Please Reconsider Change: Disable Mode Change Notifications

[Psyk]

Our phones ding every time we leave or return to the house.  You used to be able to switch this off, but now you can't (various posts have indicated this was intentional).  (A) this is EXTREMELY annoying.  (B) this causes many users to disable notifications, negating the point of the system, not to mention reducing the chances someone will pay for smart notifications.  (C) at best, it could cause us to miss an actual notification because we're trained to think it is just an irrelevant mode change notification.  In summary: this is an extremely easy feature to have in place, and it used to be there.  There are many, many posts about this from upset users, and I just can't get over how logical the above arguments are.  Please reconsider this simple change - I've invested a great deal in the ecosystem and it's a shame to have it be something I cannot recommend due to such a minor, solvable feature issue.

[JessicaP]

Hi Psyk,

Are you using Geofencing mode for your cameras? If so, you can enable and disable the push notifications when someone leaves or returns home by going to the Arlo app and going to Mode > Choose your Base Station/Camera > Tap/Click on the pencil icon next to Geofencing > Push Notifications. You can check/uncheck which device to turn on/off.

[Psyk]

Hi JessicaP,

Thank you for the response - appreciate it.  I am using Geofencing mode for my cameras.  When I click on Mode > Base Station > Geofencing Pencil Icon, there is no "Push Notifications" category.  I only see the map with radius and my address, the Details section with Arlo Device Location and Enabled Mobile Devices, and the Select Mode section with Away Mode and Home Mode.  It would be wonderful if there was a section exactly like you describe for Push Notifications by device for geofencing mode changes.  Am I missing something?

[JessicaP]

What phone device are you using? Could you show a screenshot on what you're seeing?

[Psyk]

Sure, I am using an iPhone X running the latest iOS.  This behavior has been present for quite some time.  I've attached a screenshot (I left out my home address at the top for privacy's sake).  If I click into "Enabled Mobile Devices" I just have the option to include which devices participate in the geofence - nothing about push notifications.

[JessicaP]

Thanks for showing this screenshot. I've informed the development team in regards to this and is currently investigating reports of this issue. I will provide an update as soon as I have more information.

[Psyk]

Thank you for the follow-up with the dev team!  Other threads seem to indicate this was an intentional change (hence the way I characterized the problem), but I do hope it is just a bug that hasn't yet been explained well enough.  I was thinking about this and want to explain further... hopefully this is something you can also share with the developers to point them to the issue.

There is still a setting in the iOS "Settings" application under "Arlo" called "Geofencing" that has "Location In/Out Notifications."  I am almost certain this toggle used to work and do exactly what I am describing, but it has not worked in quite some time - the notifications behavior is the same regardless of how it is set.  I have included a screenshot of it for reference.  This is probably evidence that it is indeed a bug, or at best no one ever took the setting out when they removed it as a feature, which is kind of a bug in itself.

Also here's a link to an example thread of users trying to convey the same thing - notice how many people/views.  It also confirms it's not just my device (and I've reinstalled the app and all that kind of stuff).  I am thinking this is a misunderstanding that no one has ever successfully communicated or gotten resolved... I suspect whomever last talked to the team didn't fully/successfully explain it?  I hope you have some luck and let me know if I can help.

https://community.arlo.com/t5/Arlo-Pro-2/Geofence-Notifications/m-p/1724987

[Retired_Member]

It would be a nice option to have the ability to choose whether to receive notifications for the geofencing turning itself on or off.  I don't need to be notified everytime I leave my house that the cameras are now on.  Just a simple option as to whether or not you want to receive the notifications would be great!