I run CalyxOS on my Pixel 3xl phone. It's a good android-based platform for privacy minded users. CalyxOS uses MicroG to replace the google services. For those unfamiliar, MicroG mimics the location, notification, and other functions that Android apps typically obtains from google services, but is open-sourced and (again) more private vs what google offers.
The vast majority of android apps run just fine using MicroG services -- but some don't. I suspect the Hubitat Android app may not because in my case:
Geofencing bubble is excessively large
The Hubitat app receives notifications, but doesn't present them in the OS (e.g. you have to look inside the Hubitat app to see what was sent -- there is no OS notification)
Don't hold your breath. I contacted support months and months ago and didn't even get a friendly BS reply. Nothing at all.
I set up a Telegram bot, and it's more reliable anyhow. There are ways to make interactive telegram messages as well. Dig around the forum and you'll find examples. I haven't implemented the latter quite yet.
A while back quite a few people were emailing support and getting no answer. In short, they were emailing a non-monitored email address. People thought they were being ignored, but they were not, it was a matter of nobody at support actually receiving the email. Perhaps you fell into this situation?
If you don't hear from support within a very short period of time, something is wrong.
I misspoke -- they DID send a cute friendly reply (after digging back through my emails.) All the support agent said is that they were referring it to Engineering. I followed up a few times and they replied once more with a canned Engineering answer, then nothing on a 2nd follow-up attempt from my end.
I've gotten those "sent to engineering" replies also. From the customers perspective it appears nothing is being done, not a good look. Although changes might have been made based on the report? The right thing to do is follow up with the user. As a consumer it feels much like a stalling tactic, whether or not it is, nobody knows for sure.
In my opinion, it is unreasonable to anticipate that Hubitat will support every esoteric Android derivative. Especially those whose market share is anticipated to be very small.
I would expect to support mainstream Android versions from Google and Samsung, and possibly versions from Huawei and Xiaomi, which while small in North America, are somewhat more prevalent in other parts of the world.
I don't have a general answer. But, in the specific instance of the mobile app, given the large fragmentation in the Android world, I would prefer to see Hubitat indicate which versions of Android the app has successfully been tested with.
I don't expect Hubitat to fix this issue. They clearly have ties to GMS. My solution was to use a Telegram bot, which then taught me how to do interactive notifications.
"Garage door left open!"
[Close] [Remind in 20 minutes]
Of course you could do the same with standard Hubitat notification and Tasker.
I don't see much value in the app at this time, so thT was my workaround. I use wifi based presence detection, and also have ZigBee sensors on keyrings and cars. The GPS function of the app is irrelevant to me. I've considered using tasker to implement smart-ER location-based automation, like detecting I'm heading home. Maybe I could trigger based on Waze.
I understand and generally agree that Hubitat cannot be responsible for app functionality on non-standard ROMs.
But it seems many users report problems with Hubitat notifications on standard android platforms. And CalyxOS and MicroG generally work well with most apps (and every other app or my phone). So...
I want to understand if my Hubitat notifications problem is caused by app incompatibility with MicroG (or not). Feedback from other users may help me.
Whatever Hubitat is doing to manage notifications seems to be more problematic vs other apps. Evaluating how to make notifications work with MicroG might help them improve notification function across standard implementations.
Google Mobile Services. All connected to Google Play Services, etc. MicroG tries to emulate these functions, but only some apps work. There are certain API coding standards and specific hooks that simply do not work with MicroG T this time.
I personally stopped using CalyxOS and use GrapheneOS instead. It seems to work better across the board. I don't agree with their snooty opinions on rooting, but still the experience is superior.
@stevenascott thanks for the tip on Telegram. I fired-up the bot and it works great. Getting notifications just fine now from the hubitat on my CalyxOS phone. I'm not an app heavy user, but Hubitat is the ONLY app I've ever used that doesn't work with CalyxOS/MicroG -- although I'm aware there are other apps that don't work well with it. Android GMS-enabled phones and many apps that run on it abuse the user's privacy -- I'm willing to adjust my app usage to avoid it.
@marktheknife GMS = Google Mobile Services. These are services and APIs that most android apps use to display notifications, access location, and many other critical functions. They also give google a lot of insight into what you do with your phone and apps. More info here: Android – Google Mobile Services
Thanks for the explanations. My household is pretty tied to iOS when it comes to mobile devices (not entirely by my choice). But I have enjoyed tinkering with a couple older Amazon Fire tablets I have to get root access then flash other Android ROMs like Cyanogenmod and LineageOS.
What kind of ties does the Hubitat team have to Google Management System?
I think they use Google for notifications and GPS, at least regarding the mobile app. You can integrate with other Google services and products with the actual hub, if you so wish.
Correct. I use a garmin watch and sync offline. For navigation, I use Organic Maps and OSMand. Both open source-based solutions (although Organic Maps not entirely so) that respect user privacy.
From my perspective, and I'd believe that other customers also, would be looking for some follow-up-no? To advise a customer that something further is being done, and to have no response after is what I was referring to.
Is that not reasonable?
