Control Wink Shortcuts With the Flic Wireless Smart Button

Meet Flic - a wireless smart button you can place anywhere and click to trigger over 40 apps and features in your phone: from ordering an Uber to setting an alarm to playing music. 

Flic recently used our open APIs to add Wink Shortcuts to that list. Here’s a few examples of how clicking Flic to trigger a Wink Shortcut can make life a little bit easier:

Say you have a ‘Welcome Home’ Shortcut setup that turns on the lights, adjusts the thermostat, and puts your camera into Home mode. Place a Flic on your car dashboard, connect it with your Shortcut, and press it when you’re pulling into the driveway for a more convenient arrival home. 

Or maybe you have a ‘Goodnight’ Shortcut and are in bed ready for sleep, but you left your phone plugged in downstairs. Place a Flic on your bedside table, press it when the yawning becomes unavoidable, and your home will power down (all without you having to make the groggy trip downstairs).

Please note, Wink Shortcuts that contain garage door openers or unlock doors are not compatible with Flic at this time.

The beauty of Flic is you can place it wherever you want. Now, with support for Wink Shortcuts, bringing your smart home to life from the places that are most convenient for you has never been easier!

Want to try it out for yourself? Getting started is easy and Flic has a step-by-step guide here.

Alexa Can Now Control Wink Lighting Shortcuts

Hey Alexa fans! Starting today, you can now control Shortcuts that include only Wink-compatible lighting products (light bulbs and switches) with a simple voice command.

Say you have a bunch of lights in the living room that you want to turn off, dim, or change the color of as you’re sitting down for a movie

1. Set up a “Movie Time” Shortcut in the Wink app, and adjust your lighting products to the desired settings
2. Go into the Alexa app and select “Discover devices”
3. Your Shortcut will be discovered, and from there, you’re set!

Simply say "Alexa, turn on Movie Time" and your living room turns into your very own home theater. Go through the above steps to create a “Movie Time Over” Shortcut to change the lights back with Alexa when the movie is over by saying "Alexa, turn on Movie Time Over."

Just keep in mind that if you change the name of your Shortcut in the Wink app, you’ll need to select “Discover devices” in the Alexa app again.

Shortcuts that include non-lighting products will not be discovered by Alexa, but stay tuned, as we’re continuing to work on expanding Alexa support!

How To: Create a Wink Shortcut

Shortcuts are a great way to easily access and control a group of Wink-compatible devices. They can make a lot of things happen within your smart home instantaneously with a single tap in the Wink app. If you’re not familiar with Shortcuts, here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can set one up.

Say you’re about to fall asleep and want to make sure the living room lights are turned off without having to leave your bed. Here’s how to avoid the trip downstairs by creating a Shortcut:

• Step 1: For iOS users, select "Shortcuts" at the bottom of the home screen within the Wink app (top of the screen for Android users).

• Step 2: Tap the "New Shortcut" button.

• Step 3: Then, name your Shortcut (let’s call this one "Good Night") and choose the desired action such as turning off the living room lights. To change the icon, tap the "Choose Icon" button at the top and select a relevant image. 

• Step 4: Click "Make this Happen." You will then see a complete list of the products you’re using with Wink. Select the products you are interested in adding to the Shortcut and choose their desired state. For this example, select "All Lights" and set their state to "Off."

• Step 5: You’re all set! Just don’t forget to save your Shortcut by selecting "Done."

Adding additional products to existing Shortcuts:

If you want to add other products to your "Goodnight" Shortcut down the line, you can do so in a pinch. Say that in addition to your lights going off, you want to make sure your front door is locked and bedroom thermostat lowers:

• Step 1: Select the "Shortcuts" menu on the home screen of your Wink app.

• Step 2: Press and hold down on your "Good Night" Shortcut to add products to it.  

• Step 3: Select "Edit Good Night."

• Step 4: Select "Make this Happen" and add both your front door and bedroom thermostat, selecting the desired outcomes for each product. 

Access your Shortcuts even quicker with Widgets:

Widgets allow for almost immediate access to your Shortcuts. Android users have the Widget Bar, which can hold up to five different Shortcuts in one menu. You also have the ability to place a single Shortcut on any page of your device in the form of a Widget. 

iOS users have a Wink Shortcuts Widget where you can scroll through any active shortcut. This is located in your notification window and can be accessed even if your mobile device is locked. 

Creating a Shortcut is easy, fast, and with a wide variety of Wink-enabled products at your fingertips, the possibilities for home automation are endless.