All of November is the Month of “What the Heck?!” Inform us what makes Dwelling Assistant laborious, complicated, or annoying for you within the WTH class on our discussion board. Everyone seems to be welcome, and this yr we’d love to listen to from new and non-technical customers, and other people dwelling in houses the place another person set all of it up. Run Dwelling Assistant your self? Ask the folks you reside with how they really feel about it!
Let me begin with a confession.
I work on Dwelling Assistant all day, for a dwelling. And nonetheless, my own residence has moments the place the folks I reside with take a look at me and go: “What the heck?!”
My most up-to-date one? Profile photos.
For the longest time, your personal profile image in Dwelling Assistant wasn’t truly yours to vary. Solely an administrator may do it, tucked away within the settings. So if somebody in our home needed a unique image, they needed to ask me, each time. For one thing that’s actually your face, that’s a bit odd, isn’t it?
As of Dwelling Assistant 2026.10, each person, administrator or not, can change their very own image straight from their profile. A tiny change, proper? Properly, my 13-year-old daughter Lilly now adjustments hers about each week. I’ve formally misplaced my job as family profile image administrator. Finest demotion ever 😄
Such a small factor, nevertheless it made an enormous distinction in how at dwelling she feels in Dwelling Assistant. And that’s the type of factor we simply overlook when engaged on it each day.
So, guess what? It’s that point once more. For the entire of November, we’re working the Month of “What the Heck?!” 🎉
Wait, what is that this once more?
We all the time worth your suggestions, however don’t usually ask for the robust form outright. That adjustments this November. For one month, we open the floodgates. No technical phrases wanted, no fancy format. Only one easy query: what in Dwelling Assistant makes you go “what the heck?!”
The setting you possibly can by no means discover. The second your house did one thing and no one within the family had any clue why. The factor you retain lacking, and may’t consider isn’t right here but. All these little (and generally not so little) frustrations you’ve quietly discovered to reside with.
We need to hear them. All of them.
We solely do that as soon as each two years, and that’s on goal. Two years is lengthy sufficient for lots to vary, in Dwelling Assistant itself and the sensible dwelling world round it. The expertise strikes on, and so do our expectations of what a sensible dwelling ought to do. What bugged you final time could be lengthy gone, and one thing new could be driving you nuts right now.
Why we’re doing this
This yr, the Open Dwelling Basis has been specializing in making Dwelling Assistant extra approachable. In different phrases: Dwelling Assistant mustn’t solely work for the one who set it up. It ought to work for everybody who lives within the dwelling.
We’ve made good progress thus far. However let’s be actual: the folks constructing Dwelling Assistant are fairly unhealthy at recognizing what’s complicated about Dwelling Assistant. We all know the place every little thing is. We all know the workarounds. We stopped being confused years in the past.
That makes us horrible take a look at topics. You, then again, are excellent. And so is everybody in your house.
So that is your month. Complain (properly), talk about, dream out loud, and inform us what would make Dwelling Assistant higher for you.
This yr, we need to hear from everybody
Earlier editions of WTH month have been nice. However most of what we heard got here from a really particular group: the tinkerers. The individuals who write YAML for enjoyable, run a dozen apps, and know what an entity ID is.
I’m considered one of you. We’re pretty folks. Please hold the WTHs coming 😄
However this yr, I need to explicitly invite all people else too.
- You simply began with Dwelling Assistant. All the things continues to be contemporary, and that “huh?” feeling you had throughout setup is gold to us. Write it down earlier than you get used to it!
- You don’t think about your self a “technical” individual. You employ Dwelling Assistant, however you don’t need to tinker with it. You need issues to simply work. Inform us the place it doesn’t really feel that approach.
- You reside in a house the place another person runs Dwelling Assistant. Your companion, guardian, room-mate, or baby set all of it up, and now you reside with it, each day. Do you ever really feel slightly locked out of your personal dwelling? That is the group we hear from least, and doubtless the one we will study probably the most from. Dwelling Assistant runs whole households, and most of the people in these households by no means open a settings web page.
Homework for these of us who run Dwelling Assistant at dwelling
Should you’re the one who maintains Dwelling Assistant in your family, I’ve a small favor to ask.
Go ask the folks you reside with how they really feel about it.
Not “is it working?” as a result of they’ll politely say sure. Ask them for actual. Truthful warning: you won’t like all of the solutions. I definitely didn’t. However there’s a lot to study from that dialog. Some inquiries to get it going:
- What’s the one factor about utilizing Dwelling Assistant that annoys you most?
- Can you discover what you want within the app or on the dashboard? The place do you get misplaced?
- When Dwelling Assistant does one thing sudden, do you perceive why? And what do you do about it? (Is the reply “name you”? Yeah, thought so.)
