Review Insights · App Store
First Alert by Resideo
Resideo Technologies, Inc. · 22,038 ratings · ★ 4.8
4.8
★★★★★
22,038 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 60 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"thermostat"
22 negative reviews mention this · 37% of all complaints
★★★★★ "No dark mode. I despise this app. Every time I use it is evening or night when it's dark outside and this is app BRIGHT WHITE and blinding. This app needs a dark mode NOW! Also the app name , First Alert, is stupid - for a THERMOSTAT?? Call it Home C…" - zathras110
2
"work"
14 negative reviews mention this · 23% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Poorly written s/w; and ignores privacy. Neither the iPhone or MAC versions worked. The iPhone version needs access to location services but such an option is not available in the app settings. The MAC version tried to access private/protected files but was stopped by security s/w…" - SW_Guru
3
"device"
10 negative reviews mention this · 17% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Poor Launch. Honeywell thermostat users just got kicked out of the network with this horrible launch of the first alert app. You can no longer use Alexa to control your device. Your builder model isn’t supported. This is a screw the customer money gr…" - Rmstrat
4
"alert"
9 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "No dark mode. I despise this app. Every time I use it is evening or night when it's dark outside and this is app BRIGHT WHITE and blinding. This app needs a dark mode NOW! Also the app name , First Alert, is stupid - for a THERMOSTAT?? Call it Home C…" - zathras110
5
"home"
9 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "No dark mode. I despise this app. Every time I use it is evening or night when it's dark outside and this is app BRIGHT WHITE and blinding. This app needs a dark mode NOW! Also the app name , First Alert, is stupid - for a THERMOSTAT?? Call it Home C…" - zathras110
6
"does"
9 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Doesn’t work on iPhone 17pro. Got a new phone last week and cannot get first alert to work on new phone. Still works on all of our other iPhones but not 17 pro." - FANNON'S
7
"doesn"
8 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Doesn’t work on iPhone 17pro. Got a new phone last week and cannot get first alert to work on new phone. Still works on all of our other iPhones but not 17 pro." - FANNON'S
8
"wifi"
8 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Thermostats Don’t Work with the App. I have purchased two Honeywell WiFi thermostat and have connection issues with the app on both resulting in the inability to control them remotely. Completely defeats the purpose of a WiFi remote. App help center was no help in resolving th…" - rosewolfxc
9
"smoke"
7 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Death of a Brand. Who what a decline, I entrusted my home with first alert safety and what a mistake. First the obsolescence of relative new, very expensive smart home products, to the replacement line giving what I can only deduce to false alarms scaring my…" - MBMacc
10
"honeywell"
7 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Death of a Brand. Who what a decline, I entrusted my home with first alert safety and what a mistake. First the obsolescence of relative new, very expensive smart home products, to the replacement line giving what I can only deduce to false alarms scaring my…" - MBMacc
11
"support"
7 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Poor Launch. Honeywell thermostat users just got kicked out of the network with this horrible launch of the first alert app. You can no longer use Alexa to control your device. Your builder model isn’t supported. This is a screw the customer money gr…" - Rmstrat
12
"every"
6 negative reviews mention this · 10% of all complaints
★★★★★ "No dark mode. I despise this app. Every time I use it is evening or night when it's dark outside and this is app BRIGHT WHITE and blinding. This app needs a dark mode NOW! Also the app name , First Alert, is stupid - for a THERMOSTAT?? Call it Home C…" - zathras110
📋 All 60 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
No dark mode
I despise this app. Every time I use it is evening or night when it's dark outside and this is app BRIGHT WHITE and blinding. This app needs a dark mode NOW!
Also the app name , First Alert, is stupid - for a THERMOSTAT?? Call it Home Control or some actual related to it's function
Also the app name , First Alert, is stupid - for a THERMOSTAT?? Call it Home Control or some actual related to it's function
Poorly written s/w; and ignores privacy
Neither the iPhone or MAC versions worked. The iPhone version needs access to location services but such an option is not available in the app settings. The MAC version tried to access private/protected files but was stopped by security s/w and immediately crashed. Even going back to the Resido website via Safari using a URL saved in History had problems, page not found, Development only.
