New Arlo Upgrade is TERRIBLE. Ruined Arlo for me. How can I revert to the old UI

[brianbish]

Hope you're all doing well. I've been an Arlo user for a while now, with 7 cameras and the new 2k doorbell in my setup. My goal was to streamline everything under Arlo, given how much I trust the brand. But after this recent software update, I've run into a few challenges that are really big problems that need to be addressed

I've been around the block on the internet, and I've seen others on Reddit and even here expressing similar concerns. Here's what's been on my mind:

1. Camera Control: The previous version had a dedicated screen for arming and disarming, making it quick and user-friendly. The new UI, with its 'Arm Away,' 'Disarm,' and 'Stand By' seems good outside of realworld applications but it is not practical for having full control over the cameras; especially for individual camera control

2. Status Overview: You can not see the status of all cameras at one time, which is not just inconvenient but a safety concern.

3. Camera Access & Playback: Following Arlo's suggestion, I've toggled devices on and off. The downside? Not being able to see live video playback when it's off, and having to navigate each camera separately to turn them on/off, especially with my larger setup, it is very inefficient

There are other minor issues, but these stand out. Anyone else here facing the same? And if someone has found a way to revert to the previous version or has workarounds while Arlo possibly addresses these, please share.

Appreciate the support and looking forward to improvements!

[ShayneS]

To enable or remove notification for a specific camera, you can navigate to Routines > Modes > Select the mode > Select the device under the Device Rules > Add action > Send Notification > Next > Save. You can also remove a rule by selecting Delete Rules. 

Your cameras will be armed If you have the rules enabled to record in either of the Modes: Arm Away, Arm Home, Standby. 

You can find more info here: https://kb.arlo.com/000062889/How-do-I-enable-or-disable-motion-or-sound-detection-on-my-Arlo-device-Arlo-Secure-4-0

[StephenB]

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@WalkingTheDog wrote:

The whole idea of a properly designed interface is that I should not have to extensively read the forums to dissect an interface.  

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While I agree there are lots of issues with the new interface, I think that old one isn't intuitive either.  The relationship between modes, scheduling, and geofencing confuses a lot of people.

Personally I like the idea of setting up locations, and having modes that control all cameras at the location.  I do wish that they didn't require separate subscriptions for different locations though.  IMO, two locations should be included in the unlimited subscription.

1. Clearly they need to add back custom modes. 
2. Scheduling is clearly harder in the new interface than it should be.  Based on posts here, people expect to schedule cameras, and not modes.  That is a puzzle, since modes are fundamental to Arlo's control model.
3. Automations generally are confusing (and I suspect buggy).
4. Geofencing is also a weakness, though it's pretty clear that is also problematic in the old interface.

[oldappdude]

same w old app - looks like we hold on and not upgrade until / unless forced.

seems can not share cameras to new folks however w the old app.... this is how i ended up here 

[Smolson]

After 5 hours of perseverance discovered cameras not picking up activity was caused by Arlo app. Doesn’t make sense, but as soon as downloaded latest IPhone Arlo app; all systems were go. Just needed to remove and re add cameras to base station. Maddening, but happy all is well hon

[WalkingTheDog]

While the old app was not perfect and had issues, the new app makes the old one look great. It’s astounding that Arlo did this. The app should be intuitive for the bulk of users and it is not. 

[GIII]

My cameras were turned off this morning without any notice. After calling tech support I was told I had to upgrade and pay $150 dollars to  get my cameras working again. Bad business and my subscription was paid in full for another month. Arlo you can eat dirt. Forcing people to pay for an upgrade without notice is like asking for a ransom when you're equipment will only work with your app. See ya 

[StephenB]

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@GIII wrote:

After calling tech support I was told I had to upgrade and pay $150 dollars to  get my cameras working again. 

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Then you reached a scam support site.  Likely that was the result of googling for a phone number.

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062119/How-can-I-avoid-Arlo-support-scams

Arlo Support agents will never ask for payments, credit card numbers, or bank information for Support services. 

