I would like to use the weekend to thank you all once again. Of course, for stopping by here regularly. But even more so for always keeping a watchful eye and sending me tips and information. In the last few months alone, I have been able to publish two exciting reports thanks to the community.
At the beginning of the week, I was able to share the first information about the upcoming Philips Hue Play Wall Washer with you—the first product details were published early on the British Amazon website. However, marketing images are always somewhat different from impressions from everyday life—and this is where a lucky coincidence comes into play.
Since I didn’t make any progress on my wall washer story today, I used the time to click through the Hueblog community a little. Among other things, I noticed a question about the wall switch module that I would like to answer in detail – maybe some of you are facing a similar challenge.
Philips Hue has once again not been very careful about keeping its products secret. A successor to the Philips Hue Play Lightbar has appeared on amazon.co.uk: Significantly better, but also more expensive than before. I have gathered the first information for you. The new Philips Hue Play Smart Wall Washer is 15.7 centimeters high, 9.1 centimeters wide, and 7.6 centimeters deep.
Motion detection with Philips Hue has been possible for what feels like ages with the Hue Motion Sensor. The motion detector is available for indoor and outdoor use, and its tasks can now also be performed by a Hue Secure camera. I told you some time ago that Philips Hue is working on motion detection without additional hardware.
Last October, I was able to announce that Philips Hue was working on AI-generated scenes for its lighting system. The feature was officially announced in early 2025, and at least the icon has already appeared in the Hue app. Now the official rollout is beginning, albeit with some limitations. “Earlier this week, we started an initial rollout of the Hue AI assistant to our English-speaking users in the Benelux”, explains Hue inventor George Yianni.
In recent years, I have been repeatedly confronted with support requests on this very topic, and now Philips Hue has finally integrated a solution into its app. With version 5.43 of the Hue app, which is already available in the Apple App Store and will soon also be available in the Google Play Store, a small accessory trap has been fixed.
Almost ten years after the launch of the second-generation Hue Bridge, Philips Hue continues to work on the security of its control hub. The firmware of the Hue Bridge has now been updated once again and software version 1971060010 is now available. Among other things, this update has improved the security of the system.
Philips Hue has been offering its Hue Secure products for more than a year and a half now, including several cameras and contact sensors for windows and doors. However, one particularly important function is still missing: location-based control of the system. Until now, you have always had to manually select in the Hue app whether you are currently at home or whether the system should be armed when you are away.
In April 2019, Signify, formerly Philips Lighting, acquired the French company WiZ. Since then, it has been operating as a low-budget brand with WiFi connectivity right next to the top dog Philips Hue. Now I ask myself: could the products of the two brands WiZ and Philips Hue soon be compatible with each other?
Fabian