FabianIf you’re not satisfied with the options offered by the official Hue app, I’d like to introduce you to another candidate today: Hue Essentials. The application can be found in both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. What’s particularly exciting is that Hue Essentials not only runs on iPhone and iPad, but also on Mac.
Hue Essentials recently received an extensive update to version 4.0. This includes a completely new user interface for iPhone and iPad. “There are various improvements for iPad with some fixes for split screen in the app. The update also comes with lots of bug fixes and improved communication with the Hue bridge”, according to the Dutch developers.
I’ll be honest at this point: I personally don’t like the design of Hue Essentials. The app just doesn’t feel like an application that is visually adapted to the iPhone or iPad. But that’s definitely my own opinion, maybe you see things differently. Functionally, however, Hue Essentials offers a number of exciting details, including the configuration of switches and accessories.
The good news: Hue Essentials can be downloaded free of charge from the App Store, so you can easily get your own impression and try out the application without any problems. For some additional functions, such as an effects editor, automations or widgets, a one-off in-app purchase is required, which is currently available for €2.99 and therefore half price. There is also another in-app purchase for connecting multiple Bridges for €5.99.
This is also new in Hue Essentials 4.0
- You can now set a custom effect speed & color for Philips Hue light effects
- Philips Hue lights (Bluetooth) without a bridge now also support all light effects in the color picker
- Philips Hue V2 API is now available in API debugger/explorer
The developer is also working on a major update for the Mac version of Hue Essentials. “This update will include huge performance improvements and also faster startup times for the app. I expect this update to be available in a few weeks,” he says.
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I hate the redesign. I bought Hue Essentials a few months ago and I was very impressed. It had a native design that matched the iPhone and it had advanced automations and rules. I opened the app recently to set up a new light and I was disappointed to see the interface is now based on Google’s Material Design. Even worse, the automations and rules no longer work. The rules won’t save. I can’t set up any automations. I wish I hadn’t updated this app. It’s such a shame because it was so good a few months ago.
Thank you for the app review! Great price by the way.