FlowState — Support

iPhone · VESC · Refloat

✦ FlowState

The companion app for electric boards running the VESC firmware with the Refloat package — live ride data, tune management, and ride recording, over Bluetooth.

iOS 17+ VESC + Refloat Bluetooth

An independent, community-made tool. Not affiliated with Future Motion, the VESC project, or the Refloat package.

What it does

Everything your board is telling you

FlowState reads live data from the Refloat package on your VESC and gives you the tools to understand and tune your ride.

Live Dashboard

Speed, battery, duty, amps, range estimate, and footpad & roll indicators at a glance.

Ride Alerts

Configurable warnings for pushback, footpad sensors, and battery state.

Tune Editor & Library

Read, adjust, apply, and save board tunes — with a diff against what's on the board.

Ride Summaries

GPS route maps, trip stats, and a rolling 30-day history.

Smart-BMS Support

Per-cell voltages and live balancing status on supported BMS boards.

Recording & Themes

In-app screen + camera capture with gauge overlays, plus theme and LED customization.

Good to know

Hidden gestures

A few shortcuts that aren't obvious the first time.

Answers

Frequently asked

How do I connect my board?

Power on your board, open the Connect tab, and pick your board from the list. Make sure Bluetooth is on and you've granted FlowState the Bluetooth permission. FlowState talks to the Refloat package on your VESC — if your board isn't running Refloat, it won't appear.

Why does the app ask for Location, Bluetooth, and Camera?

Bluetooth connects to your board — it's the core of the app.

Location records your ride route and keeps trip, odometer, and top-speed accurate while your phone is locked in a pocket during a ride.

Camera & Microphone are used only when you start an in-app recording.

FlowState still works without Location or Camera — you'll just lose route maps and recording.

My trip distance didn't reset — is that a bug?

The tripometer auto-resets after your board has been disconnected for a set time (default 2 hours). You can change that — or turn it off — in Settings ▸ Trip. Staying connected, even parked and idle, keeps the trip counting. You can always reset it manually by long-pressing TRIP on the Dashboard.

Is it safe to change my tune?

Tune changes affect how your board rides. Apply is temporary and clears on power-cycle; Write saves permanently to the board. Only make changes you understand, start conservative, and test at low speed in a safe area. FlowState is a tool — you're responsible for your board's setup.

Does FlowState check my board and motor configuration?

Not the way Float Control does. FlowState reads and adjusts Refloat's settings, but it doesn't validate your overall VESC/motor configuration, so it won't warn you about an improper setup. After first setting up your board — or after any reconfiguration — it's a good idea to run Float Control's checks to confirm everything is sound before you ride.

How do purchases and the Retro Arcade theme work?

FlowState is free. The Retro Arcade theme is a one-time in-app purchase — a “Donator Bonus” that helps cover Apple's developer fees. If you reinstall or switch devices, tap Settings ▸ Restore Purchases to get it back at no charge. Refunds are handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Do you collect my data?

No accounts, no servers. Your ride logs, tunes, and stats stay on your device. See Privacy for details.

Releases

Version status

FlowState checks this list and lets you know in the app if the version you're running has a known issue. Updating is always through the App Store.

VersionStatusNotes
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Get help

Contact support

This is a one-person project, so please allow a few days for a reply. Email is the best way to reach us.

  • Your iPhone model and iOS version
  • Your board and firmware (VESC + Refloat version)
  • What happened, and the steps to reproduce it

Your data

Privacy

FlowState is built to keep your data on your device.

A full Privacy Policy is published separately and linked in the App Store listing.

Please read

Safety

Riding electric boards carries a risk of serious injury. Changing tune parameters can change how your board behaves.

Always wear protective gear, ride within your limits, and test any configuration change carefully at low speed. FlowState is an independent, unofficial tool — not affiliated with Future Motion, the VESC project, or the Refloat package. Use at your own risk.

Transparency

How FlowState was built — and what it can't do

Since a few riders have asked: FlowState was made by an independent solo developer with the help of Claude, an AI coding assistant from Anthropic. That's fair to want to know when you're trusting an app with your board — so here's exactly where the guardrails are. It's been thoroughly tested on real hardware, and built to stay firmly within safe boundaries.

And to answer the question directly — FlowState doesn't “run” or control your board. The riding happens entirely on the board, in layers:

On the boardVESC firmware — runs the motor.
On the boardRefloat — does the real-time self-balancing, many times a second. This is the software that actually controls your ride: open-source, human-written firmware, running on the board.
On your phoneFlowState — shows the data Refloat broadcasts and, only when you choose, sets Refloat's settings within its limits. Never in the control loop.

Your board rides exactly the same whether your phone is connected, pocketed, dead, or not there at all — and nothing is “AI-controlled” while you ride. Claude helped write the app's code during development; on a ride it's an ordinary app reading data and passing along a setting when you tap one. In short: FlowState monitors and configures; Refloat controls.

FlowState was inspired by Float Control and Floaty, and owes a lot to them — sincere credit and thanks to their creators for paving the way for tools like this.