You have to access phone support from the app.

If you see "Library" in your app menu, follow these instructions:

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062461/What-is-the-Support-Center-in-the-Arlo-App

If you see "Feed" instead, follow these instructions

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062993/What-is-the-Support-Center-in-the-Arlo-Secure-App-Arlo-Secure-4-0

[Nailerdog]

Totally agree.  The old interface was bad enough.  Nothing intuitive at all.  Been a paying subscriber several years.  Headed elsewhere.  This crap isn't stable and is difficult to use.

[TomSea]

The new interface is horrible for me too.

One thing that used to be easy is deleting videos. It used to be you could click on multiple videos and then click once to get rid of all the selected videos at once. Now each and every video has to have two or three clicks. It is worse for the fact that there seem to be more false positive videos from things like leaves rustling in the sunlight.

I am thinking of taking it all down and taking it back to Costco. Thank goodness for their return policy.

[LordBracht]

Do you get any of the camera is unavailable errors like arlo? any large blanks in your CVR recordings? 

[boggtrotter]

My cameras have really been an absolute nightmare since February, I live alone and am quite deaf. I really need the motion announcement over Alexa . It stopped in February. I get a ding on my phone but I have no idea which camera it is from. The routine is impossible, I cannot do anything with it apart from set a start time for everything I received an end of life email, I’m not sure whether it was for me  or the system .

[Bjohnson27]

The app is complicated and very slow loading. Arlo give us back the old app interface.

[BruskiJunk]

It's now 6/19/2024 and Arlo hasn't provided a way to roll back to the old user interface (UI).  I own two arlo systems with 4 cameras on each system. one system is on the old UI and one is on the new UI.  The old UI is so much better especially the library is so much easier to click on each date rather than scrolling through so many "routine" clips.  The word "routine" doesn't even make English sense!  Common Arlo either change back to the old UI or provide a way to roll back to it.  Otherwise I will be switching to a different company.  I've owned Arlo now for over 10 years! Not happy!

[WalkingTheDog]

I totally agree.  I've started looking at other systems as well.  Seems like every system has good and not so good things about their respective apps, but the changes Arlo made were just unintuitive and bad.

[badchoice]

I agree with brianbish, this new app is a bad decision, I like nothing about it, except maybe videos look better, that is it. I have been a loyal Arlo user for about 6 years, this may change soon if not corrected. Thanks

[Dalehenry]

Sorry, but as a Computer Engineer, the new app is a very large step backwards.  Basic programming guidelines seem be ignored.   It is not intuitive in the least and functionality is lacking.  Lacking so much I am regretting purchasing the 5S camera set.  I loved the previous arlo app and programming abilities which is why I upgraded (downgraded?) to the 5S cameras.  Please tell us there is an upgrade/fix in the works.

Example: When selecting Armed mode to program its actions, while on the Armed Mode programming page you can create under automations a schedule that will change you to Standby mode in the morning.  When in one mode, you shouldn't be able to jump to another mode with a schedule.  Now I will be in standby mode, which I don't want to have it programmed to jump back to Armed mode in the evening.  

Try programming this:

Standby:   

     - All cameras are off including the doorbell. Stays in standby until I manually select to change mode.

Armed Home Mode:

    - During the day I want my doorbell and driveway cameras to record if either sees motion.

    - At night I want my doorbell, driveway, and back porch cameras to all record if any of them are triggered.

Armed Away Mode:

    - All indoor cameras are cross triggered to record.

    - All outdoor cameras are cross triggered to record.

