Home Flash, the attention-grabbing App by developer Matthew Corey, has received an update today, bringing it up to version 1.2. The App, which is designed to work with the existing HomeKit lighting already set up in your home, can “signal” those in a specific room or area by flashing the lights on and off with a simple tap or Siri command. This simple, yet, effective action has worked wonders in our testing, where audio cues to let someone know that they were needed to be failed, and only flashing the lights did the trick, making this one of our favorite HomeKit Apps.
Also Read: The Best HomeKit Devices in 2022
Home Flash App Update Adds Color
Headlining the 1.2 release is support for colors when flashing your lights. Colors can be selected by long-pressing on a supported light, and a slider can be used to scrub through the shades that are available. When making your color selection, the Siri Shortcuts button located below the option, updates in real-time with suggestions as to what to call the color, such as listing “Flash Cyan” instead of just blue, which is a nice touch. This allows users to determine with their household what each color means, or the level of urgency that each one represents. Once the color is set, the icon on the Home screen is updated to include a small circle with the color selected on it.
Also included in the 1.2 updates is support for configuring outlets and switches. This allows the App to set a smart plug or switch to a light within HomeKit, making it available for use with Home Flash. This action happens entirely in Home Flash and works instantly after confirming the requested change. In our case, the App actually reminded us that one of our plugs that the light was connected to was not set up as a light, which we corrected after it was found. Finally, haptic feedback has been added for supported devices. When activating the flashing of light within the App, gentle taps are made by your phone that are in sync with the lights themselves. While it does not offer anything to the actual action of flashing light, it is one of those “cool” features that we wish developers would adopt for other Apps.
Home Flash is available on the iOS App Store for $0.99, and a free update to version 1.2 can be downloaded today for existing users. In addition to the new features, Home Flash offers Apple Watch and Siri Shortcut support, making it quite the bargain for the functionality that you get with the App. What do you think of the Home Flash App? Have you had any “success stories” using the App that you would like to share?
