Question 1

My Philips Hue app is having trouble connecting with my lights

Accepted Answer

If your app is having trouble reaching Hue lights that you’ve already added to your system, check to ensure they are connected to power (i.e. the traditional wall switch is in the “on” position). If they are still Unreachable, contact the Philips-Hue Support Centre.

Question 2

What devices support Coming home and Leaving home automations?

Accepted Answer

Coming home and Leaving home automations are supported by all iOS and Android devices with the latest version of the Hue app and mobile data capabilities.

Question 3

Can I set automations in the Hue app when I'm not at home?

Accepted Answer

If you’re logged in to your Hue account in the Hue app, you can control your lights from anywhere – there’s no limit as to how far you can be!

Question 4

How close do I need to be to my Hue Bridge to control my lights?

Accepted Answer

If you’re logged in to your Hue account in the Hue app, you can control your lights from anywhere – there’s no limit as to how far you can be!

Question 5

How do I create Coming home and Leaving home automations?

Accepted Answer

1. Navigate to the Automations tab in the Hue app.

2. Select the plus icon (+) to add a new automation.

3. Select Coming home or Leaving home.

4. Follow on-screen instructions to add your device to location-based automations.

Only one Coming home and Leaving home automation can be created per person. If you want to change or delete an automation press on the automation you want to change.

Question 6

How do I add or remove lights from a Room?

Accepted Answer

Adding, removing and rearranging lights in a Room is simple in the Hue app:

1. Select the Room you want to edit on the Home tab.

2. Select the three dots (…) and select Edit Room.

3. The Lights section shows the existing lights in the Room.

4. Tap the minus icon (-) to remove a light.

5. Tap the plus icon (+) to add a new light or import a light from another Room.

Question 7

How do I control my Hue lights while I'm away from home?

Accepted Answer

To control your lights while away from home, you’ll need to enable it in the Hue app:

1. Go to the Settings tab.

2. Tap Hue Bridges.

3. Select the Hue Bridge for which you would like to enable Out-of-home control.

4. Next to Out-of-home control, tap Log in to log in or create a Hue account.

Once you have enabled Out-of-home control, you can control your lights anywhere you have a Wi-Fi or mobile connection in the same way you would if you were at home.

If you’re having trouble controlling your lights while away from home, please double check that you are logged into your Hue account and your lights are reachable.

*You must be connected to your home Wi-Fi for the initial setup. If you are not connected to your home Wi-Fi, you will receive an error message.

Question 8

How do I create a Hue account?

Accepted Answer

Creating a Hue account is the first step to getting started with Hue. To set up your account, you need to be connected to your home Wi-Fi network.

1. In the Hue app, tap Settings.

2. Tap Hue Bridges at the top of the screen and select your Hue Bridge.

3. Tap Sign up.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Question 9

How do I create a new light scene?

Accepted Answer

1. Tap the Room in which you would like to create the scene.

2. Tap the plus (+) icon in the My scenes section.

3. Choose whether to create your new scene from scratch with the colour wheel, from an image in the Hue scene gallery or from your own photo uploaded from your phone.

Question 10

How do I edit a light scene?

Accepted Answer

Follow the steps to edit a light scene in the Hue app:

1. Tap the Room for which you would like to edit the scene.

2. Tap the scene you want to edit.

3. Tap the pencil on the top right of the scene you would like to edit.

4. Tap on one of the lights to bring up the colour wheel.

5. Drag the icons in the colour wheel to select their colour and use the slider to adjust the brightness.

6. Tap the X to close the colour wheel.

7. Tap Save in the upper right-hand corner to save your new scene.

Question 11

How do I recover deleted default light scenes?

Accepted Answer

All default (preset) light scenes are saved in the Hue scene gallery, even if you remove them from the Room, making it easy to recover:

1. Tap the Room in which you would like to recover the scene.

2. Tap the plus (+) icon in the My scenes section.

3. Tap Hue scene gallery and select the scene that you want to recover.

Question 12

How do I set all the lights in a Room to the same colour?

Accepted Answer

1. Go to your Home tab.

2. Select the Room in which you would like to set all the lights to the same colour.

3. Tap on one of the lights to bring up the colour wheel.

4. Drag the light icons on top of each other. A number will appear in the icon showing that all lights are the same colour.

5. Tap the three dots (…) and select Save as new scene to save this as a light scene.

Question 13

How do I set one light in a Room to a specific colour and/or brightness?

