# Signals for HomeKit — user reviews

> 81 indexed App Store user reviews of Signals for HomeKit by CoreBits LLC, rated 4.00/5 from 138 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/signals-for-homekit/id1453293391/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/signals-for-homekit/id1453293391.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 86 · 4★ 13 · 3★ 9 · 2★ 8 · 1★ 22

## What do users think of Signals for HomeKit?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 💡 Great concept for notifications
- 👍 Useful for reminders (e.g., insulin)
- 💡 Can trigger shortcuts
- 💡 Good for getting attention
- 👍 Intuitive UI
- 👍 Responsive developer support
- 💡 Can pulse lights and return to prior state

**Cons**

- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 🐛 Freezes and becomes unresponsive
- 🐛 Settings revert unexpectedly
- 🐛 Does not do what it advertises
- 🐛 Limited free version
- 🐛 Inconsistent execution of changes
- 🐛 Tedious to set brightness/color
- 🐛 Startling strobe effects
- 🐛 Does not create scenes in Home app
- 🐛 Does not automate via iPhone
- 🐛 Mac version requires extra purchase
- 🐛 No support for HomeKit automations
- 🐛 Free version is too limited
- 🐛 Paid app with no support
- 🐛 Lifx lights not viewable
- 🐛 Not clear about Mac compatibility
- 🐛 Does not work with MacBook Pro
- 🐛 Random color changes during signals
- 🐛 Lights don't always turn off as intended
- 🐛 Unable to restore original light state
- 🐛 Clunky UI
- 🐛 No documentation or help
- 🐛 Tries to upsell immediately
- 🐛 Free version can't be tested
- 🐛 No family sharing for in-app purchase
- 🐛 Shortcuts integration can get bogged down
- 🐛 Sound recognition features requested
- 🐛 Does not work consistently
- 🐛 App launch stalls
- 🐛 Long delay times
- 🐛 No response from bulbs
- 🐛 Flashing between colors/groups requested
- 🐛 Pulse setting too fast
- 🐛 Flash duration doesn't update
- 🐛 Basic functionality missing (light groups)
- 🐛 No extensible features
- 🐛 Can't recommend purchasing at this time
- 🐛 Does not work with HomeKit automations, only shortcuts
- 🐛 App garbage
- 🐛 Not ready for prime time
- 🐛 Occasionally pulls off its only trick
- 🐛 Asked to review with every change
- 🐛 Not intuitive
- 🐛 Does not work
- 🐛 Ineligible for refund
- 🐛 No use case worth the panic/stress
- 🐛 Cannot link signal into home or personal automation
- 🐛 Does not recognize all HomeKit lights
- 🐛 Only Siri commands
- 🐛 Cannot create signal based on text message
- 🐛 Paid for full version, cannot link to HomeKit
- 🐛 Gimmicky
- 🐛 No refund
- 🐛 Gave developer free money
- 🐛 No point of free version
- 🐛 Needs lots of improvements
- 🐛 Shortcut list won't refresh
- 🐛 Not cheap for what it offers
- 🐛 Can't get a refund
- 🐛 No idea how it's supposed to work
- 🐛 Blank screen on launch
- 🐛 Remains on when it should turn off
- 🐛 Doesn't work well
- 🐛 Very long delay time
- 🐛 Would love ability to use signal as part of automation
- 🐛 Poor execution
- 🐛 Sometimes works, most times no
- 🐛 Super limited
- 🐛 Can't trigger from HomePod or via automations
- 🐛 If there is a way to integrate with automations, please let me know
- 🐛 Can we get support for shortcut home automations?
- 🐛 Lights may or may not return to current state
- 🐛 Sometimes they stay bright
- 🐛 Sometimes they don't come on at all
- 🐛 Gets a no response every time
- 🐛 Flashes lights as expected, no complaints
- 🐛 Simple way to perform actions
- 🐛 Flashes lights for dinner and lunch
- 🐛 Flashes lights to let SO know when on break
- 🐛 Excited to incorporate into other shortcuts
- 🐛 Wonder if planning sound recognition for HomeKit
- 🐛 Great concept, implemented well
- 🐛 Creating new signal and selecting lights is easy
- 🐛 Not terribly intuitive when it comes to signal commands
- 🐛 Selecting color doesn't work consistently
- 🐛 Other little issues
- 🐛 Hope they continue to refine
- 🐛 Latest update is superb
- 🐛 Enjoying using it
- 🐛 App support is excellent
- 🐛 Please add ability to add to HomeKit scene
- 🐛 Gives message of 'Looking for lights'
- 🐛 Have to close out app completely
- 🐛 Latest update for Leviton switches improves effectiveness
- 🐛 Lights flash to remind children it's time for bed
- 🐛 Great for getting attention of anyone in the house
- 🐛 Flash lights when dinner's ready

