What’s New in Roomie Remote 7.4

TLDR Summary

  • Roomie for Apple Watch provides extensive control right from your watch!
  • Roomie Voice Control provides a new voice control method entirely from the app!
  • Apple TV tvOS 15 Support and native Android TV control are among a long list of other improvements.
  • V7 is now a free app to assist with adding guests to your system and improve the trial experience. All functionality requires an active subscription or trial or perpetual purchase.
  • Subscription plans are revised and now support Family Sharing. Unlimited/Pro subscriptions also support Guest Sharing.
  • Older subscriptions remain compatible all the way back to V4.5.11. Features of older subscriptions are unchanged.
  • macOS platform is now a Universal Purchase. The new subscriptions are shared seamlessly between our iOS, macOS, and tvOS apps. Users of the older macOS app should migrate to the new V7 app as it will not appear as an update for them.
  • Content herein updated for the May 2022 V7.4 release.

Background

Roomie for Apple Watch has been added in V7.4! Broad support for Rooms, Activities, play controls, directional control with gestures, volume control, and even channel guides with live TV listings is provided. Some of you may recall we featured Apple Watch support many years ago, but removed it due to Apple’s networking limitations that forced us to relay all commands through the paired iPhone. This issue has not been resolved, Apple Watch still has no basic networking support. Yet, for many scenarios, especially with the totally revamped app, the new Roomie for Apple Watch does provide some pretty great utility and was an oft-requested feature. Extensive rethinking has been applied to virtually every aspect of the app, and we’re happy to re-introduce it now with across the board improvements in performance, interface, and features. It is included with all subscription levels.

Roomie Voice Control is the headline feature of V7. Our initial foray into Voice Control began with our Amazon Echo Custom Skill in 2015. It required a lengthy preamble “tell Roomie Remote to watch…” for every command. We soon followed that with an Alexa Smart Home Skill providing one of the broadest voice control solutions for AV in the industry (did anyone ever really catch up? I don’t think so.) The Smart Home Skill required only the “Alexa” preamble, but the syntax was extremely limited. It was fine for starting an Activity, but nothing with detail. Some commands such as tuning a channel by name just would never be possible there.

In November 2020, Amazon changed the nature of Alexa Custom Skill operation for all apps such that after issuing a command, it now stops, tells the user that it is “relaying the command to Roomie Remote from Roomie Remote Incorporated”, and then proceeds with the operation. This time-wasting expository detritus repeated after every single command greatly decreased the usability of Alexa skills, and there is still no way to turn it off. The original Alexa seemed like it might one day become Hal 9000 – not particularly a good thing, but definitely powerful and intuitive. The new goal seems to be Johnnycab from Total Recall.

The Amazon Alexa system was simply not designed for home AV automation, and is getting worse over time as bureaucracy and feature creep erode its core. While we will hope for the best from Alexa in the future, and continue to support our Alexa skills, it is clear that it is time to ensure our own destiny for voice control.

In 2019, we also added Siri Shortcuts support. That functionality works well in Shortcuts. It is not clear if Apple intends to extend that into a generalized voice control system that doesn’t require manually setting up each item the user wants to control, but after some years we have to assume not.

Given these factors, we built Roomie Voice Control consistent with our design model using iOS or macOS listeners allowing us to use much simpler syntax not possible with Alexa or Siri, obviate pointless exposition, eliminate the need to send audio to any cloud service, and in the end provide a far better user experience optimized for our use cases. Importantly, since it’s a fully internal Voice Control system, we can expand on it easily rather than for instance go back through Amazon’s UL certification process that can easily take half a year just to add a simple feature.

At this point, we have no plan to remove Alexa support. Yes, we’d prefer if it just went away so we could focus only on Roomie Voice Control, but just enough people still use it that removing it is not yet realistic. We believe Roomie Voice Control is better in every way. It does require using iOS/macOS devices, but so does the app so that really isn’t a significant change. We encourage everyone using the Alexa support to transition to Roomie Voice Control.

Support for tvOS 15 was an urgent issue for Roomie 7. It turned out by surprise in Summer 2021 that the method used to control Apple TV was completely removed in tvOS 15. This required a herculean effort to build a new method from scratch in time for release. The new method brings with it some features that didn’t exist before such as direct App Launching, and some features such as Siri and media feedback will return over time. This new method is called “Companion”. In November 2021, we added a second new method of control that restores the media feedback and voice control over Apple TV as well. This method is based on Airplay. You can choose to add both devices or just one depending on your needs.