Accepted Answer

To change the colour or brightness of a single light in a Room, tap on the Room in which the light is located in the Home tab. Tap on any light in the Room, which will open the colour wheel. Tap the individual light for which you want to change the colour or brightness.

Change the light brightness:

1. Make sure the light is on by moving the toggle on its icon to the on position. Drag the brightness slider to the desired brightness.

Change the light colour:*

1. Tap the individual light to open the colour wheel.

2. Tap and drag the light icon to the colour you'd like.

3. Tap the X in the top right corner of the screen.

*Only available with Hue White and colour ambience bulbs.

Question 14

How does Philips Hue work with the camera on my phone?

Accepted Answer

You can create a customised light scene based on a photo uploaded from your phone in the Hue app:

1. Select the Room in which you would like to create the scene.

2. Tap the plus icon (+) and select Use a photo.

3. Choose the photo you’d like to use for your scene. The Hue app will automatically choose colours from the photo.

4. Tap Finished to continue.

5. Name your scene and tap Finished.

Tap Save.

Question 15

What is a Zigbee channel change in the Philips Hue app?

Accepted Answer

Zigbee is a wireless technology that allows your smart home devices to talk to each other. If you are having connectivity issues between your Hue lights and Hue Bridge, a Zigbee channel change may solve the problem.

1. Navigate to the Settings tab in the Hue app.

2. Tap Hue Bridges and select your active Hue Bridge.

3. Tap Zigbee channel.

4. Select Change channel and follow the on-screen instructions.

Question 16

Can I assign one light to multiple Rooms?

Accepted Answer

No. An individual light can only be assigned to one Room. What you can do is create Zones. Then you can assign one light to multiple Zones.

Question 17

Can I control my Philips Hue lights from multiple devices?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Simply download the Philips Hue app on each device and connect it to the Hue Bridge that you want to control. Each Hue system can be controlled by up to 10 devices.

Question 18

How do I remove an unused smart device from my Philips Hue system?

Accepted Answer

You can delete a smart device from your Philips Hue system via your Hue account. To revoke permissions from a smart device, go to www.philips-hue.com, click Account, and then log in to your account. Once you are logged in, click Applications at the top of the page. This will display the devices that are currently connected to your Hue system. From there, you can click Deactivate to remove the device.

Question 19

Can I add multiple devices for the Coming home and Leaving home automations?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can create multi-user Coming home and Leaving home automations by adding multiple devices to the location-enabled devices list. To add another device, open the Hue app and navigate to the Settings tab. Select Location settings and set a Home location on that device.

Question 20

Can I delete location-enabled devices that can trigger Coming home and Leaving home automations?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In the Hue app, navigate to the Settings tab, then select Location settings. Tap the device you want to delete, and then tap delete.

Question 21

How do I delete an automation?

Accepted Answer

In the Automations tab of the Hue app, swipe left on the automation you want to delete and tap the delete icon.

Question 22

How do I create an automation?

Accepted Answer

If you’re adding your first automation:

1. Navigate to the Automations tab in the Hue app.

2. Tap the plus icon (+) at the top of the screen.

3. Select the automation you want to set up and follow the on-screen instructions.

Question 23

Where can I find Hue Labs?

Accepted Answer

You can see all your currently installed Hue Labs formulas in the Automations tab of the Hue app. Tap the arrow icon, and then tap Hue Labs. If you don’t have any formulas installed, tap the three dots (…) at the top of the screen and select Hue Labs.

Question 24

How do I change the sunset and sunrise times for my automations?

Accepted Answer

Change the sunrise or sunset time within the automation itself:

1. Navigate to the Automations tab in the Hue app.

2. Tap the automation you want to edit.

3. Change the sunrise or sunset time.

4. Tap save.

Question 25

How do I enable and disable automations?

Accepted Answer

In the Automations tab of the Hue app, use the toggles next to each automation to turn them on or off.

Question 26

I still have a round Hue Bridge v1. How do I get the app to control my set-up?

Accepted Answer

The Philips Hue app can no longer control the round Hue Bridge v1.

Android device: You can download the Philips Hue Bridge v1 Android app for Android 8 or higher by following these steps.*

Step 1. Navigate to Settings on your Android device

Step 2. Tap Apps and notifications

Step 3. Tap the three-dots icon in the top right corner

Step 4. Tap Special app access

Step 5. Tap Install unknown apps

Step 6. Find your browser in the list and tap to open its settings

Step 7. Enable Allow from unknown source for your browser

Step 8. Follow this link in your browser

Step 9. Tap Download APK and accept the warning dialogue

Step 10. Tap Install to install the app on your device

Step 11. Tap Open to open the app

*These steps may change between Android devices.

iOS device: You can download the Philips Hue Bridge v1 iOS app from the App Store here

Question 27

How do I set up an Entertainment area?

