On June 3, 2021, Signify released Philips Hue app version 4.0, an extensive rebuild that introduced more than 100 changes to the platform’s user interface and core functionality, marking the most substantial overhaul in the application’s history. The redesign addressed longstanding user complaints through fundamental architectural improvements, focusing on performance optimization, streamlined navigation, and enhanced design consistency across all interaction surfaces.
Signify’s June 2021 release of Hue app version 4.0 represented the platform’s most comprehensive architectural transformation, implementing over 100 interface and functionality enhancements.
Tile View Implementation and Navigation Efficiency. The overhaul introduced a consolidated tile view that displays both lights and scenes simultaneously within Room and Zone screens, eliminating redundant navigation steps that previously required users to toggle between separate interface sections. Tap-and-hold gestures were integrated for rapid brightness adjustment and drag-to-reorder functionality for lights and scenes within Rooms. Philips Hue remains one of the top-tier lighting solutions within the Alexa ecosystem, offering seamless voice control integration. Color selection interfaces received significant refinement alongside clearer visual indicators for unselected lights.
Scene Gallery and Dynamic Lighting Expansion. Version 4.0 launched the Hue scene gallery featuring curated lighting configurations handcrafted by professional lighting designers, which subsequent 5.x updates expanded to include Natural light scenes, all-day scene progressions, and enhanced energy-saving categories. The Prism effect debuted as a dynamic lighting option that cycles color-capable bulbs through the complete rainbow spectrum.
This complemented the 2025 OmniGlow strip line and other hardware designed to leverage increasingly sophisticated scene and effect control interfaces. Gradient lights received customization enhancements allowing users to adjust the number of colors displayed in Scattered mode through the Style icon.
Automation Intelligence and Multi-Bridge Architecture. The application renamed Routines to Automations in version 4.0, enabling advanced customization including multi-user geofencing that cross-references household presence before triggering Coming home and Leaving home sequences. Accessory configuration expanded to support time-based lighting, scene cycling, Natural light integration, and up to ten time slots with ten scenes per control device.
Version 5.55 introduced an AI-powered automation tool for natural-language creation and modification of automation sequences.
Bridge Pro Integration and Device Management Consolidation. The 2025 Hue Bridge Pro support expanded system capacity to 150 lights, 50 accessories, and storage for over 500 custom scenes per bridge. It also added drag-and-drop multi-bridge management interfaces and compatibility expansions for Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings platforms across multiple bridges controlled from a unified application interface. Hue Secure now offers free cloud storage for events from the last 24 hours without requiring a subscription for Video Doorbell and camera users.
References
- https://www.philips-hue.com/en-us/support/release-notes/android
- https://hueblog.com/2025/10/29/philips-hue-numerous-exciting-new-features-in-version-5-54/
- https://www.notebookcheck.net/New-Philips-Hue-app-update-rolling-out-to-smart-home-device-users.1171779.0.html
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sfmeJeH-SU
- https://hueblog.com/2025/09/04/these-are-all-the-new-philips-hue-products-for-2025/
- https://www.philips-hue.com/en-us/support/release-notes/hue-sync
- https://www.signify.com/global/our-company/news/press-releases/2025/20250904-ambiance-reimagined-how-philips-hue-unlocks-a-new-level-of-smart-lighting
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7XPucmhc6I
