AI assistant appears in the Hue app for the first time

Yesterday, the Philips Hue app was updated to version 5.38.1. An update on a Sunday? That’s a pretty unusual thing, but Philips Hue wanted to remove the Hue Secure doorbell we discovered from the app as quickly as possible. This was achieved with the update – but a few other lines of code were probably changed at the same time. At least something has changed in the Hue app.

On the start page of the Philips Hue app, there used to be an icon with a magnifying glass at the bottom right. You could use this to easily search for rooms, scenes and lights. With the update to version 5.38.1, the magnifying glass icon has been replaced by a new icon that is supposed to stand for an AI assistant.

However: Unfortunately, the functionality has not changed with the update. Even if it says AI Assistant, it still only opens the normal, familiar search function. At least that’s the case on the two iPhones I used to test the update.

AI Assistant to launch in selected markets in 2025

The AI assistant has been announced since January. “Philips Hue is introducing the first generative AI assistant in the Hue app, which enables personalized light scenes according to mood, occasion or style,” it said in a press release. You will be able to issue commands via text input or voice to create the perfect lighting atmosphere. According to information from Philips Hue at the time, the function will initially be launched in English and will only be available in selected markets. So far there is only a first screenshot:

Perhaps more has already been done on your device? Feel free to write a comment below this article or send me a message directly if you can already use the new AI assistant.

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Philips Hue

Developer: Signify Netherlands B.V.

Price: Free

Download QR-Code

‎Philips Hue

Developer: Signify Netherlands B.V.

Price: Free⁺