iCloud3 v3, Prerelease 1.1 (8/20/2023)

New version and release name - pr1/pr1.1. Previous release version and release name was rc3/rc3a/rc3b
Fixes some minor bugs in rc3a and renamed pr1:

1. Reload iCloud3 - Fixed the Configure Settings > Actions > Reload iCloud3 so it works.
2. iOSApp location data - The location data from the iOS App is now updated based on the locations time earlier in the data analysis process. It was looking at whether or not the data needed to be updated instead of just doing it if it was newer.
3. Fixed a DeletedDeviceEntry error message being displayed when starting up.

This is a rerelease of rc3b that is renamed as pr1a (version is displayed as pr1) to keep it in sync with the iCloud3 repo prerelease. There was also a quick update to fix item 3 that did not get picked up correctly as a new commit in rc3b.

iCloud3 v3, Release Candidate 3 (8/19/2023)

I think this will probably be the final Release Candidate in the iCloud3_v3 repository. The next step will be creating a pre-release in the main iCloud3 repository that will get picked up by HACS. Both the iCloud3 and iCloud3_v3 repositories will be maintained for a while. Any issues identified and fixed will continue to be released in iCloud3_v3 before being promoted to iCloud3.

Gary

Important Links

Installing using HACS - iCloud3 is not available on HACS unless you have set it up as a custom repository. See here for instructions on how to do that and then install it. If you just go to HACS and do the installation, you will be installing v2.4.7, not v3.
Manual Download and Install - Go to the iCloud3 Releases page here. Scroll down past the notes, then select Assets, then select icloud3.zip. Download the zip file and unzip it into the /config/custom_components/icloud3 directory. Then restart HA.
Migrating from v2.4._ - See here for instructions on migrating from from an older version.
iCloud3 v3 Documentation - It is still in process, does not include the latest updates to iCloud3 and can be found here

Change Log:

1. Reverted the 'manifest.json' file to prevent iCloud3 from hanging on an HA startup if there is a problem starting some of the HA components.
2. Configure Settings - Added a 'Restart HA, Reload iCloud3' to the Configure Settings > Actions list. You can now restart HA or reload only the iCloud3 component if the is a problem.
3. Migration - Fixed some v2 to v3 configuration migration issues.
4. Area - The device will be assigned to the 'Personal Device' Area when it is added or when iCloud3 starts if it is not assigned to one.
5. Old Location - The status of both the iOS App and FamShr location is now checked when seeing if the old location status/counter should be reset as soon as the data is available. It was being reset only when the FamShr data was updated and later in the tracking process.

iCloud3 v3, Release Candidate 2 (8/8/2023)

Important Links

Installing using HACS - iCloud3 is not available on HACS unless you have set it up as a custom repository. See here for instructions on how to do that and then install it. If you just go to HACS and do the installation, you will be installing v2.4.7, not v3.
Manual Download and Install - Go to the iCloud3 Releases page here. Scroll down past the notes, then select Assets, then select icloud3.zip. Download the zip file and unzip it into the /config/custom_components/icloud3 directory. Then restart HA.
Migrating from v2.4._ - See here for instructions on migrating from from an older version.
iCloud3 v3 Documentation - It is still in process, does not include the latest updates to iCloud3 and can be found here

Change Log:

1. Fixed the problem causing the duplicate_msg error during start up.
2. Services - Added the iCloud3 Service Calls to the Developer tools > Services screen.
3. Cleaned up some code.
4. Direction of Travel History - Reformatted the history that is display when showing Tracking Monitors

iCloud3 v3, Release Candidate 1 (8/6/2023)

iCloud3 has graduated from a Beta status to a Release Candidate status.

Beta 1 was uploaded in Dec, 2022 and went through 20 iterations. During that time many features were added based on your feedback, suggestions and feature requests. Not to mention that more than a few bugs were found and fixed. Right now, it has almost 30,000 lines of code and took more than 2 1/2 years from the last release of v2. At the last count, v2 has about 9800 downloads world wide.

Thanks for working with me. I appreciate it,

Gary

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Important Links

Installing using HACS - iCloud3 is not available on HACS unless you have set it up as a custom repository. See here for instructions on how to do that and then install it. If you just go to HACS and do the installation, you will be installing v2.4.7, not v3.
Manual Download and Install - Go to the iCloud3 Releases page here. Scroll down past the notes, then select Assets, then select icloud3.zip. Download the zip file and unzip it into the /config/custom_components/icloud3 directory. Then restart HA.
Migrating from v2.4._ - See here for instructions on migrating from from an older version.
iCloud3 v3 Documentation - It is still in process, does not include the latest updates to iCloud3 and can be found here

Change Log:

1. Event Log - Changed the text on the heading for each update. Now the Arrival Time (if going towards Home or another Track-fromZone) or the Next Update time is displayed.
2. Short interval tracking (15-secs when close to a zone) - The current location data is used if it is below the old location threshold. When interval is short (5-secs) after leaving or approaching a zone, that location was reused when the next interval was reached since it was not old and still acceptable. Now, the next update interval time is taken into consideration when determining if the locaqtion should be refreshed.
3. iOS APP Loation Request - If the iCloud account (FamShr) location is old a number of times in a row, a location request will be sent to the iOS App on every 4th iCloud request.
4. Improvements to Monitored Devices tracking.

