Philips Hue App Gains Support for Widgets - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Philips Hue App Gains Support for Widgets

The Philips Hue app was today updated to version 5.14, adding support for widgets. Hue widgets can be added to the Home Screen, Lock Screen, or Today View, and can be used for controlling lights and other accessories.

philips hue app widget
Widgets come in small, medium, and large sizes with the largest widget supporting eight actions or scenes. ‌Widgets‌ can be tailored to the entire Hue bridge or to lights that are located in specific rooms, so you can set up a widget for each of your rooms if desired.

Each of the