# AUTOMATE SHADES — Experience Smarter Shades

> Smart home app for controlling and automating motorized window shades. (iPhone/iPad app by Rollease Acmeda Pty Ltd.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/automate-shades/id1460852253 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Rollease Acmeda Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1134859288)
- Category: Lifestyle, Productivity
- Price: Free
- Rating: 3.13/5 from 88 App Store ratings · 227 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.1 · 138 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2019-10-21
- Data updated: 2026-08-24
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/automate-shades/id1460852253/reviews.md

## What is AUTOMATE SHADES?

The Automate App has been re-designed to embrace the architecture of a home and provide effortless control of Automate motorized shades. Easily operate or Personalize the daily routine of shades; organising them by room, grouping them by scenes and automating them with timers. Unlock the convenience of smart shade operation, with the Automate app. 

The new Automate app not only allows you to activate, adjust and automatically position your shades but does so through One Tap on the Shade Tiles. One Tap to close, One Tap to open and One Tap to activate and stop scenes. A double tap stops a shade’s operation, and a single long press opens a dedicated shade control screen giving you access to more customized settings. 

White tiles indicate the shade is open or partially open and a grey tile indicates the shade is closed. 

A summary screen displays the battery levels of all your shades along with signal strength indicators, prompting necessary action to either charge your motors or troubleshoot connections. 

The Automate App lets you create an automation routine, and once setup, autonomously raises and lowers your smart shades at the optimal time, so your home’s climate is always at its best. 

The Automate app has been designed to make controlling your shades easier than ever with a long list of features and control options! 

MOTOR TYPES 

The Automate Hub supports a variety of shade types including: Roller Shades, Romans, Awnings, Drapery, Venetians, Cellular, Skylights, Large Outdoor Shades. 

LIVE FEEDBACK VIA ARC 

ARC technology enables live communication between your Hub and Automate shades, so you always know what position your shades are in, as well as the battery percentage of your motor. Quickly check shade information within the app or ask Siri to check for you! 

SUNRISE AND SUNSET DETECTION 

Utilizing your home’s time zone and location, the Hub can automatically raise or lower your Automate shades according to the position of the sun. Set a ‘Morning’ scene and watch all your shades promptly rise when you start your day, or create an “Evening” scene that will dynamically alter based on the sunset in your location. 

SCENES 

Personalize shade control and organise how your shades operate by specific daily events or scenes automatically at the optimal time. Creating a scene for your entire home can be completed effortlessly with a Scene capture button. 

SHADE HEALTH 

Check the health of your motorized shades at a glance with Battery level and Signal strength icons on your device tiles. 

COMPLETE CONTROL HOME AND AWAY 

If you have multiple locations like a home, office, or vacation home, simply switch between them for independent control. Always be in charge of your privacy and security! Enjoy your time away from home without having to stress about your shades, the Automate app allows you to remotely access your shades, know their position and operate them as you would if you were home. 


HOMEKIT 

The hub is HomeKit compatible, shades are automatically added to the Home app and can be controlled with voice commands via Siri compatible devices. 

SMART INTEGRATIONS 

We’re all about convenience, so we’ve partnered with all the latest smart home assistants to deliver the most convenient shade control options. Intuitively operate your Automate shades with simple voice commands through Amazon Alexa, IFTTT, SmartThings, and Google Assistant.

## Key features

- Room-based organization
- Scene creation and activation
- Automated timers
- Remote control
- Battery and signal monitoring
- Sunrise/sunset automation

## What do users think of AUTOMATE SHADES?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 👍 Great customer service
- 🚀 Fantastic support
- 🚀 Works as described
- 🚀 Excellent functionality and flexibility
- 🚀 Timer function is exceptional

**Cons**

- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 🐛 Frequent disconnections and sync issues
- 🐛 Difficult to set up and configure
- 🐛 Poor HomeKit and smart home integration
- 🐛 Unresponsive devices
- 🔋 Battery level monitoring issues

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes
- Shades disappearing from the app
- Timers and schedules not working as expected
- Connectivity issues between hub and shades
- Inconsistent performance after updates

**Most requested features**

- Improved user interface and navigation
- Better sync and reliability across devices
- Enhanced smart home integrations
- Customizable shade positioning and automation
- Battery level notifications

## Recent user reviews (10 of 227)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/automate-shades/id1460852253/reviews.md

### 2/5 — Ridiculous

*2026-07-22, version 320.8*

App is incredibly glitchy and hard to use.

