'The YAML configuration is being removed' but iPhone Device Tracker no longer works if you delete the settings in the YAML files

[liuk4friends]

• Hardware: Rpi4B 4GB
• Core: 2025.1.2
• Supervisor: 2024.12.3
• Operating System:14.1
• Frontend: 20250109.0
• iPhone Device Tracker: 2.4.0

The new iPhone Device Tracker 2.4.0 introduces the ability to configure via UI. Thanks for this great feature!

However, after installing version 2.4.0, if I delete the iphonedetect settings from 'configuration.yaml' and from 'device_tracker.yaml', upon reboot the four iPhones in our family disappear from Home Assistant.

If I restore the settings in 'configuration.yaml' / 'device_tracker.yaml' and then reboot, iPhone Device Tracker starts working again.

Below I transcribe the content of 'configuration.yaml' :

device_tracker: !include /config/includes/device_tracker.yaml

and of 'device_tracker.yaml' :

  - platform: iphonedetect
    scan_interval: 12
    consider_home: 120
    new_device_defaults:
      track_new_devices: false
    hosts:
      hostname1: 192.168.178.**
      hostname2: 192.168.178.**
      hostname3: 192.168.178.**
      hostname4: 192.168.178.**

Thank you for your kind attention and support

[ikorpershoek]

Same here

Hardware: Intel NUC
Core: 2025.1.2
Supervisor: 2024.12.3
Operating system 14.1
Frontend 20250109.0
iPhone Device Tracker: 2.4.0

[mudape]

Hi,

I didn't think of using split configuration, looks like the import fails somehow.

Just to ask, you did restart HA after installing 2.4.0 and then deleted iphonedetect from config? Two restarts

The import should remove tracked devices from know_devices.yaml so that the entity can keep its name.

[pawelaugustyn]

It worked for me by removing entities from the configuration.yaml before the restart and re-adding them in the UI

[mudape]

I tried installing 1.4.2 with a split configuration and after struggling with known_devices got it to work.
Upgrading to 2.4.0 did work: entities were imported and remained after removing iphonedetect from YAML configuration.
Weird!

I see you have "track_new_devices" set to False.
What is the content, if any, in the known_devices.yaml file?

[raspman]

Thank you for this, it works great. Just an FYI, the entity ID's chang with the update. Is there a way to delete the "old" entities so that the new entities can be updated to reflect the old names (I have automations that use the old entities)

[mudape]

By entity ID do you mean the device_tracker.name changed to device_tracker.name_2 ?
I was kind of hoping that the import from YAML should've handled that...

My automations are based on the Person Home/Away (they might have several device_tracker's) so didn't notice

[raspman]

Yes, exactly.

[mudape]

As far as I can tell the old names are preserved by still being in the known_devices.yaml file.
Do you have other integrations using those?

After upgrading from the earlier version of iphonedetect and restarting, the YAML-configuration should be imported after HA has completely loaded.
Then first remove the entries in known_device before creating the "new" entities allowing the name to be the same.
Names are slugified though, so "My iPhone" becomes "my_iphone"

[raspman]

I didn't remove the known_devices first...can I delete that file completely now? I just want to get rid of the "old" entities as I can't delete them...

[mudape]

Yes, that should work fine.
I would create a backup first, of the file content at least

[raspman]

I deleted known_device.yaml, but the old entities are still showing.....can't figure out how to remove them

[mudape]

Sorry to hear that raspman, don't know what's going on.
Some other integration, like the HA app, that has the name?

If you can access /config/.storage and search for the names in the files there, maybe some hint might be found

[raspman]

It's gone now :) Maybe it just took some time..anyways, thanks again for the great service you provide!

[liuk4friends]

Hi,

I didn't think of using split configuration, looks like the import fails somehow.

Just to ask, you did restart HA after installing 2.4.0 and then deleted iphonedetect from config? Two restarts

The import should remove tracked devices from know_devices.yaml so that the entity can keep its name.

First of all, thank you again for your work.
About your question, I've installed 2.4.0, then I've deleted yaml configuration, then I've restarted HassOS

[liuk4friends]

I tried installing 1.4.2 with a split configuration and after struggling with known_devices got it to work. Upgrading to 2.4.0 did work: entities were imported and remained after removing iphonedetect from YAML configuration. Weird!

I see you have "track_new_devices" set to False. What is the content, if any, in the known_devices.yaml file?

I didn't check this file after installing 2.4.0.
Now its content is this below

{}

From a previous backup (2025.01.14) the content was:

hostname1:
  icon: mdi:cellphone
  mac: **:**:**:**:**:**
  name: hostname1 
  #picture:
  track: true

hostname2:
  icon: mdi:cellphone
  mac: **:**:**:**:**:**
  name: hostname2 
  #picture:
  track: true
  
hostname3:
  icon: mdi:cellphone
  mac: **:**:**:**:**:**
  name: hostname3 
  #picture:
  track: true

hostname4:
  icon: mdi:cellphone
  mac: **:**:**:**:**:**
  name: hostname4 
  #picture:
  track: true