Optik TV Smart Remote

[Digitalone]

I would like to know why Telus has decided to drop the current Optik TV Smart Remote app to adopt their new and most confusing Optik TV GO or whatever its called. 

With the new app you will no longer be able to:

1) use your phone as a Remote,

2) change channels on your various boxes from your phone using the guide, THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FUNCTION I CAN THINK OF FOR YOUR SERVICE. THIS FUNCTION ALLOWS ME OR FAMILY MEMBER TO CHECK THE GUIDE AND CHANGE CHANNELS WITHOUT HAVING TO USE THE ON-SCREEN GUIDE.

3) use the guide to jump to future dates or days

4) easily record and change record settings using the guide. 

5) manage your recordings on your PVR. 

My assumption is that the old app was powered by i.TV and Telus thought they could do a better job and not have to pay for i.TV rights to use. Well you didn't do a good job and actually succeeded in making a great app worse. 

The new app is extremely confusing and I consider myself to be a bit of a tech nerd. Multiple clicks required to drill into functions of the app, confusing record and show listings when using the guide. 

For all those who wish to see the old app remain functional chime in here. 

[Mikekpt]

Well said. 40 or more characters to say anymore Telus.¿ don’t get me going anymore. Waste my time and now I’m looking at $800 to wire in a repeater to my tv to use a remote like its 1992.

[Digitalone]

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@frankw wrote:
@mbpTelus is a company worth about $27 billion, not some tiny undercapitalized startup running in a spare bedroom that must do things at very low cost. They mismanaged their Smart Remote project if they were cheapskates and made it dependent on a software component made by a little company (maybe 1 person?) that didn't make enough money and one day decided to cease operations. A competent tech company (actually the people in charge of the Smart Remote app) would make sure their project had a more solid foundation. If they are blaming the outside framework supplier, that's just an excuse, it is Telus's responsibility to develop reliable systems and they failed on this one.

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Exactly, is Telus telling us that they don't have the resources or knowhow to add the remote functionality to the new app. Bull $#%@. If a small outfit like i.TV could do it then certainly a 27 billion dollar company can fork up enough cash to get the right peps to code that feature or licence it from i.TV if required. 

Digitalone. 

[WestCoasterBC]

i.TV is no more. It’s hard to license something from a company that no longer exists. Along with any IP they once had.

[RB2]

I just signed up to make the same point, only to find a long string of posts from disgruntled users.  The ONLY thing I used the old app for was to program the PVR when I was away from home, and that worked reasonably well.  I've been trying to use the old one for the past few days and kept getting an error message - until I went to Telus' website I didn't know that it had been discontinued, because Telus had not bothered to tell me.  The new app tries to be too clever, and the part that I want (remote set recordings PVR) is clumsy at best, and doesn't work for specific needs (e.g. if there is a news program with the same name on every hour, I cannot record (for example) the version that comes on at 6:00pm).  Scrolling is inconsistent, the programs don't keep up with the time, and a slight mistake results in the time jumping back to the current time.  And I don't want to watch TV on my phone.  ANY CHANCE OF BRINGING BACK THE OLD APP, OR OFFERING AN APP JUST FOR PROGRAMMING PVR'S?

[Rentalguy]

I totally agree. New app is horrible, and the remote is gone. Worse, nothing on the App Store or app tells you this. I just spent 20 minutes try to get the non existent feature to work. TELUS LUSTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS !

[LC2]

I would like to chime in...the Optik Smart Remote is a feature truly valued by our family and we are highly disappointed that this app is no longer functioning without a suitable replacement. 

[Mikekpt]

Smart remote for a smart home.  Everything is run off my iPhone. I have a tv on the wall with speakers on each side wired to a central spot with my Telus box. The app had some glitches which could and should have been worked on.  Telus claiming the new app works only to find it doesn’t by tech support after we discovered this together. Really disappointed. Turn up the app again Telus. Up until now I told new neighbours and community how happy I was with Telus.  If I didn’t have others in the house that watch the blue jays and news I would have just cancelled the tv service. 

[VV]

We have our PVR boxes in cabinets beside our two main TVs.

We used the old app to change channels.

Can't do that now.

Have resorted to running transmitters, temporarily.  

Extremely disappointing that Telus does not have RF remotes and/or discontinued the app that addressed that issue.

We custom designed our dream home to hide all of the components....

The suggestion from Telus is that they will send a technician out to move the boxes - that is a joke!

We are now looking at Shaw and will be moving immediately.