Please read carefully
This explanation is longer than a typical FAQ, but it’s important.
It includes everything you need to know to ensure your Tuiss shades using sun-based timers operate reliably, automatically, and without interruption.
Introduction
Sun-based timers automatically adjust your shades to match local sunrise and sunset times.
To stay accurate, your shades need to sync their internal clocks daily through the app using a Bluetooth® connection.
This background sync feature is designed to reduce manual effort. It keeps your shades automatically aligned with daily sunrise and sunset times, without needing to open the app or manually sync each room.
This process runs automatically in the background—but only when certain conditions are met.
Why is synchronization necessary?
Sunrise and sunset times shift slightly each day, especially in northern regions where the change can be four to six minutes daily.
Daily synchronization ensures your shades continue to follow the correct schedule.
Tuiss doesn’t use a dedicated hub. Instead, your phone or tablet acts as a “hub” when the app is running in the background, updating your shades with sun-based timers each day.
How synchronization works
Synchronization occurs at the room level. Each room can include up to five shades.
When a room syncs successfully, all shades in that room (with one or more sun-based timers) are updated simultaneously.
You’ll see the latest sync time displayed next to each room on the Timer Sync page (under Settings). You can also perform a manual sync from this page if needed.
About background updates
The app attempts several syncs per day until it has tried to update all rooms with sun-based timers.
The timing of these syncs is random and governed by Apple and Google system rules. These rules limit how long and how often the app can run in the background.
If your phone or tablet is away from home during those times, the sync will fail due to being out of Bluetooth range. For best reliability, we recommend using one or more phones or tablets that remain at home with the Tuiss app running in the background. This ensures a stable Bluetooth connection whenever the automatic background sync occurs.
You won’t notice these updates - they run quietly in the background, without LED flashes, motor movement, or beeps. This silent behaviour is supported by the latest firmware. Keeping your shades updated helps avoid unnecessary feedback or interruptions.
Battery usage and background sync
Running the Tuiss app in the background uses a small amount of power, but the impact is typically minimal:
- Bluetooth Low Energy consumes very little power when idle.
- Syncs are brief and occur only a few times per day.
- Battery drain is much lower than GPS, screen use, or streaming.
On iPhones, each background session is short (often under a minute). Android devices behave similarly, depending on system settings.
If you notice increased battery usage, check Settings → Battery → Usage to see if the app is running more often than expected.
Keep the app running
Do not force close the app. When the app remains active in the background, it can manage syncs automatically.
Use a dedicated device and place centrally
The app only updates shades within Bluetooth range.
- Keep your phone or tablet centrally located relative to your shades.
- For best reliability, use one or more devices running the app in the background.
- Place them centrally in your home to ensure connectivity with all shades.
Check your phone settings
Ensure the following are enabled:
- Bluetooth – Required for communication between the app and your shades.
- Background App Refresh (or “Allow background activity”) – Allows the app to run brief sync sessions automatically.
- Location – Only needed the first time you create a sun-based timer. It’s used to detect your time zone and daylight saving schedule, so sunrise and sunset times are calculated correctly.
- Power saving mode – Avoid power-saving settings that may prevent the app from running in the background.
Manual syncing
You can manually sync a room at any time, even if it’s not necessary. However, it’s best to use manual sync only if the automatic background process continues to fail.
To do this, go to the Timer Sync page, move within Bluetooth range, and press Sync for the room that failed.
Notifications for missed syncs
If a room hasn’t synced in a while, you’ll receive a push notification. You can choose to be notified after 1 Day, 3 Days (default), or 1 Week.
Go to Profile → Notifications in the app to adjust this setting.
If a shade keeps failing to sync
If one or more shades haven’t synced for several days, check the following:
- Bluetooth range – The shade may be too far from your device. Try moving the device closer or placing it more centrally.
- Battery level – Low battery in the motor can reduce Bluetooth range and cause sync failures.
- Permissions – Ensure Bluetooth, Location, and Background App Refresh are still enabled.
- App status – Don’t swipe the app away from your recent apps list. Keep it open in the background.