iCloud3 v3, Beta 20.1.1 (8/3/2023)

iCloud3 v3, Beta 20.1 was Uploaded

1. The HA 2023.08 broke the way iCloud3 set up the notifications for iOSApp devices and the way the iOS App state and attributes values were being read. This has been fixed.
2. And a few other things

Important Links

Installing using HACS - iCloud3 is not available on HACS unless you have set it up as a custom repository. See here for instructions on how to do that and then install it. If you just go to HACS and do the installation, you will be installing v2.4.7, not v3.
Manual Download and Install - Go to the iCloud3 Releases page here. Scroll down past the notes, then select Assets, then select icloud3.zip. Download the zip file and unzip it into the /config/custom_components/icloud3 directory. Then restart HA.
Migrating from v2.4._ - See here for instructions on migrating from from an older version.
iCloud3 v3 Documentation - It is still in process, does not include the latest updates to iCloud3 and can be found here

Change Log:

1. The HA 2023.08 broke the way iCloud3 set up the notifications for iOSApp devices and the way the iOS App state and attributes values were being read. This has been fixed.
2. Direction of Travel - Tweaked the method used to determine how the direction of travel was being set.
3. Tracking from another zone - The zone name that is used to determine the next update is now capitalized. Also, it will only be used when traveling towards that zone, not away from it. When traveling away from it, the Home zone is used.
4. Monitored Devices - Their information is now displayed using the same 'next_update_time' method as tracked devices. This greatly reduces the duplicate results in the Event Log.
5. Event Log - Tweaked some display methods to improve readability. A browser refresh is needed.

iCloud3 v3.0, Beta 20 (8/1/2023)

iCloud3 is fast approaching the Release Candidate stage of development. I'm looking at one item that I doubt anyone is using (Tracking from other zones) and, once I make a few adjustments to several items, I'll be ready to release it. Thanks for giving it a try.

Gary

Update Notes

There are several important items in this release:

1. The Device Tracker State value (home (Home), not_home (Away), YourZone, etc. can now be configured to use the HA method of assigning the value by searching the Zones you have set up in HA or the iCloud3 method of determining the zone that takes considers GPS accuracy and prevents GPS wandering that can cause a zone exit when it did not really happen. This is configurable on the Format Parameters screen. See the Change Log below for more information.
2. The Stationary Zone Timer was being reset when the location data was old and a request for a new location was being handled. This causes delays moving the Device into a Stationary Zone. Sometimes the device would not move into a Stationary Zone at all because it was the timer was constantly being reset. This has been fixed.
3. There were some changes to icons, to the event log and a few other bugs were fixed.
   See the Change Log below for more information

Important Links

Download and Install - Go to the iCloud3 Releases page here. Scroll down past the notes, then select Assets, then select icloud3-beta-##.zip. Download the zip file and unzip it into the /config/custom_components/icloud3 directory. Then restart HA.
Installing using HACS - iCloud3 is not available on HACS unless you have set it up as a custom repository.
See here for instructions on how to do that and then install it. If you just go to HACS and do the installation, you will be installing v2.4.7, not v3.
Migrating from v2.4._ - See here for instructions on migrating from from an older version.
iCloud3 v3 Documentation - It is still in process, does not include the latest updates to iCloud3 and can be found here
Change Logs - See the notes below:

Change Logs, Beta 20 - 8/1/2023

1. Bug Fixes

   1. Fixed a problem displaying the iCloud3 Configure Settings screen on an iPad or iPhone from the iOS App.
   2. Fixed a problem requesting a new Apple Verification code from the Enter/Request Apple Verification code screen when it was selected from the HA Notifications > iCloud3 Reconfigure.
   3. Fixed a problem logging into the iCloud Account after getting an Invalid iCloud Account username/passwor error.

2. Device Tracker State Value Source parameter (New parameter) - The Device tracker state value is generated by HA based on the gps coordinates. When the device's location is updated, HA uses the lat/long to determine if that location is in one of it's zones. If it is in a zone, the state is set to 'home' if it is in the Home Zone or the zone's friendly name if it is in another zone. It is set to 'not_home' if it is not in a zone. This does not take the gps accuracy into consideration and gps wandering will take it out of the zone and set it to 'not_home'. iCloud3 overcomes this by creating it's own [devicename]_zone sensor (zone entity name) and [devicename]_zone_fname sensor (zone friendly name-the one HA uses and displays).

   This new parameter lets you select the state value to use:

   1. iCloud3 Zone Friendly Name
   2. iCloud3 Zone Display Name used on the Event Log
   3. HA zone based on the gps coordinates.