### 1/5 — So Many Bugs

*2026-07-05, version 320.8*

Does not connect to Apple HomeKit. You’ll spend days trying, but it doesn’t work. Avoid.

### 1/5 — FIX THE APP!!!

*2026-07-05, version 320.8*

This used to work *reasonably* well, but since the last update about 8 months ago, it’s absolute rubbish. 
All shades now reporting ‘low battery’ even though NONE of them are battery - all are mains powered. 
And the ability to slide the screen up on the app to a new position is stupidly glitchy to the point of being 90% unusable. 
These are not cheap blinds. The app should WORK. 
If your last update was as rubbish as this, and with ZERO improvements in any area, then REMOVE THIS VERSION AND REVERT TO THE PREVIOUS.
Leaving it as bad as this is a clear message that I should buy a different brand of blinds for the next house.

### 3/5 — Frustrating

*2026-06-26, version 320.8*

I changed my WIFI password and 2 days later I am still trying to find how I can connect this mongrel hub. I’ve followed a myriad of instructions, reset the hub multiple times but it will not present me with the opportunity to change the WIFI password.
I am now writing here out of sheer frustration.

### 1/5 — Don't do it!!!

*2026-06-26, version 320.8*

**UPDATE** to save you the frustration, make sure your phone is in data mode, not on the same WiFi network as the hub when changing settings. As soon as I did this, it made a difference for the better. I can delete some profiles but the app is still very challenging to use. 

I've had this unit for about 6 months and although it took some effort to connect it to my system, it worked as it should. But over the last month, this thing has been playing up either not running on schedule or only running some of the schedules and then it pretty much stopped. I did a firmware upgrade and now I can't even pair it. I have tried pretty much everything apart from plugging it directly to my router. The app is buggy (when I deleted profiles they just come back), it is now looking for a 3rd party app (My Home) and appears to have issues talking between the apps. It's just become to painful to get this thing to work and I will just stick with my remote. I now have a $250 paperweight. Very disappointing.

### 1/5 — It’s terrible doesn’t work

*2026-06-17, version 320.8*

Had timers set but have since deleted them but the blinds still go up at the deleted time. New timers don’t work. Tried to do a single blind and I get a pop up but the pop up appears non stop and doesn’t work if you try to press it. It’s all just extremely bad and doesn’t work

### 2/5 — Poor working app

*2026-06-04, version 320.8*

Many times individual blinds are nonresponsive and then magically they work. Currently I cannot raise or lower several blinds with any control but others work fine. Even after 5 years they don't have it right and don't seem to care.

### 1/5 — Worst App

*2026-05-22, version 320.8*

Ghost shades keep appearing. Try to delete. It shows the shade is deleted. But the shade reappears after a few seconds.

### 2/5 — OMG forget the App

*2026-05-12, version 320.8*

App is useless and so temperamental. 

Just use the old fashioned remote.

### 2/5 — Unreliable integration with Apple Home

*2026-03-17, version 320.5.1*

I purchased the Automate system specifically for integration with Apple Home, so I could open and close blinds with Hey Siri. The system works fine for a few weeks, but then the hub becomes unresponsive and the only solution is to remove it from Home and add it back again. This is very painful if you have lots of blinds and automations, because you have to rename and recreate everything. After 3 failures and no help from Support I have given up. Do not purchase this system if Apple Home integration is important to you.

