Disable mode change notification - we are startled & waken up to system Armed notifications

[Retired_Member]

I use a routine to Arm Home at midnight, and then switch to Standby in early morning. 
Now I get woken to an Arlo notification in my phone when the automation runs and the system is Armed and then unarmed. 

Please disable these! We wake up to an Arlo alert, which can be frightening, only to see our system as armed like we wanted it to. 

Or give us the option to disable such non-useful notifications. 

[JamesC]

Caspter_NL,

As of now there are no plans to change the Arm/Disarm notifications sent for mode changes. I will continue providing the feedback posted here to the development team for consideration but I do not have any new information to share at this time.

JamesC

[JamesC]

We appreciate and are reviewing the feedback provided about the recent enhancement for mode change notifications. The details provided in this thread and others has been shared with the relevant teams internally. I will provide an update here once I have more information available to share.

JamesC

[GoBraves]

NO. ARLO has no intention of reversing this because they did it due to safety to the user. Every time we request this, ARLO says it’s a “new feature request” and will have to reviewed by the appropriate team. 
You can turn off the notification in your feed but you can not disable the mode change notifications. That’s why I canceled my subscription. 

[Ron-R]

@JamesC  any update ?

On 2023-09-14 you stated "the details provided in this thread and others has been shared with the relevant teams internally. I will provide an update here once I have more information available to share."  It has been 7 months since your comment.  That's a long time and your customers are growing increasingly frustrated and irritated.

In addition, you also stated in your 2023-09-14 post that "we appreciate and are reviewing the feedback provided about the recent enhancement for mode change notifications."  Please review the 100+ customer responses in this community site and you'll be elightened to the fact that this forced mode change notification is not an "enhancement" because it causes problems for your customers.  It is, in fact, a defect in your app.  It was a poorly thought through and poorly executed app change.  We understand some people might want it, but Arlo needs to realize that other customers do not, and therefore Arlo needs to provide a choice.

Looking forward to your update.

[Casper_NL]

If they say it is about our safety: I am old enough to make my own decisions regarding what notifications I want. A reason that I want to be able to stop these notifications is that I may be abroad and do not want to get disturbed each time that my partner changes a mode. This is VERY annoying and Arlo really múst give us this choice. It is really very easy to program. 

[GoBraves]

We have been telling them this exact thing for 9 months. THEY JUST DO NOT CARE! 
If it was about safety, why is it that I can Arm the system, turn each camera off individually and I don’t receive any notifications and the cameras won’t record.? How is that safe? When I asked Customer (NON) Support this exact question they abruptly closed the chat session I was in and closed the case I had open. I have tried to open a new case and they won’t have anything to do with me. That’s when I knew it was time to cancel my subscription and distance myself from this company. 

[JamesC]

We're continuing to provide feedback to the product team about mode change notifications and the ongoing request for more options to control when/if these notifications are sent. I don't have any new information to share at this time but if any new information becomes available, i'll update the community here.

JamesC

[Ron-R]

@JamesC  James, any update on this ?   The issue is 16 months old, with many Arlo customers complaining about it and asking for a fix.  So is Arlo listening to their customers, or simply doing what they want (or not doing anything) despite their customers' feedback ?

It's very simple --- either Arlo cares about their customers or they don't.  Inaction to a known issue = lack of customer care.

[GoBraves]

ARLO is struggling. They are seeing the cost results of their actions. They regularly send me emails offering 50% discounts off subscriptions. Not as long as they refuse to fix their app and give the end user total control over ALL NOTIFICATIONS. OTHERWISE, I’ll continue to keep my money! 

[minniemo]

Well, it's pretty concerning to say the least to see that the app has been out for a long time now and this issue still hasn't been addressed.

We're in New Zealand and have only just updated the app and I wish I NEVER did it - nothing but problems. Can't get the sharing to work AND already the notifications on arm and disarm are driving me insane!!! When there is already an icon that shows the status why on earth are we having to get stupid notifications through? They drive our dogs crazy. We only need them for activations. Even worse, the notification settings are a waste of time!

This is such a downgrade as far as I'm concerned. I'm not sure how long I can put up with it if there is not a fix.

How long does it take???