Doesn’t work on iPhone 17pro
Got a new phone last week and cannot get first alert to work on new phone. Still works on all of our other iPhones but not 17 pro.
Death of a Brand
Who what a decline, I entrusted my home with first alert safety and what a mistake. First the obsolescence of relative new, very expensive smart home products, to the replacement line giving what I can only deduce to false alarms scaring my children. I can’t log into the app so I’m not sure what’s the issue with our less than year old expensive smoke alarm. I was excited that Honeywell Resiseo and first alert would come together into a cohesive package, nope. Fragmented and not useful.
Font
The app does not adjust well for people who need larger font. It cuts off a large portion of the information.
Does not work
HORRIBLE POS APP DOES NOT WORK!!! Errors for changing schedule or deleting schedule or clearing change filter reminder. Changes in general often revert or do not take effect. I HATE THIS APP
Poor Launch
Honeywell thermostat users just got kicked out of the network with this horrible launch of the first alert app. You can no longer use Alexa to control your device. Your builder model isn’t supported. This is a screw the customer money grab. If you want your device to work again, you have to buy the new model. I will never buy another Honeywell or TCC or anything with the name residio attached to it. They are the worst.
Thermostat
No connection useless
Numerous False Alarms
Have had four units for about six months. Averaging about one false alarm per month. I took one unit out of service, might do it for another.
Had to reset thermostat and in the end it still didnt work.
Kept asking me to removed device when device was not present. Gave up and will go buy a different brand now.
False alarms
We have had dozens of false alarms sense we had to replace our expired nest sensors. These are trash. Stay away.
Garbage
Nothing but problems. Aways an issue. Disconnects constantly. Developers need help clearly.
Thermostats Don’t Work with the App
I have purchased two Honeywell WiFi thermostat and have connection issues with the app on both resulting in the inability to control them remotely. Completely defeats the purpose of a WiFi remote. App help center was no help in resolving the issue.
App allows registration of device L1 WiFi leak Detection, but shuts off mid installation.
Shuts off mid registration and then states devices already registered and will not allow connection to WiFi. Tells you to delete device but device not available
Horrible login experience
Adding a smoke detector should not require my first and last name, my phone number, email, a password (no linked accounts or passkeys here), and my mailing address.
Who the hell named this app
Fix your app name
Useless to get correct temperature through Alexa
My Alexa gives the wrong temperature from my Honeywell T10+ Pro. The app displays 3 temperatures from a single thermostat, I have no sensors, and it sends one of the incorrect temperatures to Alexa. I have spent over 2 hours online talking to Honeywell tech support they are no help.
Statistics
Virtually zero useful stats compared to other thermostats No hourly, daily. Weekly or monthly usage stats Stats are not updated frequently enough for usage A true smart thermostat will learn when AC is needed No humidity gauge which is very important
Needs to connect to all Bluetooth devices?
Why? It should only have to connect to the Resideo devices, not all 50 Bluetooth devices in my home!! Not safe!
Installation bad
There are only like 5 wires. And it doesn’t work.
Absolutely useless
Every other day it’s new connectivity issues between the thermostat and this useless broken app. Everything is telling me it’s connect but the device doesn’t show on my dashboard. When it does show my device it says it’s syncing, it’s been “syncing” for 8 hours with no change. Useless tech support too as they’re virtually impossible to reach unless you plan on taking a day off just to chat with their 9-5 chat bot.
Keeps going offline.
Constantly getting messages that it is disconnecting and reconnecting. Should have just bought a regular dumb detector I guess because this one is not too smart.
Annoying setup
The new cameras are annoyingly time consuming to set. The new app is also much less user friendly and responsive.
Homekit user? Don’t buy Honeywell.
