Cync (the new name of C by GE)

I probably cannot mention every issue with the app in a essay-like style so im just going to list the pros and the cons to it. Pros: - Simple, easy to understand UI - Can be useful - Multiple custom light presets (unlike other smart light applications) Cons: - Not very good technical support - Low functionality - Filled with useless features - Overkill security measures for that is only really useful when you have their thermostats, security cameras or other daily items that are vital to security, but most people seem to get it for the lights instead of security when you can get higher quality security equipment for less money - Very glitchy and buggy (app crashes randomly, devices get mixed up if you have more than one of a specific device, devices shutdown randomly even if they are connected to the app.) - False marketing on some of their products, for example, on the smart light bulb box it shows multiple colors displayed at once. However, the light bulb is only able to display one color at a time. If your app’s amount of issues is double the amount of good stuff about the app then you should maybe do something about it. For now, when you use any of their products, just use Alexa or google home to access them but you need the app to setup Alexa or google so I guess just don't use Cync products.

I received this product complimentary for testing purposes. I followed all the directions on first set-up. I made sure my bulbs were less then 40 ft apart. The instructions were very descriptive to follow. I appreciated the labeling of the lights, being able edit and group the lights together or separate. The editing of the lights made it quite easy to figure out which one was being edited with the lights blinking, I especially like that feature and made it helpful to follow overall. I do like the back button during trying to sync the WiFi to the bulbs. When I entered the description of my WiFi it didn’t do a full search of my WiFi until I hit the back button to search. Once I got the WiFi and Bluetooth together set-up it was simple to change the colors and add other features. I liked the guidelines, buttons and easy instructions to follow. Great reminders to follow along the way as well such as, making sure the bulbs are connected to WiFi. Also, the mention of Bluetooth and WiFi on your phone matches the WiFi on the app is helpful as well. One thing I would change, is in the area of the setting or location I would add or make a different color to the “+” (upper right hand corner) when trying to update the setting, it is the same color as the screen, which made it challenging to see. Once my settings, labels WiFi and Bluetooth were all connected, set up of light bulbs was simple to change as well.

I received two GE Cync lightbulbs complimentary for testing purposes. The Cync app is very user friendly. The process of setting up the light bulbs that I had received was very easy and the directions were very straightforward. For example, the light bulb that you are setting up will 'blink' and the app will walk you through the process of setting them up, one lightbulb at a time. I had one small issue where the firmware for the lightbulbs failed to update on the first try; however, it worked on the second go. I like that you can really customize the app to make it more personal to you through being able to name things, set custom photos, set schedules, etc. You can also save favorite colors as well. I think that it's neat that you can have multiple 'scenes' with the option of creating a schedule for each. For example, you could have the lightbulbs turn on when you are waking up and have them turn off when you are going to bed. I also think that it's neat that you can use Alexa, Google Home, and/or HomeKit/Siri to configure the lightbulbs as well. I would suggest having the option to customize the colors/brightness of the lightbulbs when you are creating a new scene vs creating one and then having to go back to the home screen to do so. Overall, the app works well and is user friendly. I would recommend it to a friend!