[HubbyWorks]

Wow Arlo staff! I wish I had read this before doing the "upgrade" today! I'm already at wits end. Maybe? Just maybe? Is there a way to reverse the "upgrade" and go back to the system that was almost working ok? This is terrible getting the notifications for arm/disarm. I too do it so I don't disturb my wife and now there is almost no point. She gets disturbed anyway. I guess the bright side is she Will Not divorce me because this is an Arlo flaw and not a mistake I made!! 

[GoBraves]

Nope. No way to revert the app backwards. 
@Arlo is more than well aware that customers are not happy about these notifications. It’s only been about 16 months since they caused this chaos. @Arlo just does not care because they say it’s done for safety even though I’ve shown them the flaw in their app that undermines their safety claim. Because of this they won’t back down and give us the option to turn off all notifications.  @Arlo is hurting financially and it is 100% because they refuse to listen to their customers. I have told them that if they fix the app and give us total control of ALL notifications I’d be happy to pay for another subscription but until then I refuse to give them another penny. 

[Ron-R]

How long for Arlo to fix it ?  🤣

The issue was noted in May 2023 and Arlo was contacted about a fix.  It is now September 2024 and I check on my open case every week.  Their official response every week to me, is that "our internal team is studying this new feature request".

You see, Arlo created this issue nearly a year-and-a-half ago when they forced the notification on their customers with no ability to turn it off.  So when customers like yourself, me and countless others beg them for a fix, Arlo treats our request for a fix as a "new feature request" that is presumably in some long line of features being considered.

Bottom line, their inaction can reasonably be interpreted as blissful ignorance.  They simply have not demonstrated any desire to fix it.  Certainly not customer oriented.

[Casper_NL]

Indeed this waiting time is way too long. Arlo should give clarity:
* The programming cannot be the issue, that can most likely be done in a very short time.

* If Arlo will not add this feature just be clear about it. 
* If they did not make a decision yet, I advise them to review their decision making process…..

@Arlo: can you please update us on this a.s.a.p? It is annoying if you decide what notifications I receive. It is my own responsibility to disable this (and accept the possible risks of that). But I really want to have the opportunity. Thanks in advance

[GoBraves]

Unfortunately @Arlo has no intention of changing their stance on the mode change notifications because they say it is a safety feature.

Now I get double notifications when I arm/Disarm my system. They have literally doubled down on their own stupidity. I don’t have a subscription anymore so my cameras are about 90% useless as you can’t access any videos in the app without a subscription. It’s ok though because I’ll have a much better system and @Arlo is hemorrhaging money due to their inability to give their customers what they want and need from the products they pay A LOT OF MONEY FOR!

[Casper_NL]

@GoBraves: you may be right, and at least it looks like Arlo has no intention to address this issue. But if that is the case, then I want to hear that from Arlo. I do not want to guess or assume that Arlo has no intention. 

So @JamesC ,  your “We're continuing to provide feedback to the product team about mode change notifications” is not sufficient any longer. This is taking more than a year now. We now would like feedback from the product team to us, so that we know what to expect regarding this issue. Thanks in advance!

[Ron-R]

@Casper_NL  I appreciate you reaching out to @JamesC .  I look forward to his response.

Just fyi -- below is the latest response I received yesterday from Arlo, regarding my case which has been open since May 2023.  1.5 years.  More of the same denial.

Your Arlo case with reference number 43716007 requires additional information in order to proceed. Please click the “Update Case” button below to update your case.

Update Case

If the above link does not work, you can copy and paste the below URL into your browser’s address bar: https://www.arlo.com/portal/onlinecaseupdate.aspx?val=FRic6/qGrP5c8F3pAn7sxk75QXJBy9HD/fkpzVbr9NQdPT...

Your Case Details
Case Number: 43716007
Subject: Ask Arlo_Issue with the device_Issue 15523_related to case 43643462
Product: VMC4050B

Case Update

Hi Ron,

Good day.

Thank you for getting back to us. The feature request to not receive mode changes notifications has not yet been implemented, and as of the moment there is no ETA yet.

We will provide you an update once available from our engineering team.

We sincerely appreciate your continued patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

Francis

Arlo Support

If we do not receive a response from you within 7 days, your case will be automatically closed. Please contact Arlo Support if you have any questions.

