Many smarthome apps don’t make it quick and easy to control a device, but with Wink Shortcuts, you can create a single button that can perform a number of tasks all at once.
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Without having a shortcut, you’d normally have to open up the Wink app, access the menu that lists all of your devices, select the specific category, and then you can finally control the device you need. That’s not really all that convenient, which is why Wink Shortcuts are great to have for devices that you frequently access.
You can use these shortcuts from within the Wink app, or put them on your home screen (Android) or notification center (iPhone). Here’s how to set them up.
Start by opening up the Wink app and tapping on the menu button in the top-left corner of the screen.
Tap on the “Shortcuts” tab at the bottom.
You can see that I already have a couple of shortcuts ready to go, but we’re going to create a new one, so tap on “New Shortcut”.
Give the shortcut a name by tapping in the box under “Name”.
Type in whatever name you want to give the shortcut and hit “Done”.
Next, tap on “Make this Happen” under “Shortcut Action”.
You’ll now choose the device you want to control. In my case, my shortcut will be turning off all the lights, so I’ll choose “All Lights”.
Make sure that the toggle is switched to “Off” and then hit “Save”.
You can also add another action to the same shortcut by tapping on “Make this Happen” below the action you just created.
By doing this, you can have multiple things happen at once when you press on the shortcut button. Since I’ll also want to close my garage door when I select the shortcut, I’ll go ahead and tap on “Garage Door”.
Make sure that “Close” is selected and then hit “Save”.
So whenever I hit this shortcut button, it will not only turn off all the lights, but it will also close my garage door if it isn’t already closed. Tap on “Done” in the top-left corner to save the shortcut.
Your new shortcut will now appear in the list of other shortcuts.
However, these shortcuts really aren’t that quick and easy to access, since you still have to open the app and navigate through some menus first. However, using the Wink widget on your iPhone or Android device can give you quick access to your Wink Shortcuts from your home screen or notification center.
On Android, simply tap and hold on the home screen. Then select “Widgets”.
Scroll all the way down and you’ll find the Wink widgets. Tap and hold on one and then drag it onto your home screen.
A new screen will appear where you’ll drag and drop the shortcuts you want to use onto the widget. Tap on “Done” in the top-right corner when you’re finished.
After that, your Wink shortcuts will appear on your Android device’s home screen.
For iPhone users, you can’t put widgets on your home screen, but you can put them in the notification center. Start by swiping down from the top of the screen to bring up the notification center and make sure you’re on the widgets page.
Scroll down and tap on “Edit” at the bottom.
Scroll down and find “Wink Shortcuts” in the list. Tap on the green “+” button next to it.
Scroll back up, and it will now appear with the other widgets you’ve enabled. You can hold down on the move icon to the right to change where you want the widget located. Its default location will be at the bottom. Tap on “Done” when you’re good with its location.
From there, the Wink widget will be located in the notification center, and you can instantly control your shortcuts from right there without even opening up the Wink app.
