HIVE Heating App is it accessible?

Hi Debbie,

What I would say is it about 85% fine. For most everyday stuff like seeing temperture and stopping, starting or turning on schedule is totally accessible. Where the app falls down is when setting up a schedule of times. It is not logical but can be done. So for example if you want to set a time for Monday you can do this but after clicking on Monday in the schedule tab the times are after you flick through every other day of the week. You can once one day is set up do a set all to the same times type of thing so not a real pain. There is also something to do with scheduling that freezes the phone and can't make VO work at all but I can't remember how that happens as I set mine up a year ago. Suppose that may have changed but the scheduling issues haven't changed re any updates. But yes it is more than fine for what you would need.

hth

It isn't cheap so if you can get the mini as this is cheaper and does exactly the same as the bigger option.

That’s good to know. I had heard it is accessible so I went ahead and ordered one, it’s being installed in two weeks. I believe it also works with Alexa, but I don’t know if you can do everything with that.
It cost me €299 here in Ireland, they never mentioned a cheaper one.
My current manual system is pretty much completely inaccessible so I’m looking forward to getting the Hive.
Dave

Yes it also works with google home but it is limited as to what you can say to it. In the uk the full version is around £140 but the mini is around £75 or it was last time I looked on amazon. Changes prices all the time. The app works well enough without voice control but at a pinch it can work that way.

Just icking up on this thread. Does Hive work with Apple's Homekit? My old Inspire Home Automation heating system has decided to give up the ghost, and I'm looking for a new one, however because of Brexit the cost of replacing it with like-for-like is extortionate.

Hey Donal. Yes it does connect with Apple HomeKit. I have mine connected to both Alexa and Apple HomeKit.
However for full control of things like schedules, I still find I use the Hive app itself more than Apple’s Home app.
Give me a buzz if you want me to show you the app or anything.
Dave

Cheers Dave, will be in touch.

Debbie,
the app is almost totally accessible, apart from some difficulties with scheduling. However, if the hive system needs to be rebooted, if you've been away for example, crashes completely, or just decides to be problematic, you'll be in big trouble. You need to see to reset independently, holding a button on the receiver and waiting for colours to change, etc and other fiddling around with the hub connected to your broadband. Happened twice to me, and was a nightmare. A real pain, if you live alone, but It is the only way to deal with touch screen heating system these days. I left mine behind in old flat, and will have to invest in another one now. Be warned, if It crasheds, It is a serious issue. Be my eyes, is a possible work around, but not easy to deal, if your alone.

Get the main one! Live a little! I enjoy Hive very much, especially the new app. You can also link it to your Alexa devices and it's even better that way. Don't get the mini I tell ya!

I'd actually forgotten why the main one was better. I'm sure there are other reasons but that is one of them. If you go offline, my dear chap, I am frightened that you will now freeze! At least if you've got the main one you can get the handier household help, as your countryman Fred Wedlock would have it, to sort you out with the touchscreen. For myself, Mrs Bingo is sighted so it is good to have the control on the unit as well. I'm sure there was another bleedin' reason why we went for the main one but I can't think what it is.

Since March 2024, Hive via their app have locked anyone blind that uses Voiceover out of their system. You can still set the temperature for your home manually but that's about it.

When you try to change or add a schedule Voiceover just reads everything on the screen in one go so you are unable to tap on the thing you want to amend such as start time, end time, temperature settings etc. I've sent screen recordings to Hive highlighting the issues to those of us who are blind and I have also left some pretty hard hitting comments on the App store. On May the 15th Hive support told me that in the next update the Voiceover issues would be resolved but guess what, updated today and not a single bit of progress towards this problem has been made. What I find worse, on the notes for the latest update, they acknowledge they are aware of the Voiceover issues people are facing and these will be addressed in a future update. They don't say when, next week/month/year/ten years. I deduce from this they think it is acceptable to push their blind customers to the back of the queue when it comes to getting our issues resolved. My advice would be to avoid Hive Home like the plague if this is the way they are going to treat us. There could even be a case for taking these guys to court on this one as we are now unable to change our heating or lighting schedules to save money over the summer period.

What version are you on? My app seems to be working perfectly normally. I do have a "beta" option that I am using with an option to switch back to the classic app. No idea when the beta will become the only option. but I'm on v11.08.1 and as far as I can tell all seems fine.

Lee, so you are saying you can set new schedules for both your lights and heating; alter start and end times, copy day schedules etc just using Voiceover? I can't even set holiday mode. Voiceover just sees the whole screen as one control so there is no way to navigate between the various elements. Just a tip for anyone who has access to an Android phone, the app works just as it should on that OS. Lottie, I'm doing my best to fight our corner. As Hive is owned by British Gas and therefore I believe would be classed as a public entity, I'm sure there is a case under the equalities act 2010 which I am going to explore. I wonder just how many others are undergoing these problems. Are the RNIB on board with this?

Ye'h all elements are showing as buttons etc. I only have heating however and not even water as we have a combie boiler. Not sure therefore if it is a slightly different app because when setting up the options for water didn't appear. Will keep checking as sometimes these odd updates take time to come in and suddenly for no reason things that were working stop even on the same version.

Hi, Just a thought, It would be great if any of those who are effected by the issues with Hive could contact their support desk to try and get our issues made a higher priority. Their phone number here in the UK is
0333 202 9614.

For anyone who uses Social media, it might also be worth putting it out there the issues Hive are causing the blind community and inlisting the help of friends who can also contact the company to show their support.

Best regards

I’m glad to report that the update released today, as promised in previous release notes, now fixes the VoiceOver issue.
We can now set schedules once again 😌
Dave

Hi, I have the hive central heating system and find it accessible. Although it is not the only accessible central heating scheduling system, there is this one available from Cobalt systems:
https://cobolt.co.uk/products/talking-central-heating-remote-controller

I'll keep trying, but both the new and old seem as broken as they have for the past few months.

Hi, I can concur with Dave that the Hive app version number 11.09.0 (3) now works as it should.
You can set start and end times for holiday mode. add copy and delete schedules etc. It is just a pity that we were locked out of Hive for over three months. I'm sure the sighted community would have been happy to wait this long to regain access to their Hive services :-(