Android TV Native IP control has been added. There are many devices one can control this way. A lot of them also have alternate control mechanisms. For instance, do you want to control a Sony TV via native Android TV or via Sony’s control protocol – in general, the answer to that is to use the dedicated control protocol. Some are less clear such as whether to control nVidia Shield using ADB or Android TV. ADB requires activating some low-level options whereas Android TV simply pairs out of the box. ADB has unique features like app launching. Android TV can sometimes provide smoother gestures. In some cases, you may find adding the device using multiple methods and using the best features of each may be right for your use case.

Intercomm is an entire product that has been added both inside Roomie and also available as a separate app. Providing audio and video intercom service between all iOS and macOS Roomie and Intercomm clients, including those offline or remote, we’re extremely pleased with the ease of setup and quality of operation of this new product. Intercomm is included with all Unlimited/Pro levels of service as well as for those directly subscribed in the separate Intercomm app. For Roomie users, there is no need to use the separate Intercomm app, but for others who just want a lightweight intercom, it is available in either form.

Finally, I want to provide an update on topics that were major improvements in V6.

Privacy was a huge design driver in V6 and that has continued in V7. We’re reducing the need for user accounts that had already been almost buried in V6. They now only exist for Alexa control. No configurations ever pass through our systems unless you explicitly send them to us as part of a support ticket for analysis. All of our metrics about the user base are derived only from Apple’s opt-in system. Please keep in mind that if you don’t opt-in when Apple asks you these questions, your crashes and your use cases are not counted.

The only real downside for our continuing push here is we don’t end up with reams of marketing data and we don’t have a way to contact our users reliably. In our relentlessly privacy-violating current world, this is simply the only path that feels right. Please visit our forums to get the latest news more frequently on our products.

Please keep in mind that the App Store is an engine that lives on 5 star reviews. We have almost no marketing, but depend on users spreading the word about the quality of the app and periodically refreshing 5 star reviews. It’s even easier to add those now that the base app is free. So many apps are a flash in the pan (just look up “tv remote” on the App Store and wade through the sea of trash much of which hasn’t been updated in years or is a whole app based around a minor feature we had 9 years ago). We depend on continuing support from our users, and that’s how we’ve made it 10 years last month while basically every one of our actual competitors is gone.

Harmony Synchronization. This feature is still working great. Despite Logitech shutting down Harmony development and production in April 2021, if you have a Harmony system, Roomie is the perfect transition. Activities synchronize automatically between the two systems.

Cloud Synchronization has now benefited from years of refinements to achieve a really solid level of reliability, freeing us from the old Simple Hub concept. Additional improvements are in V7 eliminating more cases that previously required a Primary Controller.

Subscriptions are unchanged for existing users. New subscriptions (also available to existing users) are now based on Homes, Rooms, Activities, and other features – no longer on device counts. The app itself is once again free like it was in the V5 period. This makes it easier to add guests and involves less friction for people trying the app for the first time. All new subscriptions use Apple’s Family Sharing making it easier to share within a home. Unlimited/Pro subscriptions also include our Guest Sharing feature. For older subscriptions started in a different app, you still need to return to the older app periodically to restore purchases. Migrating to the new V7 subscriptions before your next renewal is a good idea. While we have no plan to cancel the V4 or V5 subscriptions, we can’t control whether the ancient app runs on your current device sufficiently to restore purchases. iOS is a constantly moving target, and you should always be on the latest iOS with the newest Roomie release.

We continue to offer Unlimited Perpetual which has been a popular option. Purchase of Unlimited Perpetual is tied to the app itself (unlike subscriptions per above), but we guarantee a minimum of 3 years maintenance (fixes/updates) for any such purchase.

See below for a more detailed list of changes in V7 that will also be updated over time with items added during minor/sub-minor releases. Thanks for being a loyal customer!

