After sleeping on this, I have a followup:
Gary_BBGames wrote:The only solution, if you want permanent status updates, would be to make URL calls for every action every time you pull down the today screen (it's always a new instance of the app, it doesn't stay open). This would mean that every time you pull down the today screen, up to 24 URL calls would need to be made, affecting speed and battery substantially, along with a requirement to poll for changes. In the end, the payoff (permanent status updates) were not worth the compromises (battery drain, inconsistency between devices).
Can you describe HOW to do this step by step? For example, show the status of a light? If you've explained elsewhere, maybe point me there. I looked at the URL options but got lost.