I’ve been using a Honeywell T5 WiFi thermostat for years. Once registered with Resideo, I prohibited it from accessing the internet, shutting down that unknown possible hacker intrusion. It crashed periodically, and had to be reset, but all was well, controlled by automations. ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END. Replaced my furnace with a new high efficiency Lennox unit. Installer insisted that the thermostat needed internet to access the current outside temp. BS! It didn’t. But, while connected, Resideo installed new firmware. Disable internet = no homekit access. Fail to register you thermostat? Homekit access cut off. You can put it on snooze, but how long is the snooze? I assume they will make it painful enough that you relent to their snooping, or throw away their thermostat.
Lame scheduling functions
Won’t let me schedule mode changes. I want to have Cooling set to a temp at certain times and Fan intermittent at other times to save energy.
👎🏼 they should have kept Resideo
Don’t believe the reviews they paid for, this app blows. It deletes the device, then reappears the next day. Half the time I open the app, it sits there trying to load and never shows my thermostat. I’ll have to close and reopen the app several times before I can get it to load. Yes, I have perfectly working WiFi with strong signal at both locations
Frustrating
There is no readily accessible manual worth anything. I thought I had set it to a heating and cooling turn on and off point. Good luck with that. Now I had to search for and find one of multiple situational set points for heating and cooling. And the fan sometimes fights me to stay on when it is not appreciate. Endless poorly documented issues.
Access ability nightmare
I am completely blind and use VoiceOver on iPhone. This app contains unlabeled buttons and navigation issues that make it difficult to use independently. Important thermostat functions are not fully accessible, and I often need sighted assistance to understand controls and settings. A thermostat is an essential home device, and blind users should be able to manage it independently. I hope the developers improve VoiceOver support, accessibility labels, and navigation throughout the app.
Connection issues
App and deceives were working fine for about a month. Then one day all of my thermostats disappeared from the app. Tried to reconnect them but I couldn’t because the app said they were connected but it said no devices could be found.
SC5 Smoke and CO Alarm
I thought I was being all techie when I bought my new condo and replaced all 5 smoke detectors with the First Alert SC5. Big mistake. Four out of 5 have had issues with false alarms that won’t clear or mysterious device faults. The app has a persistently greyed out silence alarm button. What’s the point then? Links to support within the app go to Resideo’s site which doesn’t provide SC5 support. Seriously considering writing off this $650 expense and getting something from their competitors
I prefer the old app
This app is ok. At times, it does not cut off the thermostat when the temp changes. There is also no connectivity with Alexa despite having a skill that is says connects to Alexa. It’s awful.
App needs work. Do you even test this?
Room sensors constantly revert back to turning on motion sensing even after I turned them off multiple times. The outdoor sensor doesn’t show in the app anywhere. Have to look at the Tstat. Really stupid design. Also, you can’t see the equipment status. All of the stuff that’s available on the thermostat. Should be available in the app! That should show up on the main page of the thermostat. Can’t see when equipment is running. Should say cooking on, ventilating on, dehumidifier on, etc
Major issue is that dew point lockout for ventilation is too high! 65 for a minimum is too much. Please add 60,55 and 50. There should not be a limit. Let us decide not you! 65 is way too high
Please fix these problems instead of trying to cram every product in existence into one app
Major issue is that dew point lockout for ventilation is too high! 65 for a minimum is too much. Please add 60,55 and 50. There should not be a limit. Let us decide not you! 65 is way too high
Please fix these problems instead of trying to cram every product in existence into one app
Thermostats Offline Constantly
These thermostats (X8S) are continually going offline, online, offline, online. Today has been 10 times each one. I have these in multiple locations so I know it’s not a local internet issue. I don’t want to disable notifications, and I was going to get these for another location but not now. Increase the amount of offline time before they notify. Stop the madness!
