The Disappointing We-Vibe Jive

 

This was the first ever app controlled remote vibrator that we ever purchased way back in January 2018 so it is safe to say that we have some experience with it.

Alrik originally purchased it while he was away so that we could still play. When it arrived I was pleased as always with Lovehoney’s discreet brown packaging. I was initially impressed by the toy’s feel and shape but compared with other toys that we have purchased since, such as the Lovehoney Dream Rabbit Rechargeable Silicone Thrusting Rabbit Vibrator we have previously reviewed, we now feel that the silicone coating could be better.

Skip forward a few hours and after connecting the toy to my phone, then lubricating and inserting it which was pretty easy, I called Alrik. After a little less that sensual technical issues we managed to connect Alrik’s phone to the toy. Exhilarated by our success we began what we hoped would be a nice hot long distance session, however 5 minutes in we hit our first issue the connection between my phone and the app cut out. After a moment of cursing and pushing the button on the toy and controls on the phone we were reconnected and playing again only for it to drop out again. This happened a few times and the only time that we managed a stable connection was when I placed my phone on the bed no more than a metre away. This meant that I was unable to see the face of my husband who was using the toy give me pleasure and even then as I approached my climax the connection dropped once more. Frustrated we decided to remove the toy and revert to my old rabbit which finished me off nicely.

On Alrik’s return we decide to try the toy once more using his phone however we quickly hit the same issues and gave up trying to use it.

Skip forward a year and Alrik decided to dip his toe once more into the remote toy market again this time purchasing a We-vibe Sync. After our success with this we decided to give the Jive another chance, however despite the app upgrades and reduced connectivity issues we still had problems. Now we are not sure if this was due to the Jive’s weak connection, or the fact that the Sync was bullying it with its stronger signal as it sat charging in its holder, but the connection kept dropping out and the app diverted to the Sync. Either way the Sync won and quickly found it’s self inside me giving me delightful sensations.

Ever determined Alrik has since tested the toy completely isolated from anything else and still encountered connection issues.

 

App

We actually thought the app was pretty good we were both able to quickly pair the toy with our devices and found the various functions to be easy to use and understand. The long distance controls and ability to call and see each other was a particular highlight. There have been various updates to the app which have improved it since 2018. However these don’t seem to have resolved the issues we had with the Jive, however it works brilliantly with the Sync that we own.

 

Connectivity

We have encountered the same connection issues that many other reviewers of this toy have had. This could be down to issues with the software or simply due to the Jive’s antenna not being powerful enough to ensure a strong stable connection. The connection range is honestly not good particularly when compared to the We-Vibe Sync which Alrik has had working from downstairs. We used the toy with a couple of models of Samsung phones (S5 and S7) but can’t vouch for other manufacturers and models which may have fewer issues.

It should be noted that our We-Vibe Sync has only ever failed during a particularly long play session where it turned out we had drained the battery!

 

Feel and play

The feel of the product is quite good but we have since used toys where the silicone coating feels sooooo much better. Anna has never been that taken by love eggs much to Alrik’s disappointment, and though the vibrations and sensations generated by the toy are nice she has many other toys that she would reach for first. We might have warmed up to it a bit more if it didn’t have the connection issues but every time we get going the connection drops killing the mood.

This toy could be really good particularly when combined with manual clitoral stimulation or with other toys but the connection issue mean we never get that far. The toy is submersible so could be great for underwater play but again we have never got that far due to the issues.

 

Public play

On the face of it this toy would naturally lend itself to public play but we have never managed to get that far as the connection issues would completely ruin the mood and fun. The toy is pretty quiet so we do think it would be fun to use in this setting.

 

Conclusion

The We-Vibe Jive has a lot of potential it is submersible, quiet, remote operated, USB rechargeable, easy to fit and the app is great. But and it is a huge BUT the connection issues just ruin it, you can’t rely on it to stay connected or indeed quick reconnect. We have frequently found ourselves cursing it dropping out just as we have been having fun. And for that reason we wouldn’t recommend it and would give it 3 out of 5 stars.

It would be interesting to try a newer version of it as some of the more recent reviews we have seen have said the connection was better but we won’t be spending money on it. One bitten twice shy……

On a side note we would definitely recommend the We-Vibe Sync which we will be writing a review for later.