Most reliable presence app HE with iPhone?

[robertsonslodge]

I find several threads most older than 2022 concerning reliable presence / location arrival application. Life360 seems to no longer cooperate with HE. SO, what works well between iPhone and HE?
AND then please offer setup steps for a simple mind.
Thank you.

[jameslslate]

Do you have any other Apple devices like Apple TV or HomePod Mini?

[KurtSanders]

@robertsonslodge

I find several threads most older than 2022 concerning reliable presence / location arrival application. Life360 seems to no longer cooperate with HE. SO, what works well between iPhone and HE?
AND then please offer setup steps for a simple mind.
Thank you.

I was a Life 360 Gold member and their presence was flawless for my family. When the company decided to stop supporting 3rd party presence API officially which broke HE, I immediately cancelled my annual subscription and easily switched to the free OwnTracks app in Hubitat Package Manager. The companion phone app works for both iPhone and Android.

The installation was well documented and IMHO easy to setup! #ByeByeLife360

[marktheknife]

@robertsonslodge

please offer setup steps for a simple mind.

This thread’s only a few months old:

Locative Presence app for iOS full setup

Locative is a great app for presence sensing but is only available for iPhones. I previously used Life360 free version for over a year without any issues. I noticed that it would typically consume about 1% of my iPhone battery per day. I was not concerned with the privacy issues of being tracked. About a year and a half ago I saw a post by @ogiewon mentioning Locative. The cool thing about Locative - your phone decides when it is inside or outside your defined locations and only when your pho…

[ktd]

I use Apples built in function for location. Everyone in our family has iPhones and we have several devices (Apple Tvs & HomePods) that can work as a Home Hub.

I have created a virtual switch for each person and use iOS Automation to switch on or off the switches.

This has worked flawlessly for us for years.

[robertsonslodge]

Thank you ! This is certainly interesting. And I appreciate the step by step walk through ( that small mind of mine you see).
Does this work if I do not have the HE cloud or remote paid service?
I believe I read this works even if phone's wifi is turned off?
Thanks...

[marktheknife]

@robertsonslodge

Does this work if I do not have the HE cloud or remote paid service?

Hubitat’s remote admin service is not needed.

But the locative app needs to send a webhook anytime you arrive or leave your house. From a practical perspective while departing/leaving your home, it won’t work as intended if you don’t use a cloud endpoint.

@robertsonslodge

I believe I read this works even if phone's wifi is turned off?

As long as your phone has an active mobile data connection, the locative app can use that.

[Bloodtick_Jones]

@ktd

I use Apples built in function for location. Everyone in our family has iPhones and we have several devices (Apple Tvs & HomePods) that can work as a Home Hub.

I have created a virtual switch for each person and use iOS Automation to switch on or off the switches.

This has worked flawlessly for us for years.

+1 (AppleTVs + HomeKit + iOS + Hubitat HomeKit integration)

[lpakula]

@robertsonslodge

Sounds encouraging. Does the "wifi" have to be always on and on the same network as the Apple hub, or will the phones cellular connection suffice?
(I have some that sometimes turn their phones wifi off).

Depends on the level of accuracy you are looking for. In side the phone it goes:
GPS -> Wifi -> Cellular

With a preference for Wifi due to lower power consumption. You don't need to be connected to Wifi, it just needs to be on. The phone detects neighboring wifi access points, and can get the location reported from them. That is much more accurate than trying to triangulate via cellular towers and requires less battery to do so.

[robertsonslodge]

Trying Locative, I have setup one phone following these instructions. Even I could do it with this help! I'm assuming each phone need its own Virtual presence sensor yet as each has it's own (Device ID) all can be under or part of the one "Maker API"?

[steve.maddigan]

Glad you got it working.

Yes each iPhone needs its own Virtual Presence device and yes they can all use the same Maker API.

[hydro311]

If this is about Locative (or whatever app you're using), you should take these specific questions to that respective app thread -- you'll get better responses there.

[robertsonslodge]

Thank you all very much for your interest, advice and feedback. HE is a great product and the forum continues being an immeasurable help.

[robertsonslodge]

"Owntracks" Thank you Kurt, I'm glad this works well for you. I saw a couple people reporting some issue and decided to try Locative first. If it gives me trouble I may come back to this. Thanks again for your help.

[robertsonslodge]

"Apples built in Location". Thank you for this suggestion. I like Apple. Alexa provides a better voice and tie to wifi devices (for now). My only hesitation with using Apple is my fear of giving too much control of other devices to others in the house. The havoc they could cause at this point is too unsettling. I'm giving Locative a go. I really appreciate everyone's advice.