HomeKit Adaptive Lighting Feature Appears for German Beta Testers

by

HomeKit's new Adaptive Lighting feature has appeared for Philips Hue beta testers in Germany, according to iphone-ticker.

adapptive Lightning feature

At WWDC earlier this year, Apple announced a new HomeKit feature called Adaptive Lighting, which allows smart lighting to dynamically adapt according to the time of day, with warm hues fading in around sunset, and cooler hues fading in around midday.

At any given time of day, the color of smart lights with Adaptive Lighting would be slightly different and change as time passes, similar to Apple's Night Shift feature on iOS, iPad OS, and macOS. Although this behavior was theoretically possible before, albeit not as effectively, via complex automations, the Adaptive Lighting feature offers a single button to turn the feature on or off.

adaptives licht large

Adaptive Lighting was not present in any of the iOS 14 betas before its public release, and was instead promised to arrive later in the year as smart lighting manufacturers such as Philips Hue implement it. Adaptive Lighting will only be available where manufacturers actively support the feature via a firmware update, so its absence in the iOS 14 betas does not seem to be due to a delay at Apple's end.

Philips Hue has now reportedly rolled out a bridge firmware update to support Adaptive Lighting to its own beta testers in Germany. Only White and Color Ambiance bulbs support the feature at this time, according to Philips Hue.

adaptive lightning 500

Not much has been known about how Adaptive Lighting will work in practice until now, and it seems that users simply need to tap and hold on the specified light in the Home app, and in the color picker, one of the six saved colors has been replaced by an icon to activate Adaptive Lighting.

ios 14 homekit updates

A number of other ‌HomeKit‌ features were announced alongside Adaptive Lighting, such as activity zones and face recognition for cameras, doorbell announcements, and camera feeds on Apple TV.

It is unclear when Adaptive Lighting will be publicly released for Philips Hue users, but the news of a firmware update for beta testers in Germany suggests that the company is on track to deliver the feature as planned.

Tags: HomeKit Guide, Philips Hue
Related Forum: iOS 14

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

New iPhone 17 Pro Details: Brighter Display, Best Battery Life, and More

Wednesday September 3, 2025 5:33 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models will feature a number of significant display, thermal, and battery improvements, according to new late-stage rumors. According to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital," the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature displays with higher brightness, making it more suitable for use in direct sunlight for prolonged periods. The iPhone 16 Pro and...
Read Full Article • 73 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Tuesday September 2, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Just one week before Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series, an analyst has shared new price estimates for the devices. Here are J.P. Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee's price estimates for the iPhone 17 series in the United States, according to 9to5Mac: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 16 $799 iPhone 17 ...
Read Full Article • 59 comments
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Coming Next Week: Eight Reasons to Upgrade

Thursday September 4, 2025 7:38 am PDT by
We're only days away from Apple's "Awe dropping" fall event scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 9 – and along with the new iPhone 17 series, we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023. By the time the Ultra 3 is unveiled, it will have been two years since the previous model arrived. The intervening period has left plenty of room for...
Read Full Article • 90 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
Read Full Article • 83 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
Read Full Article • 62 comments
iPhone 17 AIR Loud Feature

iPhone 17 Air Could Start at $1,099 With 256GB Storage, 1TB for $1,499

Thursday September 4, 2025 2:54 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Air will have a $1,099 starting price providing 256GB of base storage and will max out at $1,499 with a 1TB option, according to the latest TrendForce report. Apple will offer three price/storage tiers for the all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model, which replaces last year's iPhone 16 Plus in the lineup. Here's how TrendForce sees them breaking down: 256GB — $1099...
Read Full Article • 114 comments

Top Rated Comments

RoboCop001 Avatar
RoboCop001
64 months ago
I wish they'd implement fade automations. Like setting up lights to fade from one colour to another and/or brightness to another over a certain period of time. Seems like a no-brainer feature to have. I know some 3rd party apps do it but .... I want HomeKit to do it. I don't want to connect my lights to some 3rd party cloud just to do that, or use one of those bridge things.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ignatius345 Avatar
ignatius345
64 months ago
This is literally the first "smart home" thing that has sounded remotely worthwhile to me. And still, having Night Shift (or F.lux ('https://justgetflux.com'), to give proper credit) for my interior lighting would probably set me back quite a few bucks. Also, all the smart bulbs I've seen seem to max out at something like 800 lumens which is just sad and dim.

I'll probably just stick with my current setup, which is to use Philips 1800 lumen dimmable LEDs that skew warmer as you dim them and whiter when you crank them up. That so far is working quite nicely and provides ample light.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
Kylo83
64 months ago
I’m so waiting for this for my hue system hope it comes to the uk soon
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
CarlJ
64 months ago
HomeKit ('https://www.macrumors.com/guide/homekit/')'s new Adaptive Lighting feature has appeared for Philips Hue beta testers in Germany, according to iphone-ticker ('https://www.iphone-ticker.de/adaptive-beleuchtung-in-homekit-philips-hue-ist-bereit-164054/')
...
Adaptive Lighting was not present in any of the iOS 14 betas before its public release, and was instead promised to arrive later in the year as smart lighting manufacturers such as Philips Hue implement it. Adaptive Lighting will only be available where manufacturers actively support the feature via a firmware update, so its absence in the iOS 14 betas does not seem to be due to a delay at Apple's end.
Why is the name “Hue” not in the article title anywhere? The title makes it sound like Apple is beta testing this in Germany (since its a new feature of Apple’s recent OS release), while the article makes it pretty clear that Apple shipped the feature (well, the API) and Hue is beta testing this in Germany.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
CarlJ
64 months ago

Am i the only one too stupid for the Home App? That’s one App from Apple I do not understand how to set up at all. I still use the Hue App to control my lights. Every time I open the app it tells me the names have changed and if I want to update them and I am like NO leave it be (Alexa also uses the names) or I see my lightbulbs twice
I’m the other way around, I only use the Hue app to update the firmware or reprogram my Dimmer Switches (HomeKit can’t do the trick with multiple presses cycling scenes). I do everything else in Apple’s Home app. Yes, the first time you open Home after making changes in the Hue app, things get thrown around a bit, but that’s a one-time thing - for me it’s mostly some things getting put in the default room, that I have to move back to the right rooms. But the Home app is so much better, because you can build scenes that make use of lights in multiple rooms and make use of Hue and non-Hue devices, as well as building automations.

These days, though, I rarely open either app - I just tell Siri what scene to set, or what light to change.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
CarlJ
64 months ago

I find both Hue and LIFX have one major drawback, you can't use the bulb with *regular wall switches.
It should be intuitively obvious, though, that if you cut the power going to a bulb, it can’t do anything smart until power is restored. Using Hue lights involves rethinking the way you use lights. I have a few Hue Dimmer Switches, but most of the time, I just ask Siri to set various scenes. It’s so much nicer than walking around the room turning on 4 different lights.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments