The Philips Hue app has received another update and this is particularly interesting for users of an iPhone or iPad. After a long, long time, there are finally widgets for Philips Hue again. I'll explain exactly what you can expect in this article. Several years ago, the widgets in iOS could still be found in the Today view, and Philips Hue widgets were already available back then.
With the latest update to the Hue app, Philips Hue has already made its somewhat outdated Hue Tap smarter. In principle, the switch contains exactly the same module that we know from the Friends of Hue switches – just with slightly different firmware. I had already noted at the time that the third-party switches would be next in line.
This afternoon, Philips Hue released another update in the App Store: version 5.13.0 of the official app is now available for download. And once again, a lot has changed – even more than can be read in the update description in the App Store. For example, the latest version of the app makes it much easier to edit and then save an existing scene.
The Hue Secure camera was officially launched in October and firmware updates were released in November and December. The third major update has been available for around a week and takes care of many small details that also have practical implications. For example, the firmware update to version 1.2.10 improves the start time of the live stream, which you can watch directly in the Hue app.
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.
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.
If you want your lights to light up rhythmically to music, you can do this directly in the Hue app. However, Hue Sync only supports Spotify, no other sources. If you prefer to listen to your music with Apple Music, the classic CD or another streaming service, then the Discotainment mode in iConnectHue (App Store link) could be something for you.
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.
In recent months, Philips Hue has released a new update every two or three weeks at the latest. Since the update to version 5.6 in mid-December, however, things have become quieter. Instead, version 5.7 has now been skipped and the update to version 5.8 has been released straight away. Although the Hue app has not been completely overhauled over the holidays, we can still look forward to some new functions.
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.
Fabian