NOTE: These instructions are only for the Airnoise Flic button. If you have a different button, please see this article.
The Airnoise Flic button makes it quick and easy to search for aircraft near you and generate a noise complaint without having to access your phone or computer. It uses Bluetooth technology to communicate with your phone and, in turn, trigger a search on Airnoise. The button needs to be within about 50 feet or so of your phone to work, depending on what's between the button and your phone. If you live in a castle made of heavy stone or a lead coffin, you might need to be closer!
NOTE: Have your Flic button handy as you go through these setup instructions -- you'll need it a few steps in.
Also, once you have the app installed on your device, the whole process should only take about two minutes. The process is pretty bomb-proof, and since it's so quick, you might want to read through all of the instructions first if you're the kind of person who wants to know all the details ahead of time. Otherwise, just jump in -- you're gonna do great!
Step-by-step instructions
1. To setup your button, you first need to install the Flic app on your iOS device (iPhone or iPad). Use this link from your device: Flic app on Apple App Store
2. When you first open the app, it will ask you if you want to allow notifications. Totally up to you -- either "allow" or "disallow" is fine for our purposes.
IMPORTANT!! The app will also ask you to allow the Flic app to use Bluetooth on your device. You must click "allow" otherwise the button will not be able to connect to your phone and therefore won't work.
You'll need to agree to the Terms of Service to continue, then click "CREATE ACCOUNT". If you already have a Flic account, go ahead and use "SIGN IN".
3. Fill in your email, name, and a password, and click "CREATE ACCOUNT" again. You may see a pop-up message asking if you want to subscribe to the Flick Newsletter -- totally optional.
4. Once you've created your account, you should see this next page. Tap "PHONE" to add your Flic button to your phone.
5. Click the "Add Flic to Phone" button to pair and add your Flic button to your phone.
6. Grab your Flic button, it's time to connect it! As the screen below says, press and hold the button until you see it connect. Yes, you might have to hold it for 10 seconds, but you can do it!
7. When the Flic app and the button connect, you'll see this:
8. Once the button is fully connected with the app, you should see the "Pairing complete!" message with the awesome Airnoise button logo, as shown below. Go ahead and click the "Finish" button.
9. Once you click "Finish" you should see the button listed on the "PHONE" tab of the Flic app. Currently, every button you add will be called "Airnoise" by default, so if you pair more than one it might not be obvious which one is which on this page. But see the help section at the bottom of these setup instructions for how to change the name of the button.
10. At this point, your button is totally ready to go, but hold your horses for a sec! If you tap the button icon on this screen (not the actual physical button, just the picture of the button, like the one shown above -- but in your Flic app), you'll see a page with button status and information about your Airnoise account.
NOTE: The serial number of the button is shown on this page, but if you take a close look at the actual button, you won't find the serial number on it. If you have more than one button, you can use a Sharpie to write the serial number on the paper on the back of the button, but realize this paper is covering a sitcky pad that you can use to affix your button to any smooth surface, so it's not permanent.
11. As we said, your button is now ready to be used. If you want to give it a quick test spin without generating a complaint, you can press and hold it for 2-3 seconds for a "long" press that just sends you an email letting you know it's working. Otherwise, a single, quick click will search for the aircraft nearest to you.
Watch the icon on the screen in the Flic app when you press and hold the button -- did you see it wiggle a little? This is one way to tell it's working. You'll also see a green light on the button itself. Check out the video below!
Other important information
Button Range
The Airnoise Flic button needs to be in range of your phone in order to work. Since most folks have their phone on or near them regularly, this shouldn't be an issue. If you don't usually carry your phone with you at home or wherever you want to use your button, there is a way to find out how far away you can be from the button and still be in range.
Open the Flic app "PHONE" page that lists your buttons. Leave your button behind and start walking away from it slowly. When you get out of range, the page will dim a bit and show "Out of range" in the top-left corner, as shown below. As you walk back toward the button, it should come back in range.
Use this distance as a general guideline when you use the button in this location. Please remember that the usable range will vary based on the physical properties of the structure you're in.
Rename, Connect, Disconnect, or Delete an Airnoise Flic Button
You can rename your button by accessing the button settings on the button details page. Tap the gear icon in the top-right corner, as shown below. You can also connect, disconnect, or delete it from this page.
NOTE: Deleting an Airnoise button from the Flic app does not delete it from your Airnoise account, it simply unpairs and removes it from the app on your phone. You can use the same pairing process in these instructions to re-add it anytime.
Flic App Settings
If you click the "3-dot" icon in the top-right corner of the screen that lists the buttons, you can access the "Settings" menu. There are two things of note here:
Enable Location Services: If this is turned on, when you click the Airnoise Flic button, the current location of your phone will be sent to Airnoise along with the click information. We don't currently do anything with this information if you send it, and all data is maintained with strict privacy, but please be aware that's what will happen if you enable this feature.
Button Notifications: When you click your Flic button, you can use this setting to control what your phone does in terms of notifications when it receives the click. The choices are pretty self-explanatory, so set it however you like.
