Please stop forcing us to buy brand new Dashboard hardware and make GUI stuff work on older webview again!

[spudje]

This year has seen a lot of GUI items & HACS frontend components break one by one on “relatively” older hardware. C’mon, The Lenovo Smart Clock 2 is only 2 years old. And now all these GUI items already stop supporting the webview version on that and many other devices we use for our Dashboards.

We’re basically forced to buy brand devices for our Dashboards again and again. This does not suit the “open - for the people” character of Home Assistant.

So here is a plea, please re-introduce support of all these GUI items for older webview versions.

[tom_l]

@spudje

And now all these GUI items already stop supporting the webview version

All what GUI items?

[anon63427907]

Who is enforcing a specific WebView version? Home assistant app? I thought it uses whatever exists in the system and WebView itself is updated through Google Play Store.

[odwide]

I think that’s the case. WebView is dependent on the underlaying OS.

[troy]

I’m still using a tablet I bought in 2018 with the Home Assistant app. Granted, it’s a small dashboard that only controls the lights and a few other devices in my room, but it still works.

[templeton_nash]

I’m using a tablet from 2014. I’ve not seen any issues. I’m using Fully and Picture Elements.

[Baggypants]

I’m guessing the op is using custom cards and componants from hacs that require a more modern webview.

[Ildar_Gabdullin]

Another possible issue could be:

1. HA uses control XYZ to represent some UI element (like a slider).
2. User created card-mod styling (or external js solution, or a custom theme) for this UI element and using it happily.
3. HA starts using control ABC for this UI element (or the same XYZ element is upgraded by it’s creators).
4. User find out that his old styles stopped working → Anger → blaming HA.

[tom_l]

Well without answers from @spudje we’re just guessing.

[Ildar_Gabdullin]

Shared my card-mod-related thoughts here since there were posts from probably same user in card-mod repo.

[spudje]

Following UI items stopped working one by one over the past year (not all at the same time) on the older webview version in the Lenovo Smart Clock 2:

• Native Hass markdown card
• card_mod HACS addon
• slider-entity-row HACS addon
• Clock Weather Card HACS addon

And probably more.

I don’t know what the exact reason is why it breaks, but it’s not me using the UI components incorrectly.

[spudje]

Yes, I was outing my frustrations there as well. Sorry I was a quite annoyed yesterday.

[spudje]

Guess I’ll have to root my clock then to be able to run latest webview. Seems like quite the task GitHub - ThomasPrior/LenovoSmartClock2: Root and configure a Lenovo Smart Clock 2 for use as a smart home display

[spudje]

No it’s more serious than that, the actual “cards” are not recognised anymore.

And in more recent browsers everything just works fine.

[indeeed]

@spudje

C’mon, The Lenovo Smart Clock 2 is only 2 years old.

And how old is the software stack (specially web view) on your device?

I have (almost?) 10 year old tablets but with up to date software (android 11 + recent web view) and don’t experience any problems with the dashboard.

[Ildar_Gabdullin]

@spudje

• Native Hass markdown card
• card_mod HACS addon
• slider-entity-row HACS addon

I may test only these plugins on my old iPhone 5S.

1. Standard Markdown - works (at least with a simple “content: xxxx” & simple jinja templates w/o formatting).
2. mod-card does not work, similar error (was going to make a separate issue for this). Hmm, even simple card-mod styles stopped working too (I bet they were working a week ago with at least 2023.12.0, now using 2023.12.1)
3. slider-entity-row - cannot found (not using it actually; should have created an issue for this anyway).

So, these are mainly custom plugins only.

[spudje]

I’m still on 2023.11, so it’s not 2023.12 related.

[spudje]

Yes, that’s because on these devices you can update the webview. The Lenovo Smart Clock does not allow for that. I’m simply asking to give us some more slack on not just support bleeding edge newest webview versions.

Or someone should build a fully standalone Hass Android app that:

• does not need Google services
• has its own webview built in

The “minimal” app, which I use, is not dependent on Google Services, but still requires external webview.

[indeeed]

@spudje

I’m simply asking to give us some more slack on not just support bleeding edge newest webview versions.

If your fancy cards use fancy features from more recent web view versions their isn’t much to do but ether don’t use the fancy cards or find a way for a newer web view on your device (like root) because that will work with the ha app (including minimal)

[Ildar_Gabdullin]

Confirm again:
iPhone 5S
iOS 12.5.7
card-mod is not working.

Repeat, this is a custom plugin.