Can this be done and how??  Please help as I spent hours trying to do this.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

It can be done for the first two modes for sure, but I don't understand what you mean by cross triggered in the third mode: when one is triggered, then all of them come on and start recording all at once at that time? If so, I don't think this part can be done. However, what you can do instead is that all of them are armed, i.e. ready to record, when there's a movement, but only one of them, i.e. the triggered one, can record at a time, with the others to come on whenever they're triggered.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

Also because Arlo now offers three modes, you can only do one of the two actions for your second mode: either doorbell and driveway OR either doorbell, driveway and porch. Unless you use the Standby mode for doorbell and driveway, and armed home mode for the other. This, of course, means that you won't have a mode for all cameras being switched off, but someone at Arlo had thought only three modes would be a great idea.

[StephenB]

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@Dalehenry wrote:

Can this be done and how??  Please help as I spent hours trying to do this.

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I agree you currently can't get this combination to work.

Hopefully Arlo will add back the custom modes feature, as that would make this possible.

[Aaronpools]

I find the new app terrible as well . I have spent many hours on the phone with tech support, they just tell me to bad. I have two accounts and around 30 cameras at 3 different locations. I have turned about 6 people on to the arlo platform and helped them set it up just to find that this new app is so very bad and I am so embarrassed . For me the FEED PAGE vs the LIBRARY PAGE . I find a lot of other issues with this new app. I have started looking for a different system other than arlo. Some of the issues are just bugs that they will fix, me issue is the layout of the feed page and that is not a bug, if they don’t change the feed page i will be using someone eles system by the 1St of the year.

sign please make them stop .lol

[BDC2023]

As though the new app being garbage is not enough, did you know that Arlo is sunsetting the old app/UI? 

Indeed, they will force everyone to migrate.  

Did you know that if you have an old iOS in an old phone, you will lose the entire use of your cameras?

When is the security of us more important than some corporation taking our money and telling us what we will do?  Remember, we bought these cameras.

Just imagine if something happens to one of us that has our cameras/app sunset because of something Arlo did, and we no longer have the ability to get the video?

The repercussions to Arlo would be overwhelming and most likely enough to get them to stop their shenanigans. 

[BDC2023]

FROM BruskiJunk:

"t's now 6/19/2024 and Arlo hasn't provided a way to roll back to the old user interface (UI).  I own two arlo systems with 4 cameras on each system. one system is on the old UI and one is on the new UI.  The old UI is so much better especially the library is so much easier to click on each date rather than scrolling through so many "routine" clips.  The word "routine" doesn't even make English sense!  Common Arlo either change back to the old UI or provide a way to roll back to it.  Otherwise I will be switching to a different company.  I've owned Arlo now for over 10 years! Not happy!"

I'm with you on everything you said.  I believe we've had our cameras 10+ years.  There have been many other friends and family that have purchased Arlo because of personal recommendations.

Today there was a message that was displayed on the old app that Arlo is sunsetting that app.  

Anyone thinking Arlo will rollback, it definitely appears that will not be happening.

I'm not happy about any of this and while switching is good, Arlo has already consumed your money.

[TomSea]

Great news. I just took my Essential version 2 camera kit back to Costco. You have to love Costco's return policy! Besides the app being bad I found a couple of things about the Essential cameras.

1. Essential means it is essential that you buy a subscription. They give you the first month free but after that you can only look at live videos, unless you have a subscription.

2. Essentials will not hook up to your preexisting base station. Forget about saving your videos to your own hard drive. It can not sync to your base station so you can't save your videos. If you have a subscription you can only see your videos for a month unless you download them one day at a time. Linking with your base station has been promised for some time, but like the app, Arlo does what they please.

My Pro 3 and Pro 4XL don't have these problems although I am still trying to get them so I can see the videos outside my network.

[StephenB]

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@TomSea wrote:

Essentials will not hook up to your preexisting base station.

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That is only the case with the Gen 2 models.  

Arlo is planning to roll out base support in these models, hopefully that will happen soon. 

[TomSea]

Too little too late. (To keep it on topic, like the app.)

My un-Essentials are gone back to Costco.

[StephenB]

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@TomSea wrote:

Too little too late.

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Understood.  I clarified your comment for the benefit of other folks who read or search the forum (particularly down the road after Arlo has added the feature).