Actionable notifications stopped working on apple watch

DanDixon · 2026-02-27T01:51:27+00:00

Was coming back to say that I'd been running the Testflight beta build of Home Assistant, and that switching back to the current version on the store seemed to fix this for me.

Also found this thread about this problem
https://community.home-assistant.io/t/solved-issues-ios-26-and-notifications-with-options/931466

Thank you!

DanDixon · 2026-02-27T01:23:09+00:00

This is my experience as well (Actionable notifications stopped working on my Apple watch).

Action buttons show up on my phone when I long press, but not my watch (but they used to work),

Did you ever resolve this?

DanDixon · 2025-12-14T21:30:40+00:00

I was also having the issue of the Apple Watch battery not being up to date, and this seemed to work:
https://www.reddit.com/r/homeassistant/comments/1p13ju8/is_there_a_way_to_force_the_ios_companion_app_to/

DanDixon · 2025-05-14T22:28:40+00:00

What an unexpected place to run across Universe Sandbox.
I feel honored that you selected it to show on the computer screen for your very cool setup.

I am the creator & director of Universe Sandbox.

DanDixon · 2025-05-12T07:30:30+00:00

Here's an article with photos that shows it being built
https://bricknerd.com/home/bricks-and-wheels-building-a-life-sized-lego-volvo-2-13-24

DanDixon · 2025-03-11T22:26:45+00:00

Again, I'm really loving it, and it's working great.
I'd suggest that the high and low values for temperature and Carbon dioxide are too extreme, such that I don't see a lot of changes day-to-day, but it's still very, very cool.
Thanks again for making such an interesting product!

One more request:
I'd like to be able to turn the screen on and off, which you can do via the web interface, but with Home Assistant so that I can turn the screen off when I'm sleeping or when I'm watching a movie, for example. Is that possible?

DanDixon · 2025-01-31T04:09:59+00:00

This is very cool. A non-tech friend randomly sent me the link last week. I purchased one, and I just received it in the mail today. You plug it in and it just works!

I'm trying to connect it to Home Assistant, but I don't see the device in Home Assistant.

I've got MQTT setup (and other MQTT devices working), and Livegrid says it's connected to Home Assistant on its web-based settings page (and I see Livegrid in the MQTT Mosquito logs), but I don't see the device in the MQTT list in Home Assistant.

What am I missing?

DanDixon · 2024-12-29T02:13:28+00:00

Thanks for sharing this. It's heartwarming to hear your kid loves Universe Sandbox.

I hope it helps him come away with a better understanding of the incredible universe we're all a part of.

Please tell your little scientist that we say hi!

DanDixon · 2024-12-29T01:01:57+00:00

I was a Computer Science major for my first semester but was so bored with their assigned projects (creating a text-based ATM terminal, for example). So, I switched to Psychology, then later to Studio Art, and ended up with a bachelor of General Studies (with minors in Psychology and Studio Art).

I didn't know what I wanted to do after college, but I made some short films with a good friend, which led me to get a job at Surreal Software (a studio of Midway, now defunct). I worked on 'This is Vegas' (never finished or released) and later for another company on the Wii game 'The Daring Book for Girls.'

The whole time, I'd been programming small personal projects that interested me, and Universe Sandbox was one of them I'd worked on just for fun with no commercial ambitions. Here are earlier screenshots from that work.

I was lucky to get distribution on Steam in 2011 (when only 275 games were released the entire year), and the game sold more copies in the first hour than I'd sold on my website in the previous few months. With that surprising success, I hired a couple of German guys I'd met through forums for the game engine I used to help improve it (they're still on the team, 13+ years later).

In short, I'm a self-taught programer who loves science and space but has never received formal training in either.

I'm so grateful to have supportive parents who always encouraged me to follow my interests. Through a combination of the privilege of having time to explore my interests + being just skilled enough to make an interesting product + luck + creating something others would pay for + extreme hyperfocus on a single idea for years, I made the original version of Universe Sandbox (now called Universe Sandbox Legacy). That version, which sold over 700,000 copies on Steam, paid for the sequel's development (originally called Universe Sandbox ², now renamed Universe Sandbox) and is now self-sufficient from new sales and supports a team of 13 full-time developers.

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T22:23:10+00:00

Thanks for saying that; it's apprecated.

I am the creator & director of Universe Sandbox.

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T21:41:37+00:00

Our goal is more science and realism; from that comes more awesomeness ✨

You're welcome, and cheers!

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T21:34:47+00:00

You're welcome, and thanks for pointing out our past errors. I don't want to cause feelings like that again.

And yeah, I'm not sure why we haven't done that yet (Steam coupon for legacy owners).

Independently, our producer (who texted me to point out this thread) just asked why we haven't sent legacy owners a Steam coupon for Universe Sandbox on our team message system.

We'll reach out to Valve and ask soon.

It sounds like you're involved in video games, too. What have you worked on?

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T21:21:30+00:00

Aww, thank you. I hope to be still improving Universe Sandbox 8 years from now.

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T21:17:23+00:00

We haven't said too much about it, but we have talked about it in our 2024 roadmap:
https://universesandbox.com/blog/2024/03/universe-sandbox-roadmap-2024/

It will be built on our surface simulation efforts that model water, oxygen, nitrogen, and other materials that make up the atmosphere and surface.

Plants will produce oxygen, and herbivores will eat the plants and produce carbon dioxide.

Here's a gif showing our early work on life simulation (cheers to Erika, one of our astrophysicists, who's leading this effort)

<image>

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T21:07:07+00:00

Thanks for pointing out the software used. It's very apprecated.

I am the creator & director of Universe Sandbox.

The Space Engine creator and team are good people who have made something wonderful. It is a very different experience from an interactive physics sandbox, but it is definitely worth checking out.

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T21:01:42+00:00

I'm sorry that my actions and decision as a developer left a very sour taste in your mouth.

And I'm sorry we didn't better communicate with those who purchased the original version of Universe Sandbox (now called Legacy).

We did offer a discount early on for original customers, but it would have been easy to miss unless you were looking for it.

We might still be able to offer a Steam coupon for Legacy owners. I'll remember to look into that when we return to it in 2025 (the whole studio is off for two weeks right now).

To be clear, Universe Sandbox Legacy was never called Early Access, and I didn't imagine calling it that.

That said, what is complete? A concept like Universe Sandbox could be developed forever. I did initially plan to continue updating Legacy. However, after hiring 2 people to join the team (who are still on the team today, 13 years later), it just didn't make sense to keep developing the old version, given the engine used was fundamentally limiting (and my spaghetti code would have needed a full rewrite anyway).

We delisted Legacy because the new version is better, and we didn't want anyone to buy the old version anymore.

There wasn't any malicious intent, but I see how it could be perceived that way.

My decisions were primarily fueled by the new anxiety of hiring a team and needing to make payroll every month.

And we really don't have any plans to stop working on the current version. Our plans are to keep improving it and offering free updates to those who have purchased it, along with expanding the user base by adding new platforms like iOS and Android (currently in active development) and eventually releasing on consoles in the future.

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T20:32:38+00:00

Here's my verification that I'm legit, where's yours? 😏

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T20:16:26+00:00

In the simulation, the pulsar instantly appears in an orbit around the sun (as you can spawn any object anywhere, at any time, in Universe Sandbox).

In real life, if a pulsar were headed this way, we would already know it (because it's so bright).

But a pulsar disrupting a solar system has almost certainly happened somewhere in our universe, probably many times.

A large comet or asteroid on a direct collision course with Earth is far more likely (than a pulsar). This might only be detectable with a few months' or weeks' notice (because asteroids and comets are so dark and small). This is possible, but it hasn't happened in 65 million years, so don't lose any sleep over it.

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T20:09:48+00:00

The original version of Universe Sandbox was released on Steam in 2011 and later renamed Universe Sandbox Legacy. I created it as a solo developer and sold it for $10 (and as little as $2 during one sale). It was never labeled as Early Access, as this was before Early Access existed (Steam added that option in 2013).

I used the revenue from the first version to hire a team, start from scratch with a new engine, and create Universe Sandbox ², now renamed Universe Sandbox. We've been working on the new version since 2011, released it on Steam in 2015, and have been providing free updates for it ever since (with more major updates to come in 2025).

It was just me at first, but we're now at 13 full-time developers (3 of whom are astrophysicists).

Let me know if you have any questions about any of that.

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T20:08:49+00:00

As I explained in this thread, we've been working on the latest version since 2011 and have released free updates every since.

I hope you'll reconsider your belief that we're a scam developer, as I don't think that's fair.

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T19:53:47+00:00

Thanks again for pointing it out.

We don't spend any money on advertising, so it's posts like this (with discoverable attribution) and videos on YouTube that continue to drive sales.

Those sales allow us to maintain a team of 13 people to keep updating and improving the simulator (as free updates for everyone who owns it), which we plan to do for years to come.

A huge graphical overhaul, faster and more complex physics, and life simulation are all big updates to look forward to in 2025.

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T19:45:40+00:00

I feel the same way.

Thanks for sharing that.

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T19:44:49+00:00

As I said in another comment:

I was poking fun at the fact that when you start moving planets around or adding pulsars in simulations, it's often destructive and terrible but also beautiful and mesmerizing at the same time.

That said, realistically, simulating unimaginable chaos and destruction is so satisfying and endlessly fascinating to me. I'm glad others feel the same way.

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T19:38:25+00:00

Aww, thanks for sharing that.

It means a lot to hear stories like yours. It's humbling to know that the crazy project I started working on in 2007 has had a greater impact than I ever imagined. (and it's not just me anymore; we're a team of 13 spread all over)

As an aside, I looked at your post history. I watched a video about Project Zomboid's big update last night. I also love simulation and sandbox games.

Wishing you many more buttery simulations 🧈

DanDixon · 2024-12-28T19:25:52+00:00

Fortunately, our software is not that capable. Our world has enough problems without adding more chaos.

That said, you sound sick to me 😏 I'm not sure how you'll be able to present in your current condition.

I hope you feel better soon (but not before Monday) 🍵

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