It’s ok
Would be way better if it worked with Apple Wallet to store key cards like HID. Therefore I wouldn’t have to continually share location and Bluetooth for Alta open and use Express Mode via Apple Pay
Functionless app for many phones & bad customer service
This app seems to outsource to people who are totally unconcerned you can’t get into parts of your building and they seem to be from out of the country. My complex changed the garage gate settings and now I’m unable to open just that door without physically getting out of my car and walking up to the reader. You can’t even select within the app to open the door, no matter how many times you press the button. On top of that, they’ve gotten rid of the feature in their app that lets you report an error to somebody, probably because they’ve grown tired of people giving them feedback about how badly their app works. Clearly they’re fleecing apartment complexes convincing them to waste money on an app that only half functions. Absolute joke of a company who are totally unresponsive to users needs for something as important as literally being able to access your building.
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Finding the hardest way
Where to start with this?
Probably best to begin with the fact that the app hardly ever succeeds in unlocking a door on the first try.
It asks for infinite permissions, from ones that make sense (Bluetooth and local network), to ones that really don’t (always-on location and my motion/fitness data). All this to is ostensibly to try (and rarely succeed) at guessing if I’m near a door reader that has an NFC reader built into it. You know the readers have NFC built in, because Apple Wallet opens when you wave your phone near the reader in a desperate and unsuccessful attempt to get the door to open.
So why don’t they add a card to Apple Wallet and use the NFC functionality that’s literally meant for this kind of thing? Who knows, but they don’t. And so every time I come up to a door, I have to get my phone out, open the app and pray that it works this time. All because they tried to find their own solution to a problem that already had one.
Additionally, the Apple Watch app only works if my phone is nearby and has the app currently open. That’s not super helpful. The nice thing about the watch is normally that I can leave my phone behind! But now I can’t go for a walk without my phone since I won’t be able to get back in.
Honestly this app has given me a whole new appreciation for metal keys.
Probably best to begin with the fact that the app hardly ever succeeds in unlocking a door on the first try.
It asks for infinite permissions, from ones that make sense (Bluetooth and local network), to ones that really don’t (always-on location and my motion/fitness data). All this to is ostensibly to try (and rarely succeed) at guessing if I’m near a door reader that has an NFC reader built into it. You know the readers have NFC built in, because Apple Wallet opens when you wave your phone near the reader in a desperate and unsuccessful attempt to get the door to open.
So why don’t they add a card to Apple Wallet and use the NFC functionality that’s literally meant for this kind of thing? Who knows, but they don’t. And so every time I come up to a door, I have to get my phone out, open the app and pray that it works this time. All because they tried to find their own solution to a problem that already had one.
Additionally, the Apple Watch app only works if my phone is nearby and has the app currently open. That’s not super helpful. The nice thing about the watch is normally that I can leave my phone behind! But now I can’t go for a walk without my phone since I won’t be able to get back in.
Honestly this app has given me a whole new appreciation for metal keys.
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