Last Tuesday, Philips Hue released a major update for its own app. Among other things, a function was added to start and stop the new sleep automations with a switch. However, so far only Tap Dial Switch, wall switch modules, Tap and Friends of Hue switches are supported. However, this should change soon, as a recently released software update for the Hue Bridge shows.
The Hueblog readership also experienced the problem that I had to report on at the beginning of the week: dimmed Philips Hue lamps can suddenly light up with 100 per cent brightness. Signify, the manufacturer of Philips Hue, had pointed out an error in the communication with the smart home standard Matter.
Last week, Philips Hue released a firmware update for the Hue Bridge, which should have automatically installed on your system by now. It revolves around the software version 1962097030. Among other things, it fixes the problem where some users were unable to connect to Apple Home via HomeKit. As we have now found out, HomeKit is much more stable than the new Matter.
The update of the Philips Hue app to version 5.6, which is expected before Christmas, is still a long way off. However, new firmware for the Hue Bridge has been released in the last few days. You may have already received version 1961135030. You can check this in the settings of the Hue app.
“Never change a running system” – this is a more than well-known wisdom from the IT world. The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, for example, has not received a single firmware update in the past year, with the last update dating back to 29 October 2021. If you have encountered one problem or another during this time, you might be helped with an update now.
There is no official changelog from Philips Hue yet, but I can draw your attention to a software update for the Hue Bridge. Yesterday evening they seem to have started rolling out firmware version 1.56.1956178040. With this update, the date and time of the last activity are displayed again in the settings under Accessories.
Have you already equipped your Bridge with the firmware version 19370450000? Then it is worth taking another look at the update section of the Hue app. There is also new software for many White Ambiance and White and Color Ambiance fixtures – Signify points this out in the release notes on the US website.
In the past months, I have been asked a question again and again: how can I restrict access to the Hue app on a child’s smartphone? The bad news is that there is no such option yet. It is simply not intended.
So is this good news or bad news? Check Point’s security experts have discovered a vulnerability in the Hue system that allows you to access even computers that are shared on the network with the Hue Bridge. The vulnerability has now been resolved by Signify – at least partly. Signify, the manufacturer of Philips Hue, was already informed about the gap in the system in November 2019.
Actually, this should have been the case by the end of 2019, but finally there is a highly official announcement and probably an update soon: the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box finally gets further improvements. First and foremost concern is the connection to infrared remote controls.
Fabian
Mel