by David Redmond

Ever since I first heard of the idea I wanted a Flic Twist. I’ve been a vocal fan of the Flic Smart Button, and the potential of having that on steroids was right up my street. So, with that in mind, as soon as the product was officially released I made my order. Then, about 10 minutes later I saw the first negative review of the product on YouTube. This could be fun.

Let’s talk about the Flic Twist, my experience, and if I’ll be buying more.

What is the Flic Twist?

The Flic Twist is a dial with a button in the middle. It’s as simple as that really. The button is just like the fantastic Flic Button products and can be used to control just about anything. The dial though is the interesting part.

The dial can be set up with tons of actions. Control your Sonos volume? Sure. Adjust your smart light brightness? Yep. Transition between light scenes? It can do that too. There are some great integrations for the dial already and we’ll probably see more in the future.

I had a simple use case for my Flic Twist. Turn the kitchen light on or off when buttons are pressed, and adjust the brightness when I twist. Did it do what I wanted? Well, let’s start at the beginning.

Unboxing

After a stupidly long shipping time with very little info, my package eventually came. In fairness, an email after I ordered acknowledged the wait, but it was still a bit frustrating as I had no idea if I’d be waiting weeks or months. My order shipped 16 days after I ordered, and I got it in my hand after around 20. Look, it’s not major, but it’s worth being aware of.

The unboxing wasn’t an amazing experience either to be honest. The app was not as accessible with voiceover as it once was, and following the in-app instructions wasn’t pairing the device. Eventually, I found batteries in the box which explained matters. Opening the battery cover was not easy at all. Eventually, I got it, but I can’t help but feel that just putting the battery into the device before shipping would be a nicer experience.

Once the batteries were in the device started to light up and we were in business. I was able to pair the device, and I was able to set it up just how I wanted. I’d really encourage the Flic team to work on their app’s VoiceOver accessibility. As it would be way easier for those using the app with sight loss.

Using the device

The device has been performing really well in my view and I’ve been impressed with some small details. If you adjust a light’s brightness with Alexa for example, the Twist knows how bright the light is and adjusts from that point as soon as you touch it. The device feels snappy, has been reliable, and generally feels nice to use.

The inclusion of a magnet for mounting is brilliant, so if you have one of those big tall fridges you could pop the twist on the door with no hassle. The other mounting options I feel are a bit tougher but it’s not a deal breaker. The device isn’t heavy, but I felt the sticky pad included struggled to hold the weight of the device. There is a wall mounting plate if that’s your thing but I’m not putting a hole in the wall for this.

I tried using the sticky pad to attach to our smooth wall but it just wasn’t happening. This has led me to think the device is best mounted horizontally on a countertop or desk vs vertically on a wall. Once you find a place for it though it’s hard to complain.

The device has lots of features, feels nice to use, and I generally really like it. Is it extremely expensive for what it is? Yes, but that’s something you need to justify to yourself. The device does everything it says on the tin and in my view does it well.

Overall

I really like the Flic Twist. It’s simple, good at what it does, and is a really unique and intuitive way to control your smart home. It didn’t give me the same wow factor as the old Flic Button, which I still love and highly recommend, but is the Flic Twist a solid product? It absolutely is.

Here are 5 things I’d like to see Flic improve.

1. Unboxing experience needs some work. This is a premium product so I expect a frustration-free unboxing. Include batteries in the device as a start, as that would make a big difference in my view.
2. Work on the accessibility of the Flic app. Every button should be labeled at a minimum. This is a really simple low-hanging fruit. Flic devices can be huge for those with disabilities so an accessible app is a must.
3. More mounting options would be nice. I’d focus in particular on noninvasive ways to mount to the wall.
4. In a future Flic Twist 2 I’d love to see thread support, cutting out the need for a hub. Thread is the way to go in smart homes these days for sure.
5. Finally just more features. I’m sure this will happen in time, but the potential of Flic twist is huge. Partner with software companies and integrate into their software. I can just imagine a flic twist increasing the speaking rate in jaws or magnification level in ZoomText. The potential is huge so I’m excited for the future.

Conclusion

The Flic Twist is brilliant. Its versatility compared with what came before is huge. It does need small improvements mainly to the app’s accessibility and unboxing experience, but otherwise, it’s a great product.

Will I be buying more? Not for now. This isn’t a must-have like the Flic Button was. A small few improvements and updates though? It’s an incredible concept so I’ve got high hopes.