Core: Warning message on device_tracker "hide_if_away" (with value 'False') is deprecated

[reefland]

The problem

I saw in the release notes for 0.105.1 that entries for:

Deprecate hide_if_away from device_tracker (@frenck - #30833)
Partially Revert “Deprecate hide_if_away from device_tracker (#30833)

Upon startup of 0.105.0 I'm getting warning messages about this:

Performing check on Home Assistant configuration:
Testing configuration at /config
WARNING:homeassistant.components.device_tracker:The 'hide_if_away' option (with value 'False') is deprecated, please remove it from your configuration. This option will become invalid in version 0.107.0
WARNING:homeassistant.components.device_tracker:The 'hide_if_away' option (with value 'False') is deprecated, please remove it from your configuration. This option will become invalid in version 0.107.0
Starting homeassistant.

I can not find anything that has this value set. I can't find anything in my configuration that even has the word "hide" in it.

# grep -c hide *.yaml
automations.yaml:0
binary_sensors.yaml:0
configuration.yaml:0
customize.yaml:0
groups.yaml:0
known_devices.yaml:0
lights.yaml:0
recorder.yaml:0
scenes.yaml:0
scripts.yaml:0
secrets.yaml:0
sensors.yaml:0
themes.yaml:0

Nothing with word "hide" in .storage either:

# grep -c hide .storage/core*
.storage/core.area_registry:0
.storage/core.config:0
.storage/core.config_entries:0
.storage/core.device_registry:0
.storage/core.entity_registry:0
.storage/core.restore_state:0

I also looked in Developer Tools > States > Filter attributes > typed "hide" -- nothing is found.

Where else should I look?

Environment

arch | amd64
dev | false
docker | false
hassio | false
os_name | FreeBSD
os_version | 11.2-STABLE
python_version | 3.7.5
timezone | America/New_York
version | 0.105.1
virtualenv | true

• Home Assistant release with the issue: 0.105.1
• Last working Home Assistant release (if known): N/A
• Operating environment (Hass.io/Docker/Windows/etc.): BSD
• Integration causing this issue:
• Link to integration documentation on our website:

Problem-relevant configuration.yaml

Traceback/Error logs

Additional information

[hmmbob]

Same warning, same issue here: I do not have that configured. By the way, using the HA companion app for Android for location tracking and a mqtt based sensor of BT based tracking as well

arch | armv7l
-- | --
dev | false
docker | true
hassio | false
os_name | Linux
python_version | 3.7.6
timezone | Europe/Amsterdam
version | 0.105.1
virtualenv | false

Edit: Did find it, it was hiding in known_devices.yaml. This gets autogenerated upon restart.

[taste66]

I removed all occurrences of the hide_if_away setting for the devices I track and removed all other devices from my known devices file. Tis removes the warning at the next restart but I noticed they are added with the setting again. At the next restart the warning reappears.

[taste66]

Found it was still in my default options for the device tracker. If I remove that it is gone in the new devices added to known_devices.yaml

[springstan]

Found it was still in my default options for the device tracker. If I remove that it is gone in the new devices added to known_devices.yaml

@taste66 thanks for the tip! Solved this issue for me as well.
@reefland has this fixed the issue for you too?

[aneisch]

Found it was still in my default options for the device tracker. If I remove that it is gone in the new devices added to known_devices.yaml

Where did you find it @taste66? I grepped for "hide_if_away" and it's not found in any of my yaml files.

[polymorphicdk]

I have the same issue, and the option is not set in any of my configuration files.

[springstan]

Changed it in known_devices.yaml, not really a configuration file since it is automatically generated.

[walthowd]

Same thing for me!

walt_h@nuc:/opt/homeassistant$ ./check_config.sh 
Testing configuration at /config
WARNING:homeassistant.components.device_tracker:The 'hide_if_away' option (with value 'False') is deprecated, please remove it from your configuration. This option will become invalid in version 0.107.0
walt_h@nuc:/opt/homeassistant$ grep hide_if_away *.yaml
walt_h@nuc:/opt/homeassistant$ grep -R hide_if_away *
walt_h@nuc:/opt/homeassistant$ 

[oncleben31]

Same thing for me. I don't find any reason explaining the warning message.

[DrKatozzo]

Same here....

[reefland]

Found it was still in my default options for the device tracker. If I remove that it is gone in the new devices added to known_devices.yaml

@taste66 thanks for the tip! Solved this issue for me as well.
@reefland has this fixed the issue for you too?

@springstan - nope, still getting the warning messages upon startup. I checked the default options for device tracking, I have a "track_new_devices: false" but nothing that defines "hide_if_away". Checked the documentation and it doesn't list it as an option for device tracking.

