Signify has started rolling out the latest version of the Philips Hue app. The 4.0 version is full of improvements and new features. The app makes operating your smart lighting even easier, more beautiful, and user-friendly. We list everything that is new for you. From the improved design to the new Automations feature.
During an online presentation, the Signify team behind the Philips Hue app took us through the 4.0 version. After a short introduction and a small digital walk through the previous versions of the application, we got to see the latest version for the first time. It soon became clear that a lot has happened since the previous version. It comes as no surprise, as Signify has rebuilt the Philips Hue app from the ground up.
Get to know the Philips Hue app 4.0
Signify wants to use the new app, as they say themselves, to lay the foundation for the future of smart lighting. The Philips Hue app 4.0 is therefore built on growth. What you will see in the app is only the beginning. Thanks to new technologies, the app works better and, above all, faster than ever. You notice this, for example, when you operate a lamp with a physical button. From now on you will immediately see this in the app, where previously this could sometimes take up to thirty seconds.
Furthermore, a lot of effort and attention has been put into the general functionality. Think of the way you communicate with your smart lighting system and an improved and more intuitive user experience. You can immediately see the result when you open the Philips Hue app 4.0. Thanks to the Tile View you have a better overview of all your lamps and scenes. You no longer have to navigate between different screens to control your lights. This greatly improves the convenience.
More functions less hassle
The same goes for scenes. These again play an important role in the Philips Hue 4.0 app. The new version contains a Hue scenes gallery. From the gallery, it is even easier to discover and test new scenes. Also new is the option to quickly switch between different Hue Bridges. Especially handy if you use Hue in your holiday home, or use a separate Bridge for the garden.
In total, more than a hundred large and small improvements can be found in the design of the Philips Hue 4.0 app. All together they make for an app that is even easier and more pleasant to use. The layout is more logical and there are many tools to get even more out of your lamps with less effort. For example, right now you can easily control multiple lamps from the same color wheel. This saves a lot of swiping between different lights and scenes.
This is also reflected in the organization of your Entertainment space. With this function, you can recreate your room in 2.5D. You intuitively place all your lamps at exactly the right location and height. The actual lamp also lights up when you position it, so you can see exactly what you’re doing. This makes it even easier and more fun to improve your television experience with Philips Hue.
Routines become Automations
However, these changes are not even the biggest changes. What you will notice when you open the Philips Hue app 4.0 is that the Routines tab has disappeared. That is where we now find Automations. Signify has big plans in this area and thinks the changes are big enough to justify a name change.
With Automations, Philips Hue gives you advanced options for customization. With the help of these features, users can personalize their smart lighting more easily and with even greater depth. The routines you know are still there, but the options you get within them are more extensive than ever and easier to set up. The Automation home screen has also been addressed so that you have more overview and control over all your personal settings.
If you really like automations and the automation feature of the new app, check out the guide we wrote about automatically turning on your Philips hue depening on your current PC state.
Finally multi-user geofencing
With Automations in the Philips Hue app 4.0, Signify also introduces a new and much-requested feature: multi-user geofencing. This ensures that the Coming home or Leaving home function will work a lot better. The Philips Hue app 4.0 now checks who is still at home. This means that your family or roommates are not suddenly in the dark when you leave the house. Thanks to Automations, you will now have even more control over your house that you won’t even need your phone at all.
Okay, maybe. The Philips Hue app 4.0 also gets dynamic scenes. These will be introduced during the summer. These are scenes as you know them, but less static. Lamps do not remain one color as is the case now, but slowly change so that you can create an atmosphere in a completely new way.
Download the Philips Hue app 4.0
In short, quite a few improvements and interesting new features have been put into the newest version of the Philips Hue app already. The Philips Hue app 4.0 will be rolled out from June 3rd. You can download it yourself from the App Store (or Google Play Store) or wait for the app to update automatically. When you first open the Philips Hue app 4.0, you get a short introduction and are guided through transferring your current settings, light scenes, and routines. To learn more about the new app, read on here.
