Apart from the numerous Black Friday deals I collected for hueblog.de this week, it has been pretty quiet over the last few days. Even the biweekly mandatory update for the Philips Hue app turned out to be pretty small. “Various bug fixes and stability improvements” is all that the update description for version 5.56.0 of the Hue app says.
Originally, I had considered complaining in my little personal blog this weekend that Black Friday, the shopping day of the year, feels like it’s lasting two weeks this year. But honestly, this is nothing new; it’s been like this for the past few years. The actual Black Friday is not until November 28, but you’ve been able to shop at Philips Hue at a special price since November 13.
This week, the Connectivity Standards Alliance, which includes Philips Hue manufacturer Signify, made a sweeping announcement. In addition to Matter 1.5, which I told you about yesterday, Zigbee 4.0 was also announced. As you know, Zigbee is the wireless protocol that Philips Hue has been using for more than ten years.
Philips Hue introduced its first Hue Secure cameras just over two years ago. Since then, there has been a first hardware upgrade with 2K resolution and a brand new product in the form of the Hue Secure Video Doorbell. However, Apple Home is still not supported as a smart home platform.
With all the new light strips from Philips Hue, I currently have no idea where to put them. Be glad you don’t run a blog about Philips Hue, or you’d have to deal with problems like this too. Where, for example, should you install a 10-meter-long Hue OmniGlow Lightstrip? That’s exactly what I ordered this week.
First, a quick note for my international readers: I wrote this blog mainly for the German-language Hueblog.de. In my little Sunday blog, I’d like to tell you today about everything else I do besides my work. At the end of the day, it’s much more than just a few texts. Maybe you’ll find it interesting too.
Philips Hue is currently rolling out new software versions for its control centers once again. A firmware update to version 2071127010 is available for the new Hue Bridge Pro. The classic white Hue Bridge is receiving an update to version 1974063020. At least at a glance at the official release notes, there appear to be no differences between the two updates.
Friday was Halloween again. I don’t really have anything to do with it, but here in our neighborhood, you can’t avoid having lots of children ringing your doorbell. And then you can’t deny your own kids this fun. And when I’m home alone, I just make the most of it. First, I lured the children to my house with smart outdoor lighting from Philips Hue – including the new Hue Neon Outdoor Gradient Lightstrip, a Festavia string of lights, and a few Lily spots.
Last Friday, Signify, the manufacturer of Philips Hue, announced its financial results for the third quarter of 2025. The key figures can be found in the official press release: Revenue fell by 8.4 percent, and profits also declined significantly. This was mainly due to the conventional business and OEM solutions, where sales fell by over 20 percent.
With all the light strips that Philips Hue is launching this year, it’s easy to lose track. Not if you keep my little overview in mind, of course. After the Hue Flux and the Hue OmniGlow, the third candidate has now arrived for me to test. I’ve already had the opportunity to try out the Hue Flux Ultra Bright Lightstrip.
Fabian