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Entity control from iOS widget
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this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2024
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Why in the world would you do that, when this app is so fully customizable?
So you can't possibly conceive that a single finger tap on a home screen widget to control a light is far simpler, and takes less effort, than having to open the app each time, potentially scroll to the location of the entity you want to control, then tap?
Look into the Shortcuts app. This is Apples answer to creating automations on your iPhone. While I’ve never tried this, I see that it can send actions to the HA app. Perhaps that will do what you want
So your options include
I use Shortcuts with NFC tags to automate some stuff with HA, and could probably achieve something on an entity by entity basis.
My point is that we used to have the ability to put a widget on the screen with about 6 or 8 entities on it, for simple, single-click access. And now we don't. Seems silly to have taken it away from us.
Believe it or not, I do understand that :)
But then I have about 15 of these switches here, and in my home it feels like I have just started to make it smart... would you want to create 15 widgets then, instead of using the 1 app?
Worst kind of commenter. I bet when people ask for advice on buying sneakers you list 5 pair of sandals, and bait to start an argument against wearing shoes...
Anyway OP I also just looked on my iPhone and get the same results as the top poster for widgets. Does indeed look like they changed it at some point. I am also sure I had one with buttons for lights on both the phone and watch.
Disappointing that, if this was a thing, they removed it. Seems like the very definition of regression to me.
At least I know I'm not imagining it. Or that I'm not the only one. ;) Cheers!
He is probably talking about light switches like a porch light or garage light that you want quick access to when you get home and for some reason your automation never switched it on, so you want to quickly access it on a homescreen via a widget, and not have to go into the app and search through multiple dashboards etc. His use case and therefor his question is totally valid.
Yep, that's it. One of my most frequent uses of this widget was to turn the kitchen light off - the teenagers are forever walking in to the kitchen while we're watching TV in the loungeroom nearby, then forgetting to turn the light off when they leave again.
Having a quick access widget for it just made it such a non-issue for me to turn it off. No fumbling and swiping for the app, and no interrupting what we're watching to issue a voice command.
Nah - not a widget per light. Per my OP, I had a widget that had a number of lights on it. The number varies based on widget size. I think mine had about 12 entities on it.