixing one.

[paddos]

Fire the UI/UX engineers and return to prior version ... need ALL system info on main page. 10 cameras and 30 clicks just to check wifi signal. ... can't be that dumb. There has to be a system reason this was done. iPad version is a total mess. App even crashing if orientation changed from vertical to horizontal during expanded live view. Now with all critical system view info gone all I have is dated screenshots/time stamps. You would have thought they would have at least added the functionality of updating screenshot when you live view. But no ... screenshot still dated view. Even after live view. Actually updates if you live view a. Couple of times. Only good thing they did was eliminate the "phone a friend" feature on prior realease. Didn't see that listed in the release notes. Engrs are not capable of cleaning up this mess. Need to step back to prior release and start over ... with a new team. Thank goodness I put all my iPhone updates to manual because of this incompetence ... knew better than to trust their Engrs had learned their lesson from last May disaster when they destroyed battery life and four months later finally fixed it.

[Lemondog7]

Jenkins works where I work, doesn’t he. 😉

[Happypoms2]

Wow--you have gone above and beyond. You are awesome. Thanks so much.

[paddos]

One last thought. If u google "new arlo app 2.6.0"., you will find a couple of communication threads with 100+ comments from customers voicing problems with the new release. We are not alone ... the Arlo community is making their unhappiness heard. Worth looking up and reading comments ... Best!

[Thorgod1961]

This update sucks and now unless you go into settings fir both devices it doesn’t she you battery life

[Traithnin]

JamesC wrote:

"With the latest updates to the mobile app, some of the UI has been changed to enhance the overall user experience."

No, James C, it has not.

[guidodg]

Arlo what were you thinking when you released this app update???

[guidodg]

Is there a way to revert back to the old app?

The new one is really useless...

[Prowl]

As much as people love Arlo... the latest App update is ill conceived and I belive has not been tested at all. 

https://community.arlo.com/t5/Arlo-Pro/iOS-App-Update-why-change-the-layout/

Too many clicks to navigate.  The icons should be on the camera as they were before - especially the battery!!! if you have 5 cameras it takes 15 clicks ( with the shonky UI navigation mentioned below) jsut to see if your cameras have battery! 

The battery with percentage should be on the home page for each camera.   A low or critical is not good enough. I sometimes go away for weeks without much notice. 

Having to click three dots... then settings or cancel... why? Just have the gear icon like the base station to direct go to Settings

The settings for the Basestation slide on from right and you have a back button top right to slide it closed - this makes sense.  On the Camera settings it slides up from bottom for some reason... and the natural instinct is to press the red button which looks like a close - it is REMOVE CAMERA!! 

iPad - one single scrolling page is awfull - Looks great on Phone but a complete weaste of space on a tablet.  

On iPad - if you go from Portrait to landscape then back the video stays in Landscape size and you cannot even get to the pointless 3 dots... you have to close the app and restart. 

If you have live video and swap ladscape to portrait... it crashes. 

There are a number of other issues - please review the forum post. 

[AncientGeek]

I agree that thumbnail view was extremely useful for me.  I was able to see either 9 or 12 cameras at a glance on that UI.  I have both the 10.5” iPad Pro and the 12.9” iPad Pro.  It was great!  

Arlo, Please bring it back!!!

[Rich330]

I agree with everything said so far.

I have another irriration with the update, I now have to press 'OK got it' three times before I get a live camera. I know there is no AC power, it's running off the internal battery boosted by a solar panel. Is there any way of turning off this alert it slows down the process of getting the camera live.

[dcmccarthy]

It's quite aggravating that the usefull information is gone from the device sreen, but to add to that aggravation, you have to click the three dots, and then get prompted to 'Device Settings' or 'Cancel'. That extra click is super unnecessary. If i click the dots i clearly want to go to the device settings. I work for a software development shop and something like these changes would never make it past a fleeting idea. In fact, rarely do we implement anything unless we get repeatedly asked for it and validate it solves some problem. I'd love to know what problem was being solved by moving informaiton off the device screen. Realestate definitely wasn't it.

[Gullholmen]

Hello,

The other day I got a new app design and function for our Arlo Pro camera system. However, the old design and function is according to my opinion much better. - Why?

1) The name of the camera should be placed above the picture, not under (as it was before)

2) All functions should be visible directly, without first clicking on three spots and then once again on a sign (as it was before)

3) If you wish to watch an old recording that you already have watched once, how do you manage to do this now? 

I like improvements but this change definately is the opposite. Now it is more complicated, less perspicuous, easier to do wrong and more time consuming. I see no improvement att all. Please get back to the old system as soon as possible and then, after serious consumer tests, change into a new and BETTER system.

Kind regards,

Per, Sweden

[DONinNC]

The new Arlo app just released in Oct 2018 is a step backwards. The icons need to be put back on the camera view so that you can readily see the status of the camera, especially the battery life. As the new app is now, I have to actively look to see stats which takes time for each camera.

I see that in the community section that Arlo (Netgear) posts about new app and changes but does not allow feedback. I have commented in the past about some things with the Arlo and problems but Arlo (Netgear) never listens. 

It appears that ARLO wants to get into all the markets of the Ring Doorbell products. As of now I can not recommend Arlo products over Ring. Ring Doorbell products have it right. Arlo comes nowhere close to Rings capabilities.

Arlo (Netgear) needs to start listening to its customers as well as implementing some of their recommendations.  As of now I inform People to buy the Ring Doorbell products over Arlo. Sorry!!!!!