In case anyone else wants to add any info, I have created an issue on Github
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I have no Idea how he did that ā¦ thereās something called AndroidManifest.xml which has an entry allowBackup=false which disallows creating backups from apps. (I tried via ADB and it results in a dummy 1kb file)
And apparently itās usually set to false by default by most manufacturers (I only have Samsung devices to try).
This also seems to affect complete device backups.
So maybe it could work with a cheep Chinese phone or something like that.
The only way to move an app (including all user data) to another phone in this case is to make a direct device-to-device backup via Googleās āSet Up & Restoreā function, which seems to be impossible from a hardware phone to an emulated Android device.
So it might work if I get a rooted device and then restore it device-to-device ā¦
Another way I could think of, but keep in mind that I have no idea what Iām doing, is to install Yale Home on the SD card of a phone. And then try to read the data from a PC ā¦ No idea if thatās possible. Is there even a separate /data/data folder on the SD card, or is it only on the device itself?!
Unfortunately, one thing must not be forgotten with the keys and slotsā¦ These have an expiry date and are renewed again and againā¦ This will not work in the long term if you continue to use the Yale app in the future.
Thatās why I would use a separate (owner) account for Home Assistant, as suggested here
Seems like the key/slot only get updated, if you connect via the App.
Hope this is true. I had dedicated (seperate) owner account as Home Assistant and managed to restore offline key and slot from old home assistant backup with the information provided by bdraco.
On one other occasion I also tried creating new offline key by using older home assistant and august integration - at that point I couldnāt get it working, but that might be on my side although I fear that integrating Yale using august integration started to detoriate even before current version of home assistant, and our situtation is sad byproduct of Yaleās politicsā¦
I was wondering if it is possible to make custom firmware for linus smart lock (and other yale locks). They seems to use FreeRTOS firmware. Im not skilled enought to even try this but if someone is interested. Maybee this would set us free from chains of yale.
[Open source software | Download Center | Yale]
[https://www.freertos.org/]
Sadly I am now out of the race on this device.
A couple of days ago, when trying to get this working again in HA, I went into the Yale app. It said there was a new update available for the lock (the lock firmware had been updated about a month ago already). I agreed to the update. Bad move. The Connect module is now fried - every time I go through door handle calibration when adding the lock to the app it goes pear shaped and the lock keeps beeping away. I literally tried everything to get it working again. I have spent hours on multiple calls with Yale tech support to get the lock fully reset and the module cleared but it hasnt worked. I had a spare yellow module (I did the offer for a new yellow module and magnetic plate sensor for door opening thinking it might be useful one day as I also have the zwave module knocking around). I tried putting that new Connect module into the lock and went through all resets again with Yale but that module is dead and cant be seen by the app.
My front door is currently manual but being as there is no accessible lock on the outside of the door, someone must stay home at all times to unlock the thumb turn from the inside - Yales suggestion was to keep the front door locked and use the back door - lol I dont live in Eastenders (UK people will know what I mean). Thankfully the thumb turn is still working to secure the door.
Sadly, today Yale have come back to me saying they can offer me 20% off a new lock (I got the old lock by being a Yale beta tester but that group is no longer around - I have a small slim chance left by another Yale beta group that I am part of but I dont hold out any hope of a replacement).
Yes, you could say I got a couple of years usage out of a free lock, however the lock is still in warranty but Yale wont replace it as I have no proof of purchase and they cant contact the old team who ran the beta to request approval to replace under warranty. My choices now are:
- Go back to my old manual lock (lol who am I kidding? I am a techie at heart but this has the highest WAF at the moment)
- Go back to my previous smart lock (which was a Danalock v3 BT/Zigbee) - the bonus with this option is if the smart lock fails, I can still use a physical key to gain access to the home.
- Go for something new.
I opted for the something new. Amazon are currently selling the Nuki v4 with a Ā£20 discount (expires this Friday/tomorrow) making the lock Ā£129. I have a Thread border router (Google Nest Hub Max) so with a bit of luck, I can get that lock into HA, or at worst case into mqtt. And still use a physical key should the lock have problems like the Yale.
I wish you all good luck with getting the keys/slot for local access again, I really do hope something comes up that allows the keys/slots to be obtained again to enable local integration
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Thanks for sharing this step. It helped me tremendously.
this is getting off-topic, but isnāt the nuki incredibly loud? Back when I decided to get a smartlock, I tried multiple ones (from super cheap to premium) and all of them were sent back, because they sounded like someoneās trying to drill a hole in steel, using a hammer drill.
The Linus was the most expensive one, but the hardware is definitely worth it ā¦ the software however ā¦ well ā¦ itās the reason we are here.
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@Farnsworth yes, it is a bit louder than the Yale, but not much more. For me, the key things (so far) ar the HA integration is much better (currently running on Thread but I can get more sensors with MQTT), much quicker to respond, external lock and key usable again and also being able to use a split spindle ( door just needs to be closed so people outside cant open the door without needing to throw all the dead bolts in place lifting the handle - eurocylinder UK door) - house is much more secure now
Just adding to the Yale Home discussion, I have not changed to that integration. Instead, I kept the August integration and the Yale Access Bluetooth integration running and this has kept the BLE connection working.
A while back (before HA 2024.9) I tried to remove the August integration after the Yale Access Bluetooth was discovered and running. The BLE connection continued to work for a short period of time (I canāt recall how long) and then stopped. After that I: 1. removed the Yale Access Bluetooth integration, 2. added back the August integration (again pre HA 2024.9), 3. waited for HA to discover the lock via the Yale Access Bluetooth integration and added the lock a second time via that integration. Everything has been working for the most part (I did see the lock was offline last night but that is a first and needs separate investigation).
Adding onto this note.
Like weberjam said, August + Yale Access Bluetooth without offline key works well. Everything works fine once bluetooth connection works and everything configured. Do the Yale Access Bluetooth configure after August account login.
I recently switched to spare Raspberry Pi 3 B+ and learned followings(I think some people would have mentioned this before).
- Do not login to your Yale mobile app after configure in Home Assistant. Itās my guess but it seems resets offline key.
- I was getting timeout or located too far error. I had to delete device, deleted account from Agust integration, and re-added account/device still saw retry errors, and just sleep/come back next day to see it working. I am still not sure why this happens. This happened 2~3 times over about 6 months of using Yale Assure Lock 2
PSA:
The Yale APi has been updated and Home Assistant can fetch the offline-key and slot number again.
My Linus works flawlessly again.