Is there any continuing need for Twilio?

For a while there I think we had to use Twillo for phone notifications. But is it still useful for anything? It seems like I have no problem getting notifications on my phone from the App without Twillo. In fact, I get two now when I set them both up for notification. I'm just trying to determine if there is any reason to keep Twillo.

1 Like

I have had really good luck with the stock app from hubitat.
I also have PushOver installed .. but found its not really needed :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Not exactly. It depends on the type of notification you mean.

Twilio allows you to use sms text messages for notifications.

The Hubitat mobile app for Android and iOS has had push notifications for years.

And many users use Pushover to receive push notifications from their hub. The pushover integration predates the Hubitat mobile app, but is much more configurable and flexible re: how the push notifications are sent.

So there have always been other options for sending non-sms messages to your phone.

1 Like

Thanks for that great info folks.
Is there any scenario where I would not get a Hubitat notification to my Pixel 7 on T-Mobile and would get a notification from Pushover? Is Pushover necessary for complete coverage? The less I have to deal with, the better I like it. I'm a very keep it Stupid Simple type of guy but I do NOT want to chance missing a notification. I'll deal with Pushover if there is a reason.

I’m sure it’s theoretically possible that some cloud server issue could affect push notifications through Hubitat’s cloud relay, but not pushover’s.

The converse is also theoretically possible.

But in general, if your phone has a mobile data connection, then it would be capable of receiving either, or both.

The main reason to consider pushover, IMO, is for the additional configuration options it offers. But not everyone needs them.

ETA: Since sms messages can be received when one’s phone has a voice network connection only (but no mobile data connection), some people still find Twilio to be valuable for that reason.

I really only want the notification verbiage I construct to show up on my phone reliably. But I may break the mold and try pushover too just as a learning experience. I'm Stupid Simple but also curious and for $5 not a lot of down side.

Pushover is well worth the price of entry.

You can always start with simple push notifications, and then consider experimenting with some of its more advanced options.

2 Likes

I used Twillo ever since I came to the Hubitat platform, mostly because SmartThings offered SMS for free. I continued to use Twillo because SMS will work even when the cellular data service is down. In today's world that may or may not be true anymore. Since Twillo changed their policy and my inability to conform to it, I dropped them a year or so ago. I still would like to have SMS capability but haven't really missed it.

Hubitat did include built-in support for sms when they first came to market, but it was subsequently dropped from the platform.

I assume it wasn’t feasible for them continue to provide the service for free.

It's depends on how and who's using it. With Twillio, you don't need to install any app for sms. With pushover/Hubitat, you need to install the app on the phone receiving the notification.
I got rid of Twillio a year ago and got all my family members to install pushover.

To Twilio's credit, it was easy to end the service and they will be refunding my existing funds. So at least that went well...

You may be interested in the following:

2 Likes

I like using pushover for a couple reasons.

With the community driver you can have different sounds for specific events, you can set the priority, and it’s all it does, so I don’t have to flip screens in the app and then hit notifications - you open the app and the notifications are there. Oh, plus it logs more than 20 events.

Yes I do use the HE app for some low priority messages as well - things I like to get notifications for but never anything important that I may want to reference the time/occurrence.

1 Like

I am using it quite extensively, primarily because I don't use the HE app and all my home automation logic is in Node-RED. I also use Homebridge and Apple Home provides access to devices and states.

Isn’t this true for the built-in driver too?

I know there were several things the community driver could do that the built-in driver couldn’t at first.

But I thought over time the built-in driver pretty much reached feature parity with the community driver as features were added.

1 Like

The built-in driver did catch up at one point. However, there have been several additional community contributions that I do not believe are part of the built-in driver.

2 Likes

What a good question. I have been using the community version shortly after getting up and running and I was unaware that the built in support had been modified.

1 Like

I am a fan of SharpTools and have been using it to send SMS notifications about garage door and mailbox activity among other things. It includes several notification options.

2 Likes

I still use Twilio for phone calls. Especially if my alarm triggers. And also useful to call someone else when it happens.

1 Like

Interesting solution. I wasn't aware of this one either.