Philips Hue is one of the first names many think of when it comes to smart lighting, although it is by no means a budget brand. If you've only got a few bulbs and haven't invested in the Hue Bridge, you're likely using the Bluetooth capabilities of your phone to control them. Despite recently rolling Bluetooth functionality into its main app, the company recently updated its Philips Hue Bluetooth app, apparently postponing any plans to retire its Bluetooth-specific software.
The update to version 1.36 is now available on the Play Store, sporting the following changelog:
- Improved the update process for software on Bluetooth-capable lights
- Added new scenes in the Futuristic, Lush, Romantic, and Holiday categories to the Hue scene gallery
- As of this update, the Hue Bluetooth app requires Android 8 or higher
- Bug fixes and performance improvements
While the majority of these improvements are under-the-hood, the new scene categories — Futuristic, Lush, Romantic, and Holiday — are now accessible when you jump into the scene gallery.
If you're having trouble finding one of your favorite scenes after updating, look for it in another category, as some existing scenes have been shuffled around. What's nice about these changes is that the updated scene gallery now exactly matches that of the main app, so you will have the same options available regardless of which method you are using to control your lights.
Philips Hue has advised those using the Bluetooth-specific app to continue doing so until further notice, and that a notification to migrate to the main app will eventually appear. For those who haven't made the switch ahead of that, it's good to know that the good old Bluetooth app is still getting some love from the developers.