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App becomes unresponsive
- App freezes
- Settings revert back after glitching
- Does not recognize all HomeKit lights
- Does not automate anything via the phone
- Inconsistent results with restoring Adaptive Lighting
- Strobes in a startling way
- Lights randomly change color during signals
- End state of lights is incorrect
- App does not work with MacBook Pro
- App launch stalls at a blank screen
- Lifx lights not viewable in the app
- Flash duration doesn't update
- App does not work consistently
- App launch stalls
- Gets a no response every time
- App asks to review with every change
- App gives message of 'Looking for lights'
- Lights remain on when they should turn off
- Shortcut errors when running
- App doesn't work well
- Very long delay time
- Sometimes works, most times no
- It'll flash your lights, maybe kind of
- They may or may not return to their current state
- Sometimes they'll stay bright
- Sometimes they don't come on at all
- App is garbage
- Does not work
- No response
- Buggy and not really working
- Poor execution
- Not working. Junk
- Garbage
- Inconsistent & Unreliable
- Buggy

**Most requested features**

- Ability to create signals based on text messages
- Support for all HomeKit lights
- Link signals into Home or personal automation
- Make setting brightness/color across all lights less tedious
- Improve strobe effect to be less startling
- Create scenes in the Home app
- Automate via iPhone
- Unlock automations on Mac without extra purchase
- Support for HomeKit automations
- Improve free version functionality
- Provide documentation and help
- Add support for light groups
- Implement extensible features like flashing between colors
- Adjustable frequency slider for flash/strobe
- Make pulse setting less imperceptible/faster
- Fix issues with Lifx lights not showing up
- Clarify Mac compatibility before purchase
- Fix random color changes during signals
- Ensure lights turn off as intended
- Reliably restore original light state
- Improve UI and make it more intuitive
- Add sound recognition features for HomeKit
- Allow adding to HomeKit scenes
- Fix the 'Looking for lights' issue
- Add family sharing for in-app purchases
- Improve shortcuts integration for many lights
- Support for HomeKit automations when sensors trigger
- Allow flashing between a group of colors
- Make the pulse setting more functional
- Fix flash duration update issues
- Make the app free or remove fees
- Add dark mode
- Add advanced analytics dashboard

## Newest reviews (10 of 81)

### 2/5 — Buggy

*2026-03-10*

I really want to like this app. It does everything I need, but it becomes unresponsive, it freezes, and some settings just can’t be changed (like the time it takes between repeating the shortcut. The app just reverts back to 3 minutes after glitching out.) Really unfortunate as others have said because the concept here is fantastic. Just poor development.

### 2/5 — Inconsistent & Unreliable

*2024-09-23*

I *really* wanted to like this app, and to be able to use it with the enthusiasm and confidence that other users seem to (at least, at the time). But unfortunately, whatever magic this app may have had at one time, that time has since passed; rarely—if ever—does it successfully execute the assigned changes, and although there are workarounds to restoring Adaptive Lighting upon completion, these are likewise unreliable with inconsistent results.

You’re invited to make the your Signal “more meaningful” by setting the lights to a specific state/brightness when it‘s finished—yet just trying to apply the same brightness/color across all the lights used is made incredibly tedious since both of these systems are so uninformative. 

It’s an app with a *lot* of potential; maybe the Mac version—which supposedly offers more features and functionality—provides a better experience? But as things stand, I definitely wouldn’t have spent money on it if I’d known this would be the outcome.

