Apple introduced a new HomeKit architecture this year with iOS 16.4. Apart from the fact that the iPad can no longer be used as a home hub, not much has changed in terms of handling the system. However, there is a big change in the interaction with Philips Hue. Pairing with HomeKit is now only possible if you use a home hub in the same network.
A lot has happened around Philips Hue in recent weeks – and it's not getting boring. The Philips Hue Secure Contact Sensor released in September has now received a firmware update that adds a function that many Apple users have been missing. The latest update adds support for HomeKit to the Hue Secure Contact Sensor.
With full-blown smart home systems, such a setting is probably no problem, but in the Hue universe, on the other hand, you come up against your limits. It's about a question about the Philips Hue motion detector that Mike sent me by email: I've been searching the net for a few days and can't find what I'm looking for.
I announced this new feature a few months ago, and with the launch of iOS 15 earlier this week, I can now announce it's a reality: There is an easy option to set a timer for Philips Hue lamps. And of course all other HomeKit devices that can be switched on and off.
The proportion of users with Apple devices here on the blog is quite large. That's why I would like to take this opportunity to explicitly discuss the connection of HomeKit in connection with the new Gradient function. After all, the existing Play Gradient Lightstrip as well as the new releases Ambiance Gradient Lightstrip and Gradient Signe can display a fancy colour gradient.
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Apple users will appreciate that Philips Hue has been working with HomeKit for several years. This makes interaction between the smart lights and other smart home devices that are also compatible with HomeKit a breeze. It is also practical that the Philips Hue switches can also be configured in HomeKit. So you can not only switch your Hue lamps on and off with the touch of a button, but also control joint scenes with products from other manufacturers.
As you may have noticed, a new HomePod has been launched. In Germany the HomePod mini costs 96.50 euros with reduced VAT, and from next year the price will be back at the regular 99 euros. However, the HomePod mini is currently hard to get, online orders at the Apple Store will probably not be delivered until next year.
At WWDC this summer, Apple introduced a new function for HomeKit: Adaptive Lighting. Lamps connected via HomeKit are automatically controlled throughout the day to create the ideal lighting scene at any time. In practice, this is quite simple: to activate Adaptive Lighting, a small icon is selected in the HomeKit app via the colour selection function for the desired lamp.
Yesterday evening Apple gave us a preview of their new operating systems for iPhone, iPad and Co. Also included were some new features for HomeKit, which is not entirely uninteresting for us Hue users. After all, Philips Hue was one of the first manufacturers to offer HomeKit support a few years ago with the launch of the second-generation Hue Bridge.
Sometimes even I, as a proven Hue expert, have to start the search engine to get a simple thing done. I wanted to integrate a scene from the Hue app in HomeKit in order to use it with a HomeKit switch.
Mel