This is what a Dash Button looks like when you take it out of the box. The black loop around the button allows you to hang it on a wall or a hook.
But the loop is removable, so if you want to just stick it somewhere instead, you can do that viau00a0the reusable adhesive on the button’s back.”This is the flip side of the back button. You can peelu00a0the blue cover off to get to the adhesive.”The Dash Button comes with a small set-up guide that explains to you how to use the Amazon mobile app to configure your button.”The first step is connecting your Dash Button to your home’s Wi-Fi network. This step was really annoying because you had to enter this information for each button you set up – it’s not stored for you.
(And you might not rememberu00a0youru00a0Wi-Fi password, and have to go look it up!)”The set-up wizard may instruct you to turn up your iPhone’s volume before proceeding. That’s because the Dash Button receives ultrasonic tones from your iPhone to complete setup.
(The buttons work with iPhone or Android, but we tested with iPhone.)”Next, you’ll need to press and hold your Dash Button until the light flashes blue.
Amazon says thisu00a0may take up to one minute, but ouru00a0button set up much quicker than that.”When the light is blue, you can connect your button.”This screen shows you how to orient the button next to your iPhone. Amazon suggests doing this on a flat surface.”With the button lit up, you place it facing your iPhone’s speaker.”After this screen, you’ll see a brief “Success” screen to let you know the connection worked. You’re then taken to product selection.”Now it’s time to pick which SKU you want associated with your Amazon Dash button. Amazon gives you a variety of choices, depending on the item.
For example, you can order Bounty paper towels in 8-, 12- or 16-packs. Or you can order napkins.
Other popular brands include: Tide, Cottonelle, Glad, Clorox, Gatorade, Maxwell House, smartwater, Izze, Kraft Mac & Cheese, Larabar, Olay, Gillette, Lu2019Oreal, Gerber, Huggies and Wellness.”Wow, look at these prices! $30 for 12 paper towel rolls?! It’s too bad Amazon doesn’t offer more affordable SKUs here.nnAmazon is showing Bounty’su00a0″Huge” towels, which are priced the same on Walmart. But not everyone wants the priciest SKU.nnA search on Walmart for “bounty paper towels” shows that there are more affordable 12-roll packs available. For example,u00a0Walmart hasu00a012 “Mega” rolls for justu00a0over half the price of the “Huge” towels.nnBut Amazon only lets you pick from Huge, Select-A-Size or Napkins.nnIt would be great to associate the button with any Bounty SKU that you wanted, not a subset of choices.nI guess convenience is expensive?”Okay, time to place an order! You just push the button – really, that’s it! The button blinks white and then turns to a solid green to let you know your order was successfully placed.
Amazon charges the card you have on file and associated with your 1-click settings, so you never have to enter your payment information.”You’ll also get an immediate push notification on your iPhone to let you know your order went through. (This came so quickly, I still had the Camera app open.)
You can also use the Amazon app to get other Dash Button notifications, including info about your shipments, today’s deals, when your Subscribe & Save order is shipping, Dash Button updates, and more.
By default, only your shipments and Dash Button updates are turned on.”You can tap the push notification or go into the Amazon app directly to view your order details, just as you would any other order.
The products that are included in Prime’s selection will ship as quickly as any other Prime order.
Oh, and by default, theu00a0Dash Button will not complete a new order until your current order has arrived. (You can override this in settings if you want, but it’s probably a bad idea!)”
At first, everyone thought they were an April Fool’s joke. But Amazon Dash buttons are real, and just this past week, they became available to all Amazon Prime members for a mere $5 apiece. (Hey, Amazon, shouldn’t they be free?)
The buttons are physical hardware devices that you set up to be associated with a particular SKU on Amazon, allowing you to easily reorder common household products, like paper towels, detergent, toilet paper, diapers, personal care items, as well as groceries and pet supplies.
We ordered some Dash buttons for ourselves to see how they work.
Sarah has worked as a reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011. She joined the company after having previously spent over three years at ReadWriteWeb. Prior to her work as a reporter, Sarah worked in I.T. across a number of industries, including banking, retail and software.
You can contact or verify outreach from Sarah by emailing sarahp@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at sarahperez.01 on Signal.