Keeps disconnecting
Not sure what is goi g on with the app or the thermostat, but I have received about 5 notices in the last week about the thermostat being disconnected. If there is scheduled maintenance, then a notification to that effect would be appreciated.
Buggy
I cannot modify the preset schedule, it just throws an error after spinning for 30 seconds.
If I make a new schedule, it doesn’t save accurately. And then it cannot be modified after the fact. Thus, the scheduling feature is worthless.
I managed to enter in my preferred schedule manually into the thermostat, which is following the schedule. However, the app doesn’t reflect this. I cannot imagine the bugginess if both the app and thermostat disagreed on a temperature.
If I make a new schedule, it doesn’t save accurately. And then it cannot be modified after the fact. Thus, the scheduling feature is worthless.
I managed to enter in my preferred schedule manually into the thermostat, which is following the schedule. However, the app doesn’t reflect this. I cannot imagine the bugginess if both the app and thermostat disagreed on a temperature.
App
App runs horribly slow. When making changes to schedule, wheel turns & turns!! Not a happy camper!!
Awful
Used its predecessor for years and no problem with the program! This one on Auto never changes from cool at night to a warmer cool in the am! Turns on heat and stays on all day! Going to delete it!!!
Disaster honeywell home > resideo> first alert
Bought honeywell home, the qr code on the device didnt work, the honeywell app renamed to resideo, forward me to this junk First Alert app, and there was no way to add the device. This honeywell was recommended through alexa app and its all junk. I had to pay a guy to install and it didnt even work! Waste of money!
Setup issue
It is not user friendly
Where’s the widget? & Boooo
I’m so tired of all the smart appliances having different apps, so I’m trying to at least get it set up so that I can monitor everything in one place by using widgets. Why is First Alert the only smart appliance app with no widgets?
Updating - App is terrible. Including no widget, it randomly won’t track runtime, which is a key feature for a supposedly smart thermostat. I’ve hunted for an hour and can’t find any troubleshooting support.
I won’t be buying the SC5 smoke detectors I had planned throughout the house.
Updating - App is terrible. Including no widget, it randomly won’t track runtime, which is a key feature for a supposedly smart thermostat. I’ve hunted for an hour and can’t find any troubleshooting support.
I won’t be buying the SC5 smoke detectors I had planned throughout the house.
These alarms suck
Can’t get customer support no warranty support had to buy a new one for a defective six month
Total junkware
I received an invite to join a friend and family user group in order to control the thermostat in a shared home. HUGE problem with this app: first of all, the invitation link in the invite email sent by the primary user does not jump correctly to the app let alone even point at joining the family group: it’s a link to the appstore page itself! There actually isn’t any family group function! The second: the app can’t register multiple users to the same thermostat even if you’re able to physically attend to the thermostat and attempt to link to your device. Junkware!
Worst app ever
After many hours, trying to establish an account, I finally have given up in utter frustration and discussed I use many different login and apps and this is by far the worst one ever
App and X8S Thermostat not reliable
The app sends false alerts and the thermostat does not work well.
Can’t pair 2nd phone
Drifting aimlessly. Mark
Why would you bother me for a review when I’m roughly 25% of the way through initial install?
Honestly what could I possibly say that would be useful feedback? I have no idea if this even works yet. Don’t interrupt me and let me finish installing them. Eesh.
Used to be better
The original Residio app was better when it comes to the thermostat. The old app mirrored the controls on our Homewell Home thermostat. The controls on the new app are not as user friendly.
Why two accounts
Why do I have to create two accounts, one for Smart home app and one for First Alert???
And why do I have to add my address to work in mu freaking termostat??
And why do I have to add my address to work in mu freaking termostat??
Keeps going offline
The detector goes offline about every other week. It reconnects a day or two later. I never had this problem with Nest.
New account email confirmation link not working
Installed and created account. During email confirmation, the link navigates to download First Alert page but the app is already downloaded.
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Sentiment summary
95%
Positive (4-5★)
2%
Neutral (3★)
3%
Negative (1-2★)