### 2/5 — Dobrý nápad, ale skončil v půli cesty

*2024-08-01, version 2.9*

Možnost upozornit na události v HomeKitu je skvělý nápad, který bohužel Apple neměl. Ale bohužel načítají se jen některá zařízení a ani po zakoupení plné verze je funkčnost VELMI omezená.

### 2/5 — Always strobes in a startling way

*2024-05-27*

I really want to like this app, but I’ve bounced off it for a somewhat fussy reason. Imagine I have my lights at 25% white, and a strobe effect set for 80% blue. On most lights, colored light is much dimmer than white light. The way this app works, when the strobe kicks in, it will bring the lights up to 80% white first, then switch them to blue. This always creates a huge and startling flash in my house. I want to use the lights kind of like the visual equivalent of a chime, not a fire alarm. The app is a neat idea, but there’s no use case I can think of that is worth the panic/stress it induces.

### 2/5 — Not impressed

*2024-05-01, version 2.9*

When I want to flash my lightbulbs in the livingroom, only 2 or 3 of the 14 lamps actually flash. 
Definitely not worth the money. Even if it was totally free i would uninstall it. 2 stars for doing the effort

### 3/5 — The point of the free app?

*2023-11-27*

Whats the point of the free version if all it seem to do is what the HomeKit can do or less.

**Developer response:** Hi James - thanks for writing!

The free version of Signals allows you to run all of the Signal effects against of your HomeKit lights or switches - the intention is to let you see how the effects work with your particular devices, and on your particular network.  This can all be done for free, and if it works for you, you can use this functionality forever.

If you'd like to trigger more than one effect at a time, define custom 'Signals' with custom finishes, or use with Shortcuts or Siri, you can then purchase the In App Purchase.

Hope that helps!

### 2/5 — Good idea in principle although does Not do what it promises

*2023-06-10*

I paid for the full version on the assumption that I’d be able to link signals to shortcuts which I could then trigger via HomeKit, I.e., flash a light when motion is detected, which the app’s instructions suggest is possible. Whilst I can trigger this in the signals app itself I am unable to trigger signals via a link to homekit, this means that whilst the idea is pretty good it does not really serve a purpose. If this functionality could be enabled I’d buy again and use it, but as it stands this is a bit gimmicky. Apple luckily refunded me for my purchase.

### 3/5 — Lifx lights not viewable in the signals app.

*2023-05-21*

My lifx bulbs are not showing up in your app. Even though they are showing up in the apple HomeKit app. Hopefully you can fix this issue in the future. Thank you for your help.

**Developer response:** Hi Architectmad,

This is, indeed, unusual - I would recommend trying to restart the app, to ensure that it gets a fresh read of all of your HomeKit devices.  If that doesn’t work, feel free to email me at homemadeauto@gmail.com, as I’d like to learn more about this issue

Thanks,
M

### 2/5 — Buggy and not really working

*2023-04-09*

I’ve set up two signals - one to flash green and then turn the lights off. Another to flash orange and turn off.

When either of these run, the colours randomly change to something else (like one light goes blue) and then the end state turns one of them green and the others off - even though all should be off.

As it stands, it’s not fit for purpose as it’s just causing a mess with the lights!

### 1/5 — Doesn’t do what’s promised

*2023-03-03*

I’ve downloaded Signals and purchased the Plus edition to be able to flash my smart lights and then restore the state back to the original. Well, the app is unable to do that, leaving the lights in a “flashing” state

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — crashes

*2025-10-05, version 2.9*

looks nice but it just crashes when you click a device

### 1/5 — Does not do what it advertised

*2024-11-15*

In the app add it showed you could create a signal based on a text message from your spouse. Nowhere in the app is this possible on an iPhone.  Only Siri commands.  It also did not recognize all of my HomeKit lights.

**Developer response:** Hi,

This automation is possible through Apple’s Shortcuts app, and automations can be created when receiving text messages from your spouse.  The Shortcuts app is the only way that Apple allows this kind of automation, and Signals integrates with it cleanly, along with all other possible triggered by the Shortcuts app.

