How to use Routines?
Routines is a new feature that helps you schedule multi-step lighting changes. If you want to keep it super simple, choose a preset and we'll fill in most of the details for you!
Note: to use routines you need to make sure your lights are connected to your LIFX Cloud account. We use our cloud to tell your lights when it's time to change.
Creating a Routine:
1. Click the '+' in the bottom menu of your LIFX app. This is on the far right.
2. Tap New Routine
The first time you make a Routine you will get a series of instructional screens about how to create and customize one. You can get these back by clicking the '?' on the next screen at any time.
3. Pick a preset and customize it to suit you or make a completely custom routine for lighting changes you have in mind that have 2 to 4 lighting change 'events'.
Note: This is just the start of our preset library. We'll be adding more in the coming weeks and months as you all tell us about what you're enjoying.
Filling in a Custom Routine:
With a new custom routine open, click each of the areas marked in blue and fill in the fields. When adding a lighting event, fill in all the things you'd like to happen and confirm each one with the green button at the bottom.
Keep in mind, a routine will have at least 2 light events (if you'd like to do a single change, simply create a Schedule), but you can add up to four with the + on the additional event slots.
Fill in all of the areas, including what lights, group or location to run your routine on.
Be sure to confirm when you're happy with the details of a lighting event in your routine.
What is 'Fade over'? This is the time it will take for the scene to transition from the previous lighting state to the one you're setting now. Eg. If your lights are all on white temperatures and you have an event that will make your room all blue, your lights will blend from white to blue over the Fade time you set.
What is 'Leave unchanged'? Use this when you don't want the Routine event to effect that aspect of the lighting. For instance, if you want your lights to transition from cool to warm white across the day, but not to turn them on and off (perhaps you will do that using buttons or voice) then you set the Power State to 'Leave unchanged'.
Customizing a Preset:
Customizing a preset is simple! To get started, select the preset you'd like to use as a template from the library.
When you're in the Routine, do a quick check that the pre-filled times suit you, then choose what lights you want to follow the Routine.
Note: Before you can save your new routine, you must indicate which lights we'll be running your routine on (the blue box below).
This is a Kid's 'OK to Wake' sleep training Routine that turns off during the day, goes back on for pre-bed and transitions softly to an evening night light. You can check what will happen at each time and change any details to suit by clicking on an event block in the sequence.
Editing, disabling or deleting Routines:
Go to your calendar view to edit and view any routines you've made! The routine will appear on any days you selected it to be active on. It will sit above your view of the day (like an 'all day' event on a calendar) and you simply click to change.
Above, you'll see a Routine called 'Weekday Lighting'. Below it are schedules that run a single lighting change on specific rooms or devices. Click on the block for 'Weekday Lighting' to change the name, times, and lighting events or temporarily disable it if you want a break.