Stopped getting calls from doorbell on iPhone

[bowserb46]

I used to get a call from Arlo when someone pressed the doorbell button.  I still get the Arlo Chime, and I still get an announcement on my Echo devices that "Someone is at the front door."  However I no longer get a call.  I can't help but wonder if it is my doing.  Could I have inadvertently blocked the call number in my iPhone or could my AT&T Call Protect app be blocking it?  I don't know what the calling number is, so I can't look it up.  Anyone know?  Or is this just another Arlo bug?

[SteveArnold]

I just tested mine on my iPhone and mine isn’t working either.   I push the doorbell and my traditional doorbell in the house will chime but I get no notification to my phone.      I know it was working 2 weeks ago.  I’m using version 2.7.7 (56) on my phone which should be the latest.  

BUT.   I think I know why.    It’s because my base station said “Disarmed”.     It’s disarmed because that’s the schedule I have setup for my Arlo cameras.   During the day I don’t want my cameras triggering motion.     But.   The doorbell is not supposed to be tied to the schedule of the cameras.   So.   If they’ve changed this then this is not the way it was originally supposed to work so I’d call this a bug

Can you please call arlo support and tell them this isn’t working and then let us know.   I’ve already got a couple of other tickets open with Arlo and I just don’t want to deal with another one.  

[bowserb46]

Yes.  I will start a new ticket.  My base station is never disarmed.  All I have is the doorbell.  I already had a conventional surveillance with 8 cameras, two of which point at the front door area, so all I wanted is an audio doorbell.  This has been a huge disappointment.  Speaker volume is still marginal at best, and now this.  I'll post back here any resolution to the problem.

[bowserb46]

Just spent an hour and a half on a chat.  Left it with a ticket number.  Uninstalled Arlo from my phone.  Removed my wife from the account.  Updated iOS from 12.2 to 12.3.  Reinstalled Arlo app.  Rebooted Arlo doorbell.  Still the button press rings the $50 Arlo chime, announces on five Echo devices "Someone is at the front door."  And that's it.  Does not ring my phone.  

Tech Royce says get my wife's phone updated and reinstall the app there and see if that fixes it.  Of course, it will not.  I've removed her from the account, so only my phone is left.  Royce didn't know what to do, so he pushed me off with a ticket number in hopes that when I call back, I'll get a different tech.  Yeah, I hope that too.

I was considerting getting an Arlo camera to pair with this doorbell, but I think it's time to stop throwing good money after bad.  This is a hopelessly buggy system that wasn't ready to sell, but it was sold anyway.  First the volume was too low.  Then a new version was slightly better but still not good.  Now we have functions dropping.  I think it's time to chalk this one up and move to Ring.   I'll update my reviews on Amazon and be done with Arlo.

[bowserb46]

Hey Steve, I think Arlo is wishing to consider your comment as the solution.  I've been asked to mark one post as the solution, yet all we have is my complaint and your concurrence that you have the same problem.  Gee, which is the solution--my complaint or yours?

BTW, my base station is never disarmed. 

I've spoken with my local surveillance professional.  He has a doorbell camera/speaker that works with the DVR and eight wired cameras that we have installed and calls our phones.  I should have called him in the first place.  I wonder if Arlo allows offers of sales of lightly used Arlo products--in this case a 1.3 doorbell, a base station and a chime--on this forum?

[SteveArnold]

My doorbell is calling my phone now.    I worked with Arlo support and we noticed that my iPhone was at iOS 12.2 so then after upgrading the phone to iOS 12.3 it then started to work again.

Theres still an outstanding ticket with Arlo support for false motion alarms (I’m still waiting for an update on that) so not everything is working with the doorbell.

[bowserb46]

Mine's at 12.3 then 12.3.1.  Still not working.  Only Arlo tech solution was to assign a case number; then bail.

[Garethdphillips]

I have the same problem. I would describe it as intermittant, as I do, very occasionally, recieve a call to my iPhone xs whilst at the office, but more often than not I get no notification.

My arlo camera at my front door is always armed, so it isnt an issue with that. 

I dont know if this is an issue with the call / notification failing to appear on the phone, or if the issue is more fundimental, i.e. is the doorbell not actually signaling back to the Arlo platform or my hub that the button has been pressed?  As there is no log of doorbell presses that I am aware of, I have no way to pinpoint the problem?

My Alro bell is wired to a tranditional chime, and that works as expected.  The recording can be heard from the speaker when you press the bell "please press the button again to leave a message" so does that mean it is connecting to the hub correctly?  is that message local, or played from the cloud? 

I see a daily postman visit on my front door camera, and that notification works. I often see him press the doorbell when I review the video, but 90% of the time i didnt ever recieve that call. 

Really frustrating as I'm happy to trobleshoot a problem, but I dont think there is anything within my control here... 

[JessicaP]

Hey @Garethdphillips,

What troubleshooting steps have you tried so far? Have you tried reinstalling the Arlo app to see if that helps? And make sure that the Arlo Audio Doorbell is within a good distance between your Arlo Base Station to ensure a stable connection.

[bowserb46]

Jessica, I think we've all been through the routine.  Update iOS, reinstall the Arlo app, remove 2nd phone.  My doorbell is very close to both the base station and the WAP it's connected to.  Like everyone, I've logged off, powered off, changed batteries, and more.  As an independent IT consultant, I've encountered a lot of gear over the last 20 years, and I've rarely found a device I couldn't get to work.  I think Netgear just bit off more than it could chew with Arlo. 

[Garethdphillips]

Yes I have reinstalled the app. I don't really see how that is a valid troubleshooting step for iOS when other notifications work, but I have nonetheless.

If I enable movement notifications for the doorbell I receive these on the phone at the same time as the camera notifications, so I guess that shows that the connection from the base is ok. The call notifications just don't come through. Most of the time.

[JessicaP]

Is this happening when you're on WiFi and/or cellular data? Make sure that you're logged onto the Arlo app and there is no one else who is logged on with your Arlo account on a different device.