Accepted Answer

To set up an Entertainment area, go to Settings > Entertainment areas > Create entertainment area. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your Entertainment area, tapping icon for each light and dragging it to its approximate location within the room.

You can rearrange your lights within the Entertainment area’s settings in the Hue app at any time. You don’t need to use all lamps in the Room in which your Entertainment area is located.

Question 28

Which Hue products can I use with the Entertainment feature?

Accepted Answer

You can use all Hue White and colour ambiance bulbs and fixtures, as well as Hue Sync-compatible Friends of Hue products.

Question 29

How many Entertainment areas can be active at the same time?

Accepted Answer

Only one Entertainment area can be active at one time on a single Hue Bridge.

Question 30

What is the maximum number of lights I can use in an Entertainment area?

Accepted Answer

You can connect up to 10 Philips Hue or Friends of Hue colour-capable lights per Entertainment area.

Question 31

What should I do if I notice a delay while using Entertainment areas?

Accepted Answer

Your Entertainment area may need to be synchronised. In the Hue app, go to Settings > Entertainment areas > Test area and follow the on-screen instructions to resync your Entertainment area.

Question 32

Why am I unable to add lights to my Entertainment set-up after a software update?

Accepted Answer

It can take up to 20 minutes for all your lights to reappear in the Entertainment area’s light list in the Hue app.

Question 33

Why are some of my Hue lights not showing in the Entertainment area set-up?

Accepted Answer

Hue’s Entertainment feature only works with Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance lights and bulbs, as well as Friends of Hue colour-capable lights. Lights which do not meet the Entertainment feature’s requirements will not show up in the Entertainment area set-up menu.

Question 34

Why is the Entertainment feature only enabled for Philips Hue colour-capable lights?

Accepted Answer

In order for the Entertainment feature to provide the most immersive experience possible, only Philips Hue and Friends of Hue colour-capable lights are compatible. During tests, White and White ambiance lights did not provide the same experience; to ensure that every Hue user is satisfied with Entertainment, the feature is only enabled on colour-capable lights.

Question 35

Can I activate multiple entertainment areas on one Hue Bridge?

Accepted Answer

You can create and configure multiple Entertainment areas within the Hue app, but you can only activate one at a time.

Question 36

Can I add a non-Hue light to my Entertainment area?

Accepted Answer

No. Hue’s Entertainment feature only works with official Hue and Friends of Hue colour-capable products.

Question 37

How does Hue Sync work?

Accepted Answer

Hue Sync is the app that allows you to run the Philips Hue Entertainment experience, where your smart lights change colour, flash and turn on and off in reaction to the content on your screen, whether it is a game, film or music.

Question 38

Does Hue Sync work with Philips Ambilight televisions?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the latest Philips Ambilight TVs use the entertainment API compatible with Hue Sync.

Question 39

Does Hue Sync work with Power DVD, Netflix or Amazon Prime Video?

Accepted Answer

Hue Sync capability is limited by Digital Right Management (DRM) regulations and as such, the feature cannot capture all content and does not work with these streaming services.

Question 40

What do I need to run Hue Sync?

Accepted Answer

Hue Sync works with content-streaming devices as long as the content is duplicated from a Windows PC or Mac computer on which the Hue Sync app is running or if the device acts as an extended screen of this computer.

To run Hue Sync successfully, you will need:

Hue Bridge v2 (square-shaped)*
The latest Philips Hue app**
The latest Hue Sync app***
One or more Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance light(s)

* Hue Sync will not function on Hue Bridge V1 as it requires higher processing speed and capacity.

** To check if you have the latest version of the Hue app, go to Settings to see if “Hue Entertainment” is listed. If it is not, update your app.

*** The Hue Sync app is compatible with Windows 10 and MacOS Sierra/High Sierra and up. This application cannot be used on a mobile device.

Before you can start streaming and syncing your lights, you must first create an Entertainment area in the Philips Hue app. Once you have created an Entertainment area, download and link the Hue Sync app to your Bridge.

Hue Apps FAQs

Jump to topic

Hue App

Entertainment

Hue Sync

Watch our How-to videos

Contact us

Visit our social channels

Product, promotion and warranty