Make WLED Lights Flash for a Text or a Timer, Step by Step

Light Alerts make your lights flash for a few seconds when something happens, then go right back to what they were doing. A text from your partner, the oven timer, someone tapping a sticker on the fridge.

Setting one up has two parts, and most people only find the first one:

Make the alert in WLED Max. This is how it looks: the color, the style and which lights flash.
Tell your phone when to flash it. On iPhone that happens in Apple’s Shortcuts app. On Android you put it on your home screen or use an automation app.

Your phone has to be on the same Wi-Fi as your lights when the alert runs. Away from home it can’t reach them.

Part 1: make an alert in WLED Max

This part is the same on iOS and Android.

Open WLED Max and go to Settings›Light Alerts.
Tap one of the ready-made alerts to start from it, or tap New Alert. On iPhone the ready-made ones are Someone texted, Doorbell, Laundry done and Dinner's ready. On Android they are Dinner's ready, Laundry done, Print finished and Bedtime.
Pick a style and a color, and check which lights should flash.
Tap Test on My Lights. Your lights flash, then go back to what they were showing. Tap Save.

After you save, WLED Max shows a card with the next step. On iPhone tap Set Up in Shortcuts, on Android tap Run Automatically. The app then walks you through part 2 one step at a time, and you can switch back and forth between the apps. The steps below are the same ones, so you can also follow along here.

Tip

Tapped Not Now by mistake, or want the same alert for something else too? Each saved alert has a Set Up in Shortcuts button on iPhone and a Run Automatically button on Android that starts the same walkthrough.

Part 2 on iPhone: the Shortcuts app

Shortcuts is Apple’s free app for making your iPhone do things on its own. If it’s not on your phone, get it from the App Store first. You’ll also need to open WLED Max once after installing it, or Shortcuts won’t list its Flash Lights action yet.

Apple changed the Shortcuts app in iOS 27, so there are two sets of steps. To see which iOS you have, open Settings, then General, then About, and look at iOS Version.

Recipe 1: flash when a certain person texts you

This is the best one to try first. It works on every iPhone and you can test it in a minute.

On iOS 27 and later

Open Shortcuts and tap the + button at the bottom. Don't see it? Tap the back arrow at the top left until you see All Shortcuts.
If you see a box that says Describe a shortcut, tap Edit at the top right.
At the bottom, under the search field, tap Automation, then Message. A card appears that says When I receive a message where.
The card says Sender is Sender. Tap the second, faded Sender on the right and pick the person.
Tap the blue arrow next to "where". Leave Automation on and make sure Confirm Before Run is off, so it doesn't ask you first.
Tap Search at the bottom and type Flash Lights. Tap Flash Lights, the one with the WLED Max icon. A card that says Flash Alert appears.
Tap the light blue word Alert and choose your alert.
Tap the back arrow at the top left. That's it, the shortcut is saved.

On iOS 17, 18 and 26

Open Shortcuts and tap Automation at the bottom. Don't see the tabs? Tap the back arrow at the top left first.
Tap New Automation. If you already have automations, tap + at the top right instead.
Scroll down and tap Message.
Tap Any Sender next to Sender and pick the person.
Tap Run Immediately, then tap Next. If you see Notify When Run, you can turn it off.
Tap New Blank Automation. On iOS 26 it's called Create New Shortcut.
Tap Search Actions, type Flash Lights and tap Flash Lights, the one with the WLED Max icon.
In the action, tap Alert and choose your alert.
Tap Done at the top right. On iOS 26 it's a checkmark.

Now ask that person to send you a text. Your lights flash a few seconds after it arrives.

Recipe 2: flash when your doorbell rings

Let’s be clear about this one first. The Home app can’t start a WLED Max alert, even when your doorbell is in the Home app, and Shortcuts has no “doorbell pressed” trigger. What does work is your iPhone listening for the chime with Sound Recognition, a hearing feature built into iOS.

Open the Settings app and tap Accessibility. On iOS 26 and later, tap Sound & Name Recognition, then Sound Recognition. On iOS 17 and 18, tap Sound Recognition.
Turn on Sound Recognition. Your iPhone may need a minute to download the sounds.
Tap Sounds and turn on Doorbell.
Now follow recipe 1, but pick Sound Recognition instead of Message, then choose Doorbell as the sound.

Test it by ringing the doorbell with your iPhone nearby. If it doesn’t react to your chime, go back to Sounds and add your own doorbell under the custom doorbell option, then let your iPhone listen to it once.

Good to know

Your iPhone has to hear the doorbell, so this works best when the phone is in the same part of the house. Apple says not to rely on Sound Recognition in situations where you could be hurt, so treat it as a nice extra, not a safety alarm.

Recipe 3: laundry or the oven is done

Shortcuts can’t see your washer, but it can see an alarm. When you start a load, set an alarm in the Clock app for when the cycle ends.

Follow recipe 1, but pick Alarm instead of Message. On iOS 27 it says When Any Alarm Goes Off, and you can tap Any Alarm to pick one. On older versions, tap Goes Off. Then add Flash Lights and your alert like before.

On iOS 27 there’s one more option. If your washer or dryer has an app that sends a notification when it’s done, pick Notification instead and choose that app. Older iOS versions don’t have this trigger.

Recipe 4: dinner’s ready, at the tap of a sticker

An NFC (near-field communication) sticker is a cheap tag your iPhone can read when you hold it close. Stick one on the fridge, and tapping your iPhone on it flashes the lights in the kids’ rooms or the office.

Follow recipe 1, but pick NFC instead of Message. Tap Scan, hold the top of your iPhone near the sticker and give it a name like Dinner. Then add Flash Lights and your alert. Any NTAG215 or NTAG213 sticker works, and you need an iPhone XS or newer.

You can also flash at a set time each day with the Time of Day trigger, or when you get home with Arrive.

Siri

Every shortcut you make has a name. Rename one to something short, like Dinner, and you can say “Hey Siri, Dinner” to flash your lights. To rename it, open the shortcut, tap its name at the top and tap Rename.

Part 2 on Android

On Android, WLED Max gives you two ways to run an alert. The app walks you through both after you tap Run Automatically on the card or on a saved alert.

A button on your home screen

Open the alert in WLED Max and tap Add to Home Screen, then tap Add in the window that opens. Tap the new icon and your lights flash. This is the quickest way to call the kids for dinner.

On its own, with MacroDroid or Tasker

To flash without touching anything, like at a set time or when an app shows a notification, Android needs a helper app. WLED Max works with MacroDroid (free on Google Play, easiest for beginners) and Tasker (paid, with more options). Get one from Google Play first. Here is the MacroDroid version:

Open MacroDroid and tap Add Macro.
Next to Triggers, tap +. Pick what starts it. For a set time, search for Day/Time, set the time and days and tap OK. For a notification, search for Notification, choose Notification Received, pick the app and tap OK. For a sticker, search for NFC and choose NFC Tag.
Next to Actions, tap +. Search for Plugin and tap Tasker/Locale Plugin. Don't worry about the name, it works with MacroDroid too.
Tap WLED Max Light Alert. WLED Max opens. Tap your alert.
Type a name for the macro at the top, then tap the checkmark at the bottom right to save.

In Tasker it’s the same idea: a profile with your trigger, and a task with a Plugin action that picks WLED Max Light Alert. The walkthrough in the app has the Tasker steps too.

It didn’t flash? Check these

Your phone isn’t on your home Wi-Fi. Alerts only work when the phone is on the same network as the lights.
The iPhone asked first and waited. On iOS 27, open the shortcut, tap the blue arrow on the first card and turn off Confirm Before Run. On older versions, open the automation in the Automation tab and choose Run Immediately.
WLED Max can’t reach your lights. On iPhone, open Settings, then WLED Max, and turn on Local Network.
Flash Lights isn’t in the Shortcuts search. Update WLED Max to version 1.1.4 or later and open it once.
Your alert isn’t in the list. Save it in WLED Max first, then pick it again.
The doorbell recipe missed the ring. Check that Doorbell is on under Sound Recognition and move your iPhone closer.
Android stopped it to save battery. In Android Settings, open Apps, then MacroDroid (or Tasker), then Battery, and choose Unrestricted. Do the same for WLED Max. Also check that the macro’s switch is on.
The light ignored it. Test the alert in WLED Max. If the light is set to ignore other apps, the app shows a button to allow alerts again.

Going further

Have Home Assistant, or want to flash your lights from a script on your computer? That’s covered in flash your WLED lights for the doorbell, laundry or a finished print, written for people who like to tinker. For more of what Shortcuts and Siri can do with your lights, see WLED with iPhone Shortcuts and Siri, and for Android automation apps in general, WLED with Tasker and MacroDroid.