IoT gadget maker AcuRite shares reasoning for killing customers’ favorite app

Keeping both apps not “sustainable”

Online complaints suggest that AcuRite has customers who are content with My AcuRite’s capabilities. However, maintaining the app long-term isn’t sustainable for AcuRite, Bovee said.

“The technology behind My AcuRite is obsolete and can no longer be maintained,” he said.

AcuRite is declining to maintain two apps in order to save money but also due to “long-term supportability,” the executive said.

“Even if [My AcuRite] continues to function for many users, the underlying systems require ongoing maintenance, updates, hosting, monitoring, security support, and compatibility work as phones, operating systems, cloud services, and third-party integrations continue to change,” Bovee said.

New online dashboard coming

As AcuRite announced the end of its first app, it also removed the online dashboard that let users manage their devices through a web browser.

“Because the web dashboard, mobile app, cloud services, and device connections were all tied to the same older system, browser access cannot be maintained separately once the platform is retired,” Bovee explained.

He said AcuRite is planning a new web-based dashboard for AcuRite NOW, but he couldn’t confirm the release date.

Despite customer frustrations, Bovee hopes that the new app won’t lead to long-time users abandoning their devices, since AcuRite went “to great expense to bring those legacy weather stations along” to the new platform.

“We know the move to AcuRite NOW has not been as smooth as some customers expected, and we understand the frustration that creates. We’re not dismissing that feedback,” Bovee said. “We’re asking for patience as our team continues to fix issues, improve usability, and build out the new platform. Our goal is to earn back confidence by making AcuRite NOW the best user experience in home weather stations.”