- Is there one thing you’d love to do or change in Dwelling Assistant your self, however you don’t know the way (or don’t dare to)?
- Should you may change one factor about Dwelling Assistant, what would it not be?
Then carry what you hear to the discussion board. Even higher: assist them put up it themselves, in their very own phrases. Their phrases are precisely what we’d like.
The way it works
All WTHs go into the Month of “What the Heck?!” class on our group discussion board. To maintain issues helpful (and enjoyable) for everybody, a number of easy pointers:
- Search first, then vote. Somebody could have crushed you to it. Give their matter a vote – it tells us how frequent an issue is – and add your personal story in a reply. Each story provides context.
- One WTH per matter. That makes it doable to debate, vote on, and observe each.
- Describe the second, not the answer. Inform us what occurred, what you anticipated, and why it bugged you. You don’t have to know how one can repair it, and also you don’t want any technical phrases. “I needed to show off the kitchen lights and couldn’t work out the place they have been within the app” is an ideal WTH.
- Be form. We’re all right here as a result of we care about Dwelling Assistant, our houses, and the folks in them. That features the folks engaged on Dwelling Assistant, lots of whom are volunteers, doing this of their spare time.
The class is open for the entire of November.
What occurs subsequent?
We learn all of the WTHs. Sure, actually.
In previous editions, contributors picked up WTHs and stuck them whereas the month was nonetheless working. I’d like to see that occur once more. Should you’re a contributor and spot one you possibly can sort out: go for it!
Past the fast fixes, every little thing you share helps us perceive the place Dwelling Assistant must go subsequent. It shapes how we make Dwelling Assistant approachable for everybody, not simply the individual holding the admin account.
So, what the heck?!
Whether or not you’ve been working Dwelling Assistant for the reason that early days, put in it final week, or just reside with somebody who gained’t cease speaking about it: this month is for you.
Inform us what makes Dwelling Assistant laborious, what makes you sigh, or what it’s wish to reside with it.
Head over to the discussion board and share your WTH!
I’m wanting ahead to studying each single considered one of them (nicely… at the least I’ll do my perfect 😅).
../Frenck
FAQ
Do I want an account to put up?
Sure, you want a free account on our group discussion board. Signing up solely takes a minute.
I’ve a number of issues! Ought to I put all of them in a single matter?
No, please create a separate matter for each. There isn’t any restrict on what number of WTH matters you possibly can create. Smaller matters are a lot simpler to debate, vote on, and choose up.
I don’t run Dwelling Assistant myself, another person in my dwelling does. Can I nonetheless put up?
Sure, please! You might be precisely who we’d love to listen to from this yr. You don’t have to know the way it all works behind the scenes; simply inform us what it’s wish to reside with it.
I’m posting on behalf of somebody in my dwelling. Is that OK?
Completely. Simply point out that it comes from them, and use their phrases as a lot as you possibly can. How they describe it tells us rather a lot.
English isn’t my first language. Can I nonetheless be a part of?
After all! The discussion board is in English, however don’t let that cease you. Be happy to make use of AI or a translation device to translate your WTH. Should you do, please say so in your put up, and add your authentic textual content in a hidden particulars block under it, like this:
[details="Original text"]
Your textual content in your personal language.
[/details]
That approach, nothing will get misplaced in translation, and other people can all the time test what you initially meant. This is identical method we use in our AI coverage.
Does it need to be about Dwelling Assistant itself? What concerning the cell Companion app, the documentation, or the web site?
All of it counts. If it’s a part of your Dwelling Assistant expertise, it’s a legitimate WTH.
My WTH from the final version nonetheless isn’t solved. Can I put up it once more?
Sure! This can be a new version, and rather a lot has modified since then. Please create a brand new WTH, and be happy to hyperlink to the outdated one.
Is every little thing that’s reported going to be fastened?
No, there is no such thing as a assure for that. The purpose is to make it straightforward to inform us what bugs you, for one entire month. What you share helps us perceive the place Dwelling Assistant is difficult, and helps form what we work on subsequent.
My WTH is without doubt one of the top-voted ones, so it’s going to be fastened, proper?
This isn’t a recognition contest. Votes assist us see how many individuals run into the identical factor, however they don’t assure something will get picked up.
I actually desire a new integration or app, so I can use my units. Is that this the best place?
No, this occasion isn’t for requesting new integrations or apps. Please open a function request on GitHub for that.
I discovered a bug, and I’m comfy with GitHub. The place ought to I report it?
In case you are comfy utilizing GitHub, please file a difficulty there as an alternative. That approach, it finally ends up straight with the individuals who can repair it, and we will observe its progress too.
I’m a contributor and need to repair a WTH. How do I let folks know?
Superior! Reply within the WTH matter and hyperlink to your pull request. That approach, everybody following the subject is aware of one thing is occurring.
