I’ve received a few more emails from you over the past few days. There’s yet another new software update for the Philips Hue hub. Since March 12, version 2071258020 has been rolling out for the Hue Bridge Pro and version 1976081000 for the “old” Hue Bridge. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you exactly what’s changed in the new version.
The somewhat strange events surrounding Philips Hue are entering the next round. After it was noticed yesterday that Philips Hue had removed the Apple Home announcement from January from its website, there is now another “interesting” change. In the eurozone, the price of the Hue Bridge Pro has been increased to €99.99.
It’s time for updates in the Hue world again. Several updates are currently pending, as Philips Hue is releasing a new software version for the Hue Bridge and Hue Bridge Pro, among other things. The official Philips Hue app has also received another update. However, there don’t seem to be many new features in any of the three cases.
Philips Hue continues to tweak its software. Version 5.60 of the Hue app could be released in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store as early as this week. Before that happens, however, there will first be a firmware update for the two Philips Hue control centres. Since 29 January, Philips Hue has been distributing software version 2071209010 for the Hue Bridge Pro (previously 2071193000) and software version 1975134020 for the Hue Bridge (previously 1975104000).
As expected, things have quietened down somewhat at Philips Hue over the New Year period in terms of the regularity of software updates. For example, there have been no updates for the official Hue app since mid-December. Now, a new software version for the Hue Bridge and Hue Bridge Pro has been rolling out for several days.
I used my little weekly review on Sunday to draw attention to a small bottleneck that many users are experiencing after migrating their second or third bridge to the new Hue Bridge Pro. The rules, which are button assignments or actions of switches and sensors, quickly reach the unchanged limit of 250 available rules.
I’m using my time on the train home to bring you up to date on the latest software developments. Yesterday, we had our team meeting in Hanover, and on Thursday, we had the Philips Hue Christmas dinner in Hamburg. There, I actually picked up two previously announced items that are not yet available for purchase.
I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when Philips Hue unveiled the new Hue Bridge Pro in early September and it became clear that only data from an existing Hue Bridge could be migrated. After all these years, though, it wasn’t a big deal to keep one of the two old control centers running a little longer.
A quick glance at the calendar tells us that Black Friday isn’t actually until November 28. At Philips Hue, the Black Friday sale has already started today. You can visit the promotion page already via my link. And there are some very attractive offers to be found there, including new products such as the Hue Bridge Pro and the new Hue Flux Lightstrips.
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.
Fabian