M

### 1/5 — I got robbed.

*2024-09-27, version 2.9*

You cannot link signal into home or personal automation.

### 1/5 — Version gratuite frustrante

*2024-08-13*

La version gratuite est tellement limitée qu'il est difficile de se faire un opnion sur la version payante.

### 1/5 — Pas très utile

*2024-03-06*

J’aurais aimé qu’il crée des scène dans l’app domicile mais ce n’est pas le cas.

### 1/5 — Big Letdown!

*2024-01-15*

I purchased Signals for my iPhone because the splash screen claimed it works with automations. I expected to pulse my lights for doorbell notifications or flash lights for open doors. However, the app doesn't automate anything via the phone. I tried to get a refund from Apple twice but was denied. Now, the developer has $5, and I have an app that does nothing. Despite the app store description and splash screen, the developer denies supporting automations. They suggested using the Mac version, but that requires an additional $3.99 to unlock automations.

### 1/5 — Not for me.

*2024-01-13*

Signal claims to work with automations, but it doesn’t. I have no use for this application. I tried to get refund but was denied twice. I basically gave the developer a free 5 bucks.

**Developer response:** Hi KXNG DAVID,

Signals can be used with some Shortcuts automations on iOS, but the Signals Automate feature you’re likely talking about is a Mac-only feature, because providing this advanced capability is impossible on any other platform. The app makes no claim to supporting this feature in the app or in the marketing material, but I’m sorry about this misunderstanding.

I’m not sure where you were debited for a refund - I have zero control over this, but I’ve never heard of Apple rejecting these, unless it perhaps the request was too late. I’m happy to point you in the right direction - you can submit for a return here:  https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204084

### 1/5 — needs lots of improvements

*2023-08-28*

Great Idea but is not very reliable. Needs lots of improvements. Some shortcuts won't run, others will. The shortcut list won't refresh, among others...

### 1/5 — Unreliable and NO support

*2023-05-29*

Bought this because I heard about the integration of HomeKit and Shortcuts, and looked forward to tying some of my Aqara devices to my automations. 

When this app works, it works well and as advertised. Would be worth every penny.

The other 90% of the time, it does not work for me. There's no support or help, which I am frustrated by for a paid app.

### 1/5 — Scam/waste of money

*2023-04-28, version 2.2.1*

App does not work with my MacBook Pro and this was not clear before I purchased the app. App says ineligible for refund so this is now just a waste of money.

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — Great app!

*2025-06-16, version 2.9*

Something that Apple should make part of their home app

### 5/5 — Good

*2025-05-20, version 2.9*

Very good

### 5/5 — Simples e genial

*2025-02-09, version 2.9*

Simplesmente funciona.

### 5/5 — dekanka

*2024-10-09, version 2.9*

best off

### 5/5 — Very useful

*2024-05-15*

I find this is a very useful app, as I’m diabetic and I can be signalled when it’s time to take my insulin.

**Developer response:** Hi Graeme Storey,

This is amazing!  I'd love to hear more about how you configured this Signal automation - if you're willing, feel free to reach out at homemadeauto@gmail.com!

Thanks,
M

### 5/5 — Worth it

*2023-07-17*

Not cheap for what its offering but still really good

### 5/5 — Trigger personal shortcuts HomeKit

*2023-04-25*

This app enables you to trigger personal shortcuts using a HomeKit accessory! Has more things start to use Siri Shortcuts, this seems to be excellent solution.

### 5/5 — It has promise

*2023-03-29*

I like the concept and it is made well. However, aside from the pulse command, I don’t believe anything done through this app would be awfully hard to make a shortcut for. Perhaps I missing something? Nevertheless the app has a good foundation to grow on.

### 5/5 — The only way to run shortcuts automatically

*2023-02-07, version 2.2.1*

If you want to have a really smart home, you need this application. Though Apple HomeKit supports shortcuts, it has limited options. This app allows you to run any shortcut with any functionality and therefore allow you to make really complex, expanded automations using smart buttons and other devices. I highly recommend this app.

### 5/5 — Good Product!

*2023-01-25, version 2.2.1*

Good quality Product!

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-31.*