Users clip two cables onto their phone in the location where the refresh button and blocks appear in the Flex app. There are also devices called autotappers or block grabbers that automate the physical action of tapping the app.
Two Flex drivers who use Flex Utility said they haven't been suspended by Amazon when they've used the tool. The Flex Utility developer claims his app doesn't violate Amazon's terms of service because the user has to manually click the Flex Utility button in the Flex app.
The app is "quite a bit faster" than a human because it can filter, select and swipe blocks "within a millisecond, while it would take a human at least several seconds," said the developer behind the Flex Utility app, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Drivers can specify what kinds of blocks they'd like to grab based on the pickup center, time of day and type of block. The Flex Utility tool refreshes the Flex app, filters out blocks that don't match the user's search criteria and then places the button over appropriate blocks.
Once scripts became too expensive, he began using a third-party app called Flex Utility, which costs about $20 to download from the Google Play Store.įlex Utility uses an Android phone's accessibility features to create a virtual button that's overlaid onto the Flex app.
One Flex driver told CNBC he has used a variety of bots to help him secure blocks in his hometown of Miami, where he said there are a lot of Flexers and, as a result, higher competition. Drivers pay as much as $500 for access to a script, making it one of the more costly methods. When the script detects that a new block is available, it's able to grab the blocks before they're released to other users. One program, called Zero Flex, uses a script to analyze network traffic between the Flex app on a user's device and Amazon's servers. "The use of third party tools to accept work creates an unfair advantage, is against our policies, and can result in removal from the Amazon Flex program." Faster than a human "We're committed to creating fair opportunities for our delivery partners to secure delivery blocks," the spokesperson said. "It's completely unpredictable."Īn Amazon spokesperson told CNBC that the company prohibits the use of bots. "You start to learn when shifts become available, but there's no guarantee you'll open the app and something will be there," Polenz said.
In his two years as a Flex driver in Florida, Polenz said he has learned that Amazon usually drops new shifts in the app around 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. "We all have to fight for a meal and literally have to manually tap several times per second, nonstop, until we see a block."ĭrivers also join Facebook groups for other Flexers in their neighborhood, where people alert group members when shifts are posted, said Chad Polenz, an Amazon Flex driver and YouTuber who posts videos about his experience as a gig economy worker. "Their business model is basically one that acts like someone tossing a fish into a bucket of lobsters," said Jonathan Lee Provost, a former Flex driver. Some of them spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation from Amazon. Many have grown frustrated with the intense and often unpredictable nature of grabbing shifts, or they simply want to make more money, according to several current and former Flex drivers. But they also run the risk of Amazon suspending them from the app, since the Flex terms of service prohibit the use of programs or scripts "for the purpose of surveying, manipulating or data mining." If drivers are blocked from using the app, they can't get Flex jobs.ĭespite the risks, bots have become an increasingly common tool for Flex drivers.
Drivers earn $18 to $25 an hour depending on the type of block, but as independent contractors, they're responsible for any costs associated with their vehicle, like gas, tolls and maintenance.īy letting a bot do some of the gruntwork, users can get blocks faster than a human would be able to. The program uses everyday drivers to deliver packages from their own vehicles and operates in about 50 cities. But for many drivers, bots are their key to making Flex work worthwhile.Īmazon Flex, launched in 2015, remains a side hustle for some drivers, but for others, it has become one of their primary sources of income. Using a bot is technically cheating and against Amazon's policies. Bots also remove some of the frustrations of the Flex app, like having to hit refresh constantly.
In response, some Flex drivers have begun using bots - combinations of hardware and software meant to mimic the action of tapping on blocks - to increase their odds of winning a coveted shift.