When I took a look at the Hue app on the overcast days, something struck me as odd. The start page with the overview of the rooms seemed so empty. However, I didn’t immediately realise what exactly was missing. It was only a comment from a reader that put me on the right track.
It’s time again for some updates from the world of Philips Hue. However, I can already tell you that it’s not going to be spectacular, as there are probably no new functions. An update for the Hue Bridge was released a week ago. The firmware version 1963089030 merely improves the performance and stability of the system.
It’s been a few years since Philips Hue removed the widgets from its iPhone app, but back then they weren’t on the home screen anyway. Apple now allows widgets on the home screen – and since the launch of iOS 17, they can even be interactive. This means that actions can be performed without having to open the corresponding app.
The Philips Hue Bridge is known to be designed for 50 lights. What was a pretty generous mark ten years ago is now exceeded by miles in many households. The only way out so far, as long as you want to remain loyal to Philips Hue, is to install a second or third Hue Bridge.
An interesting comment from a reader drew my attention to a small but noteworthy innovation in the official Philips Hue app. There is now a third colour circle that has been specially created for scenes. Up to now, there have been two colour circles in the Hue app. One is the familiar “colour picker”, where you can move the light points to a colour of your choice.
Yesterday evening, Philips Hue released another update to its app – and simply failed to mention the biggest new feature in the update description. On the iPad and also on Android tablets, the room overview is now displayed with two columns again. But before we get to that, let’s take a look at what the app looked like before.
You may be about to do some digital spring cleaning – and of course Philips Hue should not be forgotten. If you want to clear your rooms of unused scenes, I have a little tip for you. Instead of selecting each scene, then tapping the edit arrow and deleting the individual scene, there is now a much quicker way to remove several scenes from a room at the same time in the Hue app.
It’s been a few years since Philips Hue improved the GU10 spotlights. Back then, they became more compact, displayed better colours and were also slightly brighter. Currently, Philips Hue spots with a GU10 base deliver a maximum brightness of 350 lumens at 4,000 Kelvin. One small exception is the Hue White GU10 spotlight, which delivers an impressive 400 lumens at 2,700 Kelvin.
In February, Philips Hue is launching the Hue Dymera, a new wall light that is suitable for indoor and outdoor use. It will cost €219.99 and is therefore significantly more expensive than the Hue Appear or Hue Resonate, for example. However, we won’t be talking about the price and other details of the Hue Dymera today.
Just one week after the major update to version 5.8, with which Philips Hue has given the wall switch module, among other things, a major upgrade, the next update is already available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The update to version 5.9 is a little smaller and mainly deals with the Hue Tap Dial Switch.
Fabian