The idea behind the Philips Hue connected bulbs is that you get to control it remotely and program it to do things regular light bulbs couldn’t. To achieve this, Philips obviously had to create an accompanying smartphone app, but unfortunately it seems that app design was clearly not the company’s forte as it left many users complaining and wanting more.
It also resulted in third-party developers creating much-welcome alternatives to the official app. The good news is that if you were hoping that this is something Philips would address, it turns out that they have because the company has since pushed out a much-needed update to its Hue app for iOS and Android.
The app appears to have been completely redesigned from the ground up and looks a lot more professional now. The home screen of the app will now organize itself by grouping lights by rooms, thus making it more intuitive and easier for users to adjust the lights by the room. In addition to an improved UI, Philips has also included some new features.
One of those features is “Routines” where users can set timers and also set the colors of their lights depending on the time of the day, so you can opt for more relaxed yellow lights at night, and brighter white lights during the day, and so on. There is also inclusion for Notification Center widgets (for iOS) which allows users to control their lights without having to launch the app itself. The new app can be found on the iTunes App Store and Google Play so head on over for the download.
Filed in . Read more about Android, Apps, Connected Objects, Hue, iOS, IoT (Internet of Things) and Philips.