[iOS 15] Frontend stops talking to the backend

1

Long-term issue with iOS 15, reported several times by me and others, still standing as of Nov 9 2021 and everything fully updated (IOS 15.1, HA 2021.11.1, HA app 2021.11, OS 6.6, Supervisor 2021.10.8). I’m reporting it again as I have never got an answer from the dev team here or HA Github and here.

ISSUE:
When using webkit-based iOS apps (for example, Safari or the official Companion app), the UI eventually stops communicating with the backend. The UI is still responsive, but states aren’t updated and controls aren’t carried out. Sometimes the UI even hangs.

Happens with both the internal (192.168.) and external/cloud access, WiFi and LTE. I don’t recall ever having this problem on previous iOS versions.

Right now I have some third-party (unsupported) addons but the issue was present before I installed those.

TRIED, DIDN’T FIX

  • deleting the HA app, rebooting phone, reinstalling
  • resetting the app and re-onboarding
  • using either internal or external or cloud access
  • disabling VPN and any content blockers
  • resetting browser cache
  • removing all third-party HA addons

TEMPORARY WORKAROUND
When it happens, the app has to be either force-quit and relaunched or refreshed by swiping down to get the control working again. That means basically every time I want to use the app.

CURRENT LOG

2

Looks like it happens when Background Refresh is enabled for HA app in the iOS Settings, which is the default. I haven’t had to tinker with that setting to fix an issue for many years.

This was pointed to me by user Deluxestyle on Github.

3

Background Refresh is not the only culprit. Turning it off does make the issue better (not placebo - I had to refresh the app in almost 100 % of uses with it enabled, in ~ 20 % with it disabled), but not gone completely.

But I’d say it does have something to do with changes to app backgrounding in IOS 15.