To start the new week, here is another small update from the overcast week. Shortly after the update to version 4.16 of the Hue app, another new version was released: Philips Hue 4.16.1. With this small bugfix update, a new feature seems to have been unlocked in the Discover section – a demo mode.
In January, Philips Hue introduced the new wall lamp Inara for outdoor use. Okay, the model is not that new, because it has been available in the US for quite some time. For the launch in Germany and Europe, however, Philips Hue has equipped its wall lamp in classic lantern shape with an equally classic Hue Filament in Edison shape.
Only last week, I explained in a small guide how to control several bridges on the go – until now, it was necessary to set up several Hue accounts. I could have saved myself the effort, because with the update to version 4.16 Philips Hue seems to offer new possibilities. This new option is hidden in the settings of the Philips Hue app.
Yesterday evening Philips Hue released another update of its official app, the update description reads more than sober: “Bug fixes and performance improvements”, it says in the App Store. But beyond that, there are some new things to discover. There are some new scenes – and finally a flamingo in the Hue app.
It is probably the absolute worst case that especially users with a large installation fear: A total failure of the bridge. Unfortunately, Philips Hue still does not offer any backup function, even almost ten years after its launch. This means that if the bridge fails and cannot be restarted, there is a lot of work to do.
The possibilities of Hue Entertainment have enjoyed great popularity at least since the launch of Spotify integration. Hue Entertainment is also used in combination with the Hue Play HMDI Sync Box. Especially there, fast reaction times are important. To make this possible, a direct connection is established between the Hue Bridge and the lights in the entertainment area when synchronisation with Hue Entertainment is active.
With the launch of the Hue Play HDMI Sync Box in 2019 and the Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip the following year, Philips Hue has managed to take the TV experience to a new level. On the PC, however, where a Sync Box is not even necessary, we are still at the technical level of 2018.
You have to hand it to Tomas Baran, the developer of Ambee: He was clearly faster than Philips Hue. Back in 2013, he offered an app, then still called Goldee, with which you could use dynamic scenes. It was eight years later that the manufacturer itself integrated such a function into his app.
It will probably take a while before there are new products from Philips Hue – presumably there will be new fodder here in June. A little faster are the Dutch colleagues from Innr, who have already presented a new and a revised product today. And as befits the season, it’s off into the garden.
When it comes to apps around Philips Hue, apart from the official app, we mainly think of apps like iConnectHue or Hue Essentials. How about a new release for a change? Hue Engage is now available in the Google Play Store. Hue Engage comes from Daniel Meyer, a developer from Switzerland.
Fabian