– Will

September 24, 2021

Additional Change History

  • Apple TV tvOS 15 Control: Restored compatibility. Some new features such as app launching have been added. Two different device types are available via auto-discovery. The Companion device type offers app launching, but not media feedback or Siri voice control. The Airplay device offers both of those, but not app launching. You may add both device types if you need both sets of functionality. The Airplay device type is generally more full-featured and should be your default choice.
  • Roomie Voice Control! A new method of Voice Control has been added. When activated from Roomie’s Settings, the following syntax can be used. This feature is specific to each device, so you choose which devices listen for voice commands by activating it on that device. Roomie must be in the foreground to listen for commands. All commands begin with “Roomie”. If you do not specify a Room Name, the current room will be assumed.
  • Roomie Voice Control Syntax
    • watch/play/turn on/start/launch/activate/open/toggle {Activity Name} [in {Room Name}]
    • turn off/power off/system off/shutdown [in {Room Name}]
    • play/pause/stop/mute/unmute [in {Room Name}]
    • skip/replay/next/previous [# times] [in {Room Name}]
    • set volume {#} [in {Room Name}]
    • volume {up,down} [# times] [in {Room Name}]
    • tune {channel name or number}
  • Android TV IP Control: Add Android TV using its native control method. This includes modern Sony TVs, nVidia Shield, and many others. The existing ADB control methods also remain. Each control method has some features unique to it.
  • Nest Thermostat Control: See the website knowledge base for detailed steps on adding Google Nest Thermostat control to your system. [7.2.0]
  • Zidoo Media Player IP Control with SMB Browser and progress display. [7.2.0]
  • Reavon UHD Blu-ray Player IP Control [7.2.0]
  • Panasonic Blu-ray Player IP Control: Current models including the DP-UB820 and DP-UB9000 can now be controlled directly. [7.0.1]
  • Notification Commands: All command sequences including Automations now support sending Notifications, eg. sending a Notification that a particular sensor tripped or an Activity launched is now possible. [7.3.0]
  • SSH Support: SSH support is now provided as an underlying connection type for code sets with server-side public key and client-side password support. A generic code set of brand SSH type Auxiliary allows sending shell commands to compatible devices such as macOS systems. [7.1.0]
  • TV Guide listings country support expanded to include Australia, Netherlands, Poland, Ireland, Belgium. Australia Foxtel may not provide listings. [7.1.0]
  • Automation panel now supports combination Time-based and Device-based automations. For example, you may now create: “at 7am, if this Sony TV is not currently powered on, execute the Watch Cameras activity”, or “at 10pm, if this Sony TV is on HDMI 3 input, execute System Off activity.” [7.2.0]
  • Volume Matching: Redesigned Volume Hard Buttons feature. No longer relies on deprecated iOS components. Volume is now always relative to the iOS device volume. Converts to device volume. Added delay and warning before apparent large volume transitions. We advise taking a moment to learn the new behavior using a source with no sound.
  • Lutron Caséta: New and improved control method with much broader support including hard button control from Pico remotes.
  • Various fixes to Homebar to support non-HomeKit Shades such as those in Caséta.
  • HomeKit Synchronization can now be disabled on a per-home basis.
  • Automatic Home switching based on actual location. Requires Location permission to operate. Clear or set the Home location in the Homes panel to disable/enable.
  • Sonos: Announcements via Sonos in Intercomm now provide a local-network-only grouped mode to synchronize all intercom audio throughout the home. This mode requires the sending device to be on the LAN or VPN. Remote intercom announcements via Sonos can be sent via the Sonos Cloud mode. [7.1.0]
  • Barco projector IP control including display of detected content aspect ratio and crop control for Cinemascope models.
  • IP control for Zigen SW42 Plus models.
  • Trinnov/JBL receivers now display decoder and mode in the volume dial.
  • Wattbox models on recent firmware are now controllable.
  • SnapAV Wattboxes of both the old and new variety are now fully integrated in the Switches category of the Homebar. If you have Wattbox devices in your configuration, Update the manifest in the device to activate this. [7.1.0]
  • ATV Gesture Control and other fixes (for tvOS 14).
  • Homes Editor: The device you are on is always listed in the second position for the Primary Controller menu.
  • Disabled Googlecast discovery: It’s too low value with 2 other discoveries on the same device(s) potentially. Can be added manually.
  • Updated TiVo control for changes required September 2021.
  • Device Editor: Show actual HomeKit device name in device listings.
  • Device Editor: Display room in list when All Devices is selected.
  • Device Editor: Allow editing Serial Numbers in Advanced settings. Generally these should not be edited, but can be useful if a device is added manually and needs that information.
  • Code Set Editor: Improved code editing field auto-expands as more lines are needed. Monospaced font. Preserves formatting.
  • Activity Panel: Room selector menu now uses the room bubble selector rather than a flat menu.
  • Room Bubbles now present a home icon at the top to navigate to the Dashboard.
  • Unanswered remote incoming Intercomm calls now timeout after 30 seconds.
  • Plex fixes for rare scenarios.
  • Revised subscription offerings. Existing subscriptions are unchanged.
  • Annual minimum iOS version update advanced to 14.5. macOS minimum is now 12.0.