While "hide_if_away" does get added to known_devices.yaml (I'm using SNMP from my firewall for presence detection), once I remove it from all entries, it does not get added back. Yet the warning message upon startup remains.

[hmmbob]

Did you verify if it didn't got back in known_devices.yaml? I tried removing the whole file, and when it was recreated it contained the "hide_if_away" keys again.

It gets autogenerated by the HA Core software, so it is probably safe to assume this warning can be ignored until the codebase gets updated.

[reefland]

@hmmbob - yes I verified it. If you delete the known_devices.yaml or delete entries from within iit, then yes when the file is repopulated it will contain "hide_if_away". However, if you just delete that key for each device and leave the rest of the entry alone the key is not added back.

I have all my devices, I do not have anything with the key "hide_if_away", yet still get the message that something has it upon startup.

[enurist]

Same here.

[johntdyer]

Same isse here

[mcka-dev]

I do not have anything with the key "hide_if_away", yet still get the message that something has it upon startup.

[allanpersson]

hide_if_away is related to the known_devices.yaml file. You should before 0.107.x remove that line from the known devices in the file.

_@frenck (tagging you because you are tagged in the issue) i have removed the line from my known devices, but when new devices is found they get added with the line hide_if_away maybe the behaviour should change from next release 0.105.x or 0.106.x so new devices are added with the new configuration. Or are there other solutions for bt trackers to avoid known_devices.yaml?

[frenck]

@allanpersson, which integration does that? Since we should look at fixing integrations that pass that in.

[allanpersson]

@frenck I use netgear and bluetooth device tracker and both are adding new devices with hide_if_away

[allanpersson]

And there should be nothing in my config causing that 🙏
https://github.com/allanpersson/home-assistant-config/tree/master/config/entities/device_trackers

[MartinHjelmare]

That's the default behavior of the legacy device tracker integration. The deprecation of hide if away was reverted for this integration.

[MartinHjelmare]

It seems the deprecation is still in place for the default config option for the legacy device tracker.

https://github.com/home-assistant/home-assistant/blob/b77f2670a701c3bb972bb23aba9f7a3e168e9569/homeassistant/components/device_tracker/__init__.py#L54-L65

This means that it will warn if you configure it manually. It will still create new devices with the internal default for this option, if no manual config is supplied.

[allanpersson]

Isn't It possible to update the default behavior, so people get the warning and when they fix it it won't come back again seconds later when a new device is added?
Personally I can easy fix it in the device tracker settings or delete the devices added but for many it will probably be a warning and behavior that cause big problems 🙏

[hmmbob]

I'm using a MQTT device tracker, if that is covered by this default as well that makes sense that the hide_if_away pops up every reboot for me:

```

• platform: mqtt
  devices:
  bob_bt: 'location/bob_bt'
  birgit_bt: 'location/birgit_bt'

[DubhAd]

I'm seeing it with the nmap tracker and the MQTT tracker. on 0.105.5 and 0.106.0b0

[fermulator]

Same here. I use legacy ping and nmap trackers. (home-assistant python venv, 0.105.3)

[andriej]

Same here - ping and nmap, latest 0.105.5

[g0hww]

I'm seeing this with a device_tracker using mqtt_json. The line existed in known_devices, I removed it. Checked config and the warning message was logged again. Rebooted and warning message is still logged, yet no such line appears to exist.

[mrand]

Everyone: Please don't respond with "me too" or "same here" unless you are adding notable new information.

[hellcry37]

Found it was still in my default options for the device tracker. If I remove that it is gone in the new devices added to known_devices.yaml

maybe you can explain what exactly you did because it makes no sense what you said

[taste66]

Ir re-appeared again in my known devices and the warning comes and goes so I guess its a bug.
Check with future versions: https://github.com/CCOSTAN/Home-AssistantConfig/issues/719

[reefland]

Same here. I use legacy ping and nmap trackers. (home-assistant python venv, 0.105.3)

Was using same two legacy trackers with zero occurrences of "hide_if_away" in any yaml files and got the warning message 2x upon restart. I removed the ping tracker and now I'm down to one warning message from nmap.

The trackers themselves seem to be causing the warning messages, not the contents of the yaml files. Wasn't expecting that.

[antoweb]

same problem here removed all occurence in know_devices.yaml and using ping and nmap. How to solve the problem?

[hellcry37]

I use trackers: bluetooth and synology_srm, problem manifest here also, no occurrence in configs for "hide_if_away" and still error appears.
Also important part, if new devices are found "hide_if_away" will be added for them in known_devices.yaml, so here I reach the conclusion then this is more a back-end issue.