## Frequently asked questions about AUTOMATE SHADES

### What does the Automate App do?

The Automate App provides effortless control and automation for Automate motorized shades. It allows users to organize shades by room, group them into scenes, and set timers for daily routines. The app also offers remote access for controlling shades from anywhere.

### What are the key features of the Automate App?

Key features include organizing shades by room, creating and activating custom scenes, automating shade operation with timers, and receiving live feedback on shade position, battery levels, and signal strength. It also supports sunrise and sunset detection for automated adjustments.

### Is the Automate App free to use?

Yes, the Automate App is free to download and use. The provided information indicates it does not have in-app purchases or ads, suggesting a free monetization model.

### What types of shades are supported by the Automate App?

The Automate App supports a wide variety of shade types, including Roller Shades, Romans, Awnings, Drapery, Venetians, Cellular, Skylights, and Large Outdoor Shades. The app is designed to work with Automate motorized shade systems.

### Can I control my shades when I'm away from home?

Yes, the Automate App allows for complete home and away control. You can remotely access and operate your shades from any location, ensuring privacy and security even when you are not home.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 320.8 — 2026-04-24

- Users can now transfer hubs between accounts with notifications sent to both parties on acceptance or decline
- Location selector added to Shades, Rooms, Scenes, and Timers dashboards for quick switching between locations
- Framework upgrades for improved stability and performance
- Minimum supported iOS version is now iOS 15.1 or later
- A notification inbox has been added, currently supporting hub transfer notifications with room to expand
- Minor cosmetic updates to text input modals
- A loading indicator now appears when enabling or disabling timers
- A reverse awnings option added in device settings without changing motor direction

### 320.5.1 — 2025-09-15

- Minimum supported iOS version is now 13.0 to ensure compatibility with the latest Apple frameworks.
- Fixed an issue where a curtain device could display an error state incorrectly.
- Fixed a bug where a device timer set to 100% did not behave as expected.

### 320.4.1 — 2025-08-06

Firmware Update Reminder

- A pop-up alert appears on the shade screen when new hub firmware is available.

Improved Scene and Timer Creation

- Scene and timer tiles now show an “initializing” state while being set up, so it's clear when they’re ready to use.

Other Fixes

- Includes minor bug fixes and performance improvements.

### 320.4 — 2025-07-01

Improvements & New Features:

- System Indicators: View Wi-Fi, battery, and signal status right inside the app.
- Seamless reconnection when switching networks or reopening the appno more forced restarts.
- Faster Launch: App opens in under 1 second on most modern devices.
- Locations Menu Redesign: Easier navigation and location switching from the home screen.
- Hub Health Overview: Check the status of all hubs at a glance.
- SSID & Wi-Fi Update: Update hub network settings without internet.
- Improved Hub & Shade Pairing
- Tablet & Foldable Support: Optimized layout for large screens.

Bug Fixes:

- Fixed crashes during TDBU scene edits.
- Improved handling of legacy hub permissions and HomeKit conflicts.
- Refined text, animations

### 320.3 — 2025-05-17

- Improved hub pairing flow that now supports Pulse PRO hub.
- New “Add Hub” button now appears across all tabs.
- Improved battery voltage detection and Battery levels now shown with simple icons: Full, Half, Low icons
- Permissions that can be accessed by the side menu.
- “Add Shade” prompt appears automatically after hub provisioning.
- Minor bug fixes and performance improvements.

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## More apps by Rollease Acmeda Pty Ltd

- [AUTOMATE PULSE](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/automate-pulse/id1134859289)

All apps by Rollease Acmeda Pty Ltd: https://appshunter.io/developer/1134859288

## Related topics

[automate](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/automate) · [automate pulse 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/automate-pulse-2) · [automate shades](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/automate-shades) · [automate pulse pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/automate-pulse-pro) · [legrand shades](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/legrand-shades) · [automate pulse](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/automate-pulse) · [bali shades](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bali-shades) · [yoolax](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/yoolax)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-24.*