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS AUTOMATED EMAIL.

[GoBraves]

I find it funny how @Arlo tries to entice us back into a subscription yet they refuse to do anything about fixing the unwanted notifications on the ARLO app. @Arlo I would have no problem reinstating my subscription if you would concede that the forced notifications are a failure and give the user 100% control over ALL notifications. But instead, you have doubled down and made it worse. Now I get double notifications when I shouldn’t be getting any!! KEEP IT UP! YALL ARE DOING AN AMAZING JOB OF PUTTING YOURSELF OUT OF BUSINESS…

[GoBraves]

I know this may be sour grapes but ARLO has stated to myself and multiple others here that the Mode Change notifications were done for user safety and they have no intention of changing that. It is also apparent that after a year and a half of numerous customer complaints that they have no intentions of addressing this as they don’t see an issue. Fingers crossed but at this point it would seem as if we are all just beating a dead horse. 

[Ron-R]

@GoBraves You might be right but it doesn't need to be that way.  I have a brand new 2024 Ford F-150 with a bunch of "active driver safety" features such as automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, lane centering/lane assist, reverse emergency braking and many more.  Ford lets me turn these features off if I don't want them active.  There's no reason Arlo cannot do the same, and give their customers a choice.

[Ron-R]

@JamesC James you've been awfully quiet on the matter.  What's the latest on this 17 month old app issue that seemingly has Arlo's head in the sand in terms of addressing their customer's issues ?

[GoBraves]

I agree with you 101%. However, @Arlo doesn’t care about what the customer wants. They have stated this is for safety and they are not going to change it. I think they may be concerned about getting sued. 
I’m amazed at how long you’ve kept your case open. The longest I had a case open was about 2 months. I showed them how their “safety” feature wasn’t actually keeping us safe and exposed a flaw in their system they closed my case and will not open a new case for me. I’ve tried several times and each time my case is closed almost immediately with no action from @Arlo or any kind of explanation. Keep hitting them hard!! 

[Casper_NL]

I do not understand why Arlo does not give clarity here in the user forum. The reasonable options are quite simple:

1) we will solve the issue 

2) we will not solve the issue and the users will have to deal with it

3) we are thinking about it and will share our conclusion within -let’s say- 6 weeks.

the fact that we are being kept in the dark for so long is not something that I like….

[JamesC]

Caspter_NL,

As of now there are no plans to change the Arm/Disarm notifications sent for mode changes. I will continue providing the feedback posted here to the development team for consideration but I do not have any new information to share at this time.

JamesC

[GoBraves]

Here you go folks!! I’ve been saying this for over a year. Proof that @Arlo just doesn’t care about its customers or what they want/need from this company. Cancel your subscription. Taking money out of their pocket is the only way they are going to listen. Go get yourself a Power over Ethernet system and don’t look back! 

[Ron-R]

@JamesC  Just to confirm, are you saying the answer to Casper's question is #2 ?  He posed 3 possible Arlo responses to the many customers begging for a fix, I repost his question here:

1) we will solve the issue -- ANSWER IS NO ??

2) we will not solve the issue and the users will have to deal with it  -- ANSWER IS YES, JUST DEAL WITH IT ??

3) we are thinking about it and will share our conclusion within -let’s say- 6 weeks.  ANSWER IS NO ??

If, in fact, the Arlo corporate response is #2, the appropriate Corporate responsibility to an open technical issue is to explain the 'why' behind the Company's position on not fixing a defect in the field with one of their products. @GoBraves has already demonstrated there is no safety nor litigation risk of providing the customers with a choice  on their notifications.  As I stated to Arlo in my open case (open for 1.5 years now), in my new 2024 F-150 vehicle I can switch off the many driver assistance features (lane keeping, automatic braking, reverse braking, adaptive cruise, etc.   The point is:  all these features were defaulted ON when I took delivery, but Ford gives their customers a choice whether to keep on, or turn off.  And with that choice, I accept responsibility.

[Casper_NL]

Hello JamesC, 

thanks for making this clear. Although it is not the answer that I was hoping for at least everyone knows the current status now. It is not clear to me why Arlo decided this and hopefully this request will be taken care of somewhere in the future.

best regards,

Casper