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.