   Note: When iCloud3 is restarted and the device is in a Stationary Zone, the HA zone information is not updated on a timely basis so iCloud3 and the HA App on the devices still have the Stationary Zone information where HA may not. iCloud3 and the iOS App put the device in the Station Zone and HA sets it's state value to 'not_home'. This is not resolved until the next location is requested. To solve this, iCloud3 always sets the state value to the Stationary Zone friendly name when it is in a Stationary Zone.

3. Stationary Zone:

   1. Found that the Stationary Zone timer was being reset when an old location had been detected and the location update resulted in a good location. This delayed a device from moving into a Stationary Zone until it's still time interval was reached again 8-minutes from now. This would happen again if the location was old again the next time it was checked, further delaying a device from moving into a Stationary Zone. This has been fixed.
   2. Moving into a Stationary Zone will now happen much sooner after it's timer had expired. It now will be done as soon as it expires instead of the second or third update update after it had expired.
   3. Changed some of the text messages in the Event Log dealing with the Stationary Zone for consistency.
   4. Restart - When HA & iCloud3 restarts, the Stationary Zones do not exist yet. However, a device's Restore State data used during a restart will have Stationary Zone information (names, travel directioys, current status) in it's restore sensor values until the initial locate is done. The device's sensors would be set to a Station Zone incorrectly. This has been fixed.

4. Sensor tweaks:

   1. _arrival_time - Changed the icon to better show when the device was in the zone (house/map icon solid = arrived) or when you will arrive (house/map icon not solid = calculated arrival time).
   2. _zone_distance & _home_distance - Changed the icon to show if you are going towards Home, away from Home or at Home.
   3. _battery - Added the iOS App battery sensors entity names that are monitored to the sensor attributes.

5. Waze times and distances are now available when less than 2-minutes from home or a tracked-from zone.

6. Monitored Devices - The iOS App battery and location information was not displayed for monitored devices. This has been fixed.

7. Event Log - The iCloud3 and Event Log versions are displayed when you hover over Actions. Also made some other formatting changes.

8. Other internal changes.

---> A BROWSER REFRESH WILL BE REQUESTED <---

iCloud3 v3, Beta 19.1 (7/10/2023)

1. Bug Fix - Fixed a problem that may be encountered if you have a watch paired to an iPhone and are tracking the iPhone but not the watch.
2. New Sensors:
   1. [devicename]_travel_time_hhmm - Displays the travel time to the zone in an hh:mm format.
   2. [devicename]_arrival_time - The expected arrival time to the zone (current time + travel time) (5:25p, 17:25) or the time you arrived in the Home or other Tracked From zone (@5:25p, @17:25)
3. Simplified the sensors associated with track_from_zones other than Home.

iCloud3 v3, Beta 19.0 (7/8/2023)

1. Event Log - You will get a browser refresh notification
   
   1. Icons - The icons on the Event Log have a new look. They are brighter, have a little color and look similar to the HA icons.
   2. New 'Configure Settings' icon (The Gear) - This will display the Devices & Services > Integrations > iCloud3 Settings screen. Select Configure to open Configure Settings screens. When you exit the Configure Settings screens, selcet Back to return to the iCloud3 screen.
   3. New 'Buy Me a Coffee' icon (The Coffee Cup)- Drop me a dime if you find iCloud3 useful. Thanks. It's been a several year project rewriting iCloud3 from v2 and I appreciate your support.
2. Configure Settings -
   1. Format Parameters screen - Added Log Level > RawData (AutoReset) to automatically turn off RawData at midnight.
   2. Tracking & Other Parameters - Added the HA > Integrations > iCloud3 Configure Settings URL parameter. The Configure Settings icon on the Event Log gets base part of the URL from the URL used by HA (https://192.0.1.168:8123, https://localhost:8123, https://homeassistant:8123, etc). It appends /integrations/integrations/icloud3 to it and uses the result to display the Configure screen. When running in a virtual environment, docker, etc.. the first part might not be determined correctly, resulting in a 404 not found error. If this happens, paste the URL in this field and it will be used instead of trying to figure it out.
3. Start up > Stage 5 > Configured Devices - Paired devices (iPhone <--> Watch) are now identified and a message indicating how the devices are paired together is displayed. This is not used for anything yet but may be in the future.
4. v2-v3 Migration - The known_devices.yaml file has caused some problems with old iCloud3 device names being added to the HA entity_registry before the iCloud3 v3 Integration is able to create them. This creates a mess with duplicate device_tracker and sensor entity names. This file will be renamed when the migration starts to prevent these errors.
5. Updated the iCloud3 User Guide.

Special Note: Release Candidate 1 will be released very shortly.

iCloud3 v3, Beta 18.5 (6/21/2023)

1. Fixed a regression installing the iCloud3 Integration for the first time leading to a start_ic3.setup_username_password not found error.
2. Changed the sub-beta version number from b18e to b18.5 to comply with version numbering used by HACS and HA.

iCloud3 v3, Beta 18d (6/20/2023)

This beta is to test if HACS picks up beta 18d as a new release. Beta 18c below, lists the changes in this release.