FabianBefore I take a look at version 4.29 of the Philips Hue app, I would like to revisit the topic of Matter. On Friday, I already reported that you can already activate the Matter beta on your bridge via the Hue developer website – mind you, this is a version that is not yet intended for the end consumer.
There are not many possibilities at the moment anyway, because Matter is only in the start-up phase, as we know. In principle, the only thing that is already possible at this point is integration into Apple Home, the successor to HomeKit. But that is precisely what is particularly exciting in the interaction with Matter.
Matter update for Philips Hue is still in beta status
Until now, Apple's prerequisite has been that a bridge paired with HomeKit only passes devices to HomeKit that originate from the manufacturer of the bridge. This is exactly what led to products from Innr, Osram or Ikea not being able to be used with HomeKit via the Hue Bridge. With Matter, things seem to be different, as the following reader's comment makes clear.
After quite a while, the firmware of my Hue Bridge was finally updated and I was able to activate Matter in Apple's Home app. To my surprise, my Innr light strips also appeared in HomeKit.
This means that third-party lights can now be easily controlled via Siri and can also be used in HomeKit automations. At the same time, however, I still recommend you rather wait until the official release of the Matter upgrade for the Hue Bridge, which is announced for early 2023. Then the whole update process should run a little more smoothly.
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I was curious if third party light switches, like the Lutron Aurora, would show up in HomeKit as well as press and hold functionality for all hue light switches in the Home app
Aurora dimmer knobs do not appear in Apple Home (no longer Home Kit.) The benefit though now is that if you have third party bulbs in the hue controlled with an Aurora, those bulbs are now in Apple too.