Login to LIFX-app with older android devices no longer possible?!

Hello,

I am from Germany and I own 10 of the original LIFX-bulbs since 2014. I am using the bulbs daily in 4 different rooms. I was controlling them with my Acer smartphone and Trekstore tablet for years now.

Well, a few weeks ago I was forced to re-login to my LIFX-account within the app. But the login was (and still is) not accepted anymore - either with smartphone, nor with tablet.

I get this message in German: “Verbindung fehlgeschlagen. Sie müssen online sein, um fortzufahren” / “connection failed. you have to be online to continue”.
But I have WiFi- and internet-connection and everything is the same as before.

Then I installed the LIFX-app on my windows10-computer, where the login works properly - but there are no scenes!

My smartphone works with android 4.4.2 and version 3.5.3 of the LIFX app.
My tablet works with android 4.2.2 and version 3.8.8 of the LIFX app.

These are the latest versions of the app, which are offered in play store for my systems (no further updates available for smartphone and tablet, too).

Resetting the password of my LIFX-cloud-account didn’t change anything.

I asked a friend, who has a new Samsung S10-smartphone, to install the LIFX app and try my login. With his phone everything was working fine - even my scenes were there.

The LIFX support is working extremely slow - I had to wait over four weeks to get a first answer. At least they confirmed, that I should still be able to login and control the lights, even on that old versions of the app. But I am again already waiting over a week now for getting more help.

So, obviously the old android versions were/are blocked at LIFX side and LIFX forces me to buy new smartphones and tablets, if I still want to be able to switch my 500-600 Euros lights - this is not acceptable…

I am not happy at all - really! It is not funny to control the lights with the PC - without scenes…
I am very disappointed.

BTW, this thread seems to describe a similar problem:
Can’t login to lifx Android app

Where are my scenes within the Win10-app?

Why is the login with old android versions no longer accepted?

Can anybody reproduce these issues?

Thanks!

Hi @tschekky,

So I’ve been investigating the issue you have raised. The problem is that before Android API Level 20 (Android 4.4 and below) 20 only SSL3 and TLSv1 were supported by default.

SSL3 is currently vulnerable to the POODLE attack, which allows an attacker to man in the middle the connection.

TLSv1 is vulnerable to the BEAST attack, which also allows an attacker to man in the middle the connection.

To protect you, and all our users we have had to disable these connection schemes, which unfortunately means that those devices can no longer access the LIFX Cloud.

Okay, thanks, Daniel, at least an explanation - after 6 weeks…

Nevertheless, once more I am completely disappointed with LIFX and one more time I come to the conclusion, that it was the wrong decision to focus on LIFX. I even built parts of my residence around the LIFX-bulbs - can you imagine that?

From one day to the other no light anymore.
No information from your side, no pre-announcement, that this will happen.
How sad is this?

Furthermore in the meantime you let me know: “We will not be allocating resources towards backward compatibility with older android operating systems at this moment.”

This all reminds me on the SONOS people - similar situation, but at least there the basics are still working. But the LIFX lights are off or at least not usable anymore in an acceptable way. I can’t believe that…

And still I cannot see my scenes in Win10.