Hive thermostat app broken again

Hi Dave,
What version is this. Mine is working fine. However, I have a combie boiler so not as used to be two options for heating and water. I'm on version 12.06.3 and as far as I know this is the same app as for non combie setups.

Not yet showing for me in the UK. Will not update when it does thanks.

Just a thought Dave have you tried it with SR turned on? It may split the tabs again.

Great, not! does beg the question how one update can mess things up so badly. Equally, I find it amazing that they don't have someone test changes out for accessibility in 2025. Mind I'm probably being naive. to old to thing such simple things may go on in these large companies.

Anytime that I read words like "brand new look and feel " in the description of an app update, I choose to wait and see if something like this is reported, especially if it is an app that I heavily rely on.

I can confirm the same issue here as Dave outlined. So depressing after last years fiasco.
If any of you are using Android the app on that platform still works fine. We need to get the word out to as many podcasts and other news outlets where those likely to use this app who are blind go to stop them doing this update.
I will of course be in touch with Hive first thing but I'm not expecting any overnight success.

I'm not surprised honestly, the UK doesn't care about accessibility as much as the governments like to say they do.

We're a very old country and we, meaning the governments, do love to take our time with updating stuff to meet moddern standards, we just, just! got mixer taps in some newer bathrooms in the UK, older houses are still using tanks in the loft/attics, they are planning on putting soler pannels on houses now, so that's something.

Sorry, I know this has nothing to do with what you mentioned but the UK is really slow to adapt and sometimes it annoys me.

This list is quite old but might help if you're looking for something else: https://www.ridc.org.uk/features-reviews/home/central-heating/our-recommendations-heating-controls

Yet we were over a decade ahead of America on chip and pin. It's a very mixed bag and remember a lot of our housing is an older design which doesn't account for things like showers or air conditioning, the latter of which is only becoming in my opinion a necessity in recent years. I'm sure other countries have similar issues with apps and digital services, we just don't hear about it so much because we're not looking for it. I mean in the US some services are distributed by state, each probably having their own app or web site. I can only imagine the fragmented nature of accessibility this must cause.

Brad, this has nothing to do with the government. these are private companies. In the UK and america it's a mixed bag. Barclays, Ocado, Morrisons, for example, all work brilliantly over here. Also when last I went to the US I found that Apple Pay and Wallet work better over here than they appear to over there.

I've always found the Hive app a bit of a mess when it comes to schedules. I've always had to use screen recognition. It's very annoying indeed if that can no longer be done. Luckily, I have my hot water schedule as i would like it so shouldn't need to fiddle with that. In the summer I never have my heating operate to a schedule either - I just turn the thermostat to 15 and as a result it never comes on. But come the autumn I will want to fiddle with my heating schedule, so this news is rubbish.

Just in case folk are not aware, you can change your Hive thermostat temperature with alexa. I don't find it as easy to control the hot water that way in that it doesn't always work. Not an answer to the inaccessibility issue, but better than nothing.

Also, does anyone else hate the way that you now have to keep pressing a button to increase or decrease the target temperature? It no longer appears at a picker on my app and it makes it so, so slow! I flew back from Italy the other week and tried to alter the temperature while sitting in departures at Venice marco Polo airport. Took bloody ages!

Ok well just saw an app update and from the description I stupidly thought it may fix our issues. Wrong! I updated after delaying since this post and now I have the same bugs.

Lee, I thought exactly the same. I'm now in the same boat. HIve rapidly going the same way as the energy arm of its parent company, with whom Bingo parted company on bad terms just over a year ago.

I completely forgot about chip and pin and apple pay working better over here doesn't surprise me, so like you say, it's a mixed bag.

Hi,

First Dave, if you do go ahead with your complaint to the EU, if there is anything I can do to help please let me know.
Can I suggest a couple of things for us all to do if you've not already done these things.

First, Put a rating on the App store for their app making it clear in the comments how they've shut anyone who is blind that relies on Voiceover out of their app. It is easy to do. The more of us who not only make the devs know the issue but make the general public aware of this company's disregard of the disabled will certainly make them sit up and think. Most companies are very sensitive about their image and this sort of publicity doesn't exactly enhance their reputation.
Contact Hive support and let them know the issues.
Their phone number here in the UK is
0333 202 9614
Last, if you know any podcast hosts or anyone who has a voice in our community who can spread the word, please let them know so others don't fall in to the trap we have done. I have emailed Double Tap nearly a week ago but sadly they haven't put it out there but don't be discouraged by that.

All the best

I'd like to contact them but I don't use the app, do you think still calling them and letting them know about this thread would be worth it?

As I understand it, we have implemented the European Accessibility act. but with my constitutional law lecturer hat on I can tell you it is now part of assimilated EU law i.e. domestic law. To whom to complain, precisely, is something that I'd need to research a bit. But remember that the act (which isn't really an Act as EU Institutions don't pass Acts) doesn't guarantee that everything in your app will be 100% accessible with Voiceover - the bar isn't set that high.

I don't know much if anything about law but @bingoLittle is completely correct as far as I understand it, this would not force Hive to make their app accessible, it would probably give them a little warning but apart from that' that's about it, after all, it would be silly to have an app pulled from the uK just because it doesn't meet acccessibility standards.

It'll be interesting to see how this law effects things going forward but I'd honestly not expect huge changes.

Hi,

Yes by as many people calling them can't do any harm and keeps it front of mind.

It's the complaints email, here it is@ complaintsteam@hivehome.com

Someone wrote back to me saying they've passed on the link to who they need to in the team, I don't know if it will fix any issues but I got a response that didn't seam canned.

Good luck!