Wallflower for HomeKit

Name: Wallflower for HomeKit
Rating: 3.7 (33 reviews)
Author: nxtbgthng GmbH

Smart Home Control Panel

Free · In‑App Purchases

33 Ratings
Ages

4+
Years
Category

Utilities
Developer

nxtbgthng GmbH
Language

EN
+ 1 More
Size

13.6
MB

Wallflower turns an iPad or iPhone into an interactive control panel on the wall, for everyone to use. * Wallflower is optimized for running 24/7 on your wall. * Based on HomeKit: It supports lights, thermostats and ACs, switches, outlets, contact sensors (doors, windows), and sensors for temperature, humidity, air quality, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon dioxide, light intensity, air pressure and noise. And much more! * The interface is optimized to be looked at from far away. When it is not in use for a while, some elements are hidden and the interface is simplified. Those elements show up again, when you approach the device. When it's dark in the room, Wallflower can turn the display way down. * All sensor data is drawn into the same graph: Values from multiple sensors are merged intelligently. * If you want to provide your guest with Home Wifi, provide a convenient button where they can join via QR code. * Weather is displayed in a compact text form, including weather alerts if there are any. Detailed weather information, including charts, are just a tap away. * Along with it, you can select calendars to display, so for example your family calendar is always in view for everyone, in the place where everyone looks. This way there is a quick glanceable way to see what's up, even while walking by. * All issues for your smart home (like empty batteries, network problems, …) are conveniently displayed on the top. * There is no tracking in the app. And no extra analytics beyond the anonymized basics that the AppStore provides for the users that opted in. There's no invasive 3rd party frameworks either. We don’t want your data, your home is yours, and yours alone. * Settings are protected against unauthorized tinkering via a passcode or - if your device supports it - with your face or fingerprint. And after a while of not using it, it turns back to the main screen. * Last, but not least: Wallflower makes a great and very accurate wall clock. Wallflower requires a subscription to display weather, calendar or run with complex setups. However, you can try the home features without a subscription for one device of each kind (and 2 lights) at the same time. So you can try everything out as long as you want, and if you have a simple setup that might even be all you need! And if you're not a fan of subscriptions, there is a one-time option to pay for the home features.

Ratings & Reviews

3.7

out of 5

33 Ratings

Good concept, needs regular updates and a tweak
08/14/2021

stray legs
I searched for just such an app which I would gladly pay $10, a subscription not so much. A clock yep for a nightstand and preferably a clock that gives way when touched to larger buttons to control scenes or other HomeKit features instead of tiny icons or letters that are a bit hard to locate half asleep or at an angle. Good concept, maybe somebody will complete it.

Developer Response
Version 2 took a long time to develop but is now available. It's a complete rewrite of the app, try it!
Good concept, needs regular updates and a tweak
08/14/2021

stray legs

I searched for just such an app which I would gladly pay $10, a subscription not so much. A clock yep for a nightstand and preferably a clock that gives way when touched to larger buttons to control scenes or other HomeKit features instead of tiny icons or letters that are a bit hard to locate half asleep or at an angle. Good concept, maybe somebody will complete it.
Developer Response 01/23/2024
Version 2 took a long time to develop but is now available. It's a complete rewrite of the app, try it!
Vulnerability With Home Alarms
12/07/2024

Mopac01
I wanted to use this to repurpose my old iPhone 12 Pro Max as a home dashboard mounted on the wall. Which means you’d use its great functionality to allow interaction without authentication. But this allows anyone INCLUDING A BURGLAR to turn a home alarm you’ve bridged into HomeKit off with no authentication. The developer could fix this easily enough as they already have an option to require a passcode to change app settings. They could require that passcode to turn off a home alarm. (Apple lets you voice command Siri to arm a connected home alarm. But if you tell Siri to turn off the alarm it will require you to continue on an iPhone that presumably is locked or wouldn’t be there for a burglar to begin with. So Wallflower as is defeats the protection Apple intended for the way they expect someone to use an iPhone. But Wallflower developers could fix this security hole easily enough.)
Vulnerability With Home Alarms
12/07/2024

Mopac01

I wanted to use this to repurpose my old iPhone 12 Pro Max as a home dashboard mounted on the wall. Which means you’d use its great functionality to allow interaction without authentication. But this allows anyone INCLUDING A BURGLAR to turn a home alarm you’ve bridged into HomeKit off with no authentication. The developer could fix this easily enough as they already have an option to require a passcode to change app settings. They could require that passcode to turn off a home alarm. (Apple lets you voice command Siri to arm a connected home alarm. But if you tell Siri to turn off the alarm it will require you to continue on an iPhone that presumably is locked or wouldn’t be there for a burglar to begin with. So Wallflower as is defeats the protection Apple intended for the way they expect someone to use an iPhone. But Wallflower developers could fix this security hole easily enough.)
Camera access
02/09/2024

J. Tanski
I like the app but it would be perfect if we could access the cameras and or doorbell video

Developer Response
Good news: I’m working on that for 2.1!
Camera access
02/09/2024

J. Tanski

I like the app but it would be perfect if we could access the cameras and or doorbell video
Developer Response 02/11/2024
Good news: I’m working on that for 2.1!
Attention to detail
05/23/2019

Zac Schellhardt
From a design perspective, this app is wonderful (even if I may have tweaked some of their decisions). I understand the reasoning for making the screen default to a single room, but really appreciate that they allowed zones to also be used as default — in an open concept home it’s essential to see the kitchen alongside dining, etc. Beyond being “just a skin” on HomeKit (which is a ridiculous statement— I’ve been keeping the default Home app open on an iPad for the last year, and Wallflower blows it away), there are a couple additional features I like, the coolest of which is how the app uses the camera to detect light and faces, in order to brighten or change colors. It’s also convenient that the app itself forces the screen to stay on (so people don’t have to fiddle with any auto sleep settings), and I realize it’s silly, but having a clock there is actually useful. I also like the subtle error indication that shows if devices can’t be updated. People moaning about the price is to be expected. If you want to see what happens to apps with a one time fee, just take a look at Status Board by Panic (a very well respected and award-winning app maker) — the app cost $15 or $20, was beautiful, and was nonexistent a year or two after launch, because there wasn’t enough incoming cash. Seems to me that if you’re spending half a grand on an iPad and a nice wall mount (not to mention thousands on hubs, bulbs, etc), then $48/year is a steal. Even the previously-free tile board apps for SmartThings now charge a monthly fee. Leaving a 1-star review because you [incorrectly] disagree with a business model is the epitome of bad karma. In summary, the app is beautiful, the first version is already great for my use case (a wall mounted iPad using HomeKit as a front-end for Home Assistant), and I’m looking forward to seeing what the developers add to it. To the developers: consider split screen support on iPads in lieu of some modularity. I’d hate for you to invest in, say, Sonos support when I could just as easily run the Sonos app side by side with yours! Keep up the good work!

Developer Response
Hi Zac,thanks for the great review, we really appreciate it! That's why we make the app.As Wallflower supports a huge amount of devices and screen sizes (yes, even split screen!) and people have extremely different smart home setups, we'd love to hear more about how our design is looking for users. If you want, send us a screenshot via mail, and we can see if we can "tweak the design" a bit. We're having no tracking in the app, so we rely 100% on user feedback.As for the split screen: It's supported, but some older iPad models don't support split screens at all. Maybe that's the issue here?
Attention to detail
05/23/2019

Zac Schellhardt

From a design perspective, this app is wonderful (even if I may have tweaked some of their decisions). I understand the reasoning for making the screen default to a single room, but really appreciate that they allowed zones to also be used as default — in an open concept home it’s essential to see the kitchen alongside dining, etc. Beyond being “just a skin” on HomeKit (which is a ridiculous statement— I’ve been keeping the default Home app open on an iPad for the last year, and Wallflower blows it away), there are a couple additional features I like, the coolest of which is how the app uses the camera to detect light and faces, in order to brighten or change colors. It’s also convenient that the app itself forces the screen to stay on (so people don’t have to fiddle with any auto sleep settings), and I realize it’s silly, but having a clock there is actually useful. I also like the subtle error indication that shows if devices can’t be updated. People moaning about the price is to be expected. If you want to see what happens to apps with a one time fee, just take a look at Status Board by Panic (a very well respected and award-winning app maker) — the app cost $15 or $20, was beautiful, and was nonexistent a year or two after launch, because there wasn’t enough incoming cash. Seems to me that if you’re spending half a grand on an iPad and a nice wall mount (not to mention thousands on hubs, bulbs, etc), then $48/year is a steal. Even the previously-free tile board apps for SmartThings now charge a monthly fee. Leaving a 1-star review because you [incorrectly] disagree with a business model is the epitome of bad karma. In summary, the app is beautiful, the first version is already great for my use case (a wall mounted iPad using HomeKit as a front-end for Home Assistant), and I’m looking forward to seeing what the developers add to it. To the developers: consider split screen support on iPads in lieu of some modularity. I’d hate for you to invest in, say, Sonos support when I could just as easily run the Sonos app side by side with yours! Keep up the good work!
Developer Response 05/24/2019
Hi Zac,thanks for the great review, we really appreciate it! That's why we make the app.As Wallflower supports a huge amount of devices and screen sizes (yes, even split screen!) and people have extremely different smart home setups, we'd love to hear more about how our design is looking for users. If you want, send us a screenshot via mail, and we can see if we can "tweak the design" a bit. We're having no tracking in the app, so we rely 100% on user feedback.As for the split screen: It's supported, but some older iPad models don't support split screens at all. Maybe that's the issue here?

* Added Support for Matter based HomeKit Thermostats

Version 2.3

Jan 14

Data Not Collected

The developer does not collect any data from this app.

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Accessibility

Information

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Age Rating
In-App Purchases
Copyright

Developer Website

Privacy Policy

Supports

Family Sharing

Some in-app purchases and subscriptions may be shareable with your family group when Family Sharing is enabled. Learn More

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Wallflower for HomeKit

Smart Home Control Panel

Ratings & Reviews

Good concept, needs regular updates and a tweak

Vulnerability With Home Alarms

Camera access

Attention to detail

What’s New

2.3

2.2.2

2.2.1

2.2

2.1

2.0.2

2.0.1

2.0

1.2

1.1.2

1.1.1

1.1

1.0.1

1.0

Version 2.3

App Privacy

Data Not Collected

Accessibility

Information

Supports

Family Sharing

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Home Configurator

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