Simon 5 is coming soon!
Simon version 5 is currently in beta testing. It is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, improved Find filter, iMessage and Speak Error notifiers, a new app icon, and much more.
Important: please note that Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra), and will be a paid upgrade from Simon 4 after the beta. Purchasers since September 1, 2020 automatically get a version 5 license (that also works in previous versions).
Re: background color bug
I agree, it should continue to use red while checking, until actually successful.
Simon gets around this by having two status values internally: the current status, which may include checking or paused, and the last status, which is what it was when not checking. So perhaps I either need to expose that for the report, or use its value there.
I've made a note, and will look into this further when I next work on Simon.
Thanks for the feedback!