Christmas is creeping up fast, and if you've got LIFX lights at home there's a brilliant little update hiding in your app. LIFX has completely redesigned its Paint feature for Polychrome lights, and it makes festive colour patterns (think candy cane stripes along the pergola) ridiculously easy. Here's what's new, which lights it works with, and how we'd use it to get your place looking merry this season.
What's new: LIFX Paint gets a proper glow-up
LIFX's Polychrome lights have always been the fun ones, because each light is split into separate colour zones you can paint individually. The catch was the old paint tool. Even LIFX admits it was "more Atari 2600 than Nintendo Switch". With app version 4.46.0 and later, that's changed. According to LIFX's own support notes, the Paint feature has been rebuilt from scratch after the team asked users what they actually wanted to do with it.
The redesigned Paint works across the Polychrome range: Beam, Lightstrips and Candles, plus the newer String Lights, Neon Flex, Ceiling lights and Luna.
SuperColour Gradients
Until now, the Moods library was the only way to get those smooth blended gradients. Now you can build your own, with four modes:
- Contrast: preset complementary colours 120° apart on the colour wheel, for bold, punchy looks.
- Adjacent: closer matching colours 45° apart, for soft, harmonious blends.
- Tints: a saturation gradient on a single colour, lovely for a calm, one-colour scene.
- Custom: pick every colour yourself and go wild.
Brightness and on/off by zone
This one's a big deal for linear lights like String Lights, Neon Flex and Lightstrips. With the new Zone Selector, you can pick specific zones and change their colour or brightness, or turn them off completely. Want a run of lights to glow brighter over the outdoor table, or a section of strip to stay dark behind the couch? Easy. As LIFX puts it, no need to cut your lights with scissors.
Zone Selector presets (hello, candy canes)
Tapping every zone one by one gets old quickly, so LIFX added presets:
- Odds & Evens: flip between odd and even zones in one tap. LIFX specifically calls out Christmas candy canes as the perfect use. Red on the odds, white on the evens, done.
- Zone Switch: swap between your selected and unselected zones.
- Delete: clear your selection and start fresh.
- Revert: step back to your previous selection.
Our favourite LIFX lights to paint this Christmas
The more zones a light has, the more fun the new Paint tools become. These are the ones we'd reach for this December.
1. LIFX SuperColour Outdoor String Lights
If you only grab one thing for Christmas, make it these. Each 7.3m LIFX SuperColour Outdoor String Light has 12 bulbs, and every bulb has 3 addressable zones, for 36 zones per string. You can connect up to 3 kits for a total of 21.9m, which covers a decent stretch of verandah, fence or pergola.
With Odds & Evens, you can set alternating red and white for a classic candy cane, or red and green for something more traditional. Then, come January, switch the whole string back to a warm white for summer barbecues. One set of lights, all year round.
2. LIFX Outdoor Neon Flex
For a more architectural look outdoors, the LIFX Outdoor Neon Flex is 5m of water-resistant Neon Flex you can shape around pathways, landscaping or the lines of the house. It's a Polychrome light with 60 addressable colour zones, so Odds & Evens is just as much fun here: candy cane stripes along a verandah edge, or a red and white outline around a garden feature.
Come January, you can switch it back to a warm ambience for summer nights outside. Same set of lights, a completely different mood.
3. LIFX Indoor Neon Flex
The LIFX Indoor Neon Flex is a bendable light rope with a soft matte silicone finish, so it looks like a glowing line of neon rather than a strip of dots. It comes in 2m and 5m lengths. Run it along a mantel, frame a window, outline the TV unit or shape it around the tree area.
This is where the new per-zone brightness really shines. You can light just the section you want, dim the bits near the couch, and paint a soft Adjacent gradient of greens and golds for a cosy Christmas Eve feel.
4. LIFX Lightstrip Starter Kit
If you'd rather tuck the light out of sight, the LIFX Lightstrip Starter Kit is a 2m Polychrome strip (two 1m sections) with 8 addressable colour zones per metre. It sits neatly behind most large TVs (46" and above) or along a shelf.
Paint a red and white Odds & Evens pattern for a little festive surprise when the telly is off, or a soft Tints gradient of green behind the TV unit. You can add 1m extensions later if you want a longer run, up to 10m in total.
5. LIFX Beam Kit
The LIFX Beam Kit comes with 6 Beams and 1 corner piece, giving you 61 customisable zones. Arrange them in a line, an L shape or your own pattern on the wall. It's a favourite for gaming setups and home offices, and with the new gradients you can give the study a festive makeover in seconds, then flip it back to bright focus lighting when it's time to work.
Quick ideas to try this festive season
- Candy cane verandah: String Lights plus Odds & Evens in red and white. Or run Outdoor Neon Flex along a pathway or the edge of the house in the same pattern.
- Christmas tree glow: Neon Flex behind the tree in a Tints gradient of deep green.
- Front window welcome: Neon Flex around the window in red and gold, scheduled on at sunset.
- Festive TV glow: Lightstrip behind the telly in red and white, or a soft green Tints gradient.
- Festive desk: Beam in a Contrast gradient, with a routine that changes it back to cool white on weekday mornings.
How to get the update
The new Paint experience needs LIFX app version 4.46.0 or later. Update the LIFX app from the App Store or Google Play, open one of your Polychrome lights, and you'll find the new paint controls there. If your lights are already set up, there's nothing new to buy.
FAQ
Do I need a hub to use the new Paint feature?
No. LIFX lights connect over Wi-Fi, so all you need is the LIFX app on version 4.46.0 or later.
Which LIFX lights work with it?
LIFX lists the Polychrome range: Beam, Lightstrips, Candles, String Lights, Neon Flex, Ceiling lights and Luna. The zone on/off and brightness controls are aimed at linear lights like String Lights, Neon Flex and Lightstrips.
Can I turn off part of a string or strip without cutting it?
Yes. The Zone Selector lets you switch off any sections you don't need, right from the app.
Will my LIFX lights still work with my smart home?
LIFX's SuperColour range supports Matter, so it can work alongside Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa and other Matter platforms, plus the LIFX app and voice control.
Light up your Christmas with LIFX
LIFX started out in Melbourne, and it's great to see the brand still giving its lights fresh tricks long after you've bought them. As a family business, we love helping customers get more out of the lights they already own, so if you've got questions about which LIFX lights suit your space, just get in touch. Browse our String Lights, Outdoor Neon Flex, Indoor Neon Flex, Lightstrip Starter Kit and Beam Kit and start painting your Christmas.
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