Bad Blue switch as AUX?

We have some pre-ordered Blue switches that had pairing issues and are being replaced as part of the recall. Can we use these as aux switches, since they wouldn’t need to be paired in that state?

Although this was asked in the official thread, I’m not clear on if these can be used with a fully-paired working Blue in a 3-way setup.

As AUX switches, no. As smart switches in a multi-way setup, maybe.

I have some “bad blues” temporarily in multi-way setups until their replacements arrive. One works well, and the two in a 4-way setup work at least mostly.

You would need to be able to pair them to a hub at least temporarily to set up the direct binding. Whether and how well the binding works will depend on how close the “main” switch is, among other potential issues.

EDIT: I originally mentioned the possibility of using a bad blue as a dumb switch in a multi-way, but now that I think about it, I don’t think that’s doable. Or at least I’m unsure.