FabianAt a rather unusual time, Philips Hue released an update in the App Store on Sunday. Version 5.51 is now also available for iPhone and iPad, after the update was released a few days earlier in the Google Play Store as an exception. However, there are no major new features in this update. The update description simply states: “Various bug fixes and stability improvements.”
Now that Sonos Voice Control, one of the announced new software features, has been activated, we still have to wait for a few other features. Specifically, I have two areas in mind.
Here’s what I expect from the upcoming updates
Free video recording with Hue Secure: In the future, Hue Secure cameras will store recorded events in the cloud for 24 hours free of charge. I expect this feature to be activated by the launch of the Hue Secure Video Doorbell in October.
Improvement for MotionAware: The new Hue MotionAware is quite exciting, but it also has a limitation. The system does not yet know how bright it is in your home in order to switch the lights on and off accordingly. Currently, the only data sources available in the settings for a motion zone with MotionAware are sunrise and sunset. Soon, it will also be possible to use the brightness sensor of motion sensors in the home for this purpose.
These features will be available later this year.
Also coming later this year: integration of Hue Secure cameras into Apple Home, smoke detector alarm detection with Hue Secure cameras, and migration from more than one Hue Bridge to the new Hue Bridge Pro. However, I expect these features to be available in November or December.
Thanks for the update. Even though 5.51 is just bug fixes it is good to see stability being prioritized. Really looking forward to the free 24 hour event storage and MotionAware improvements those could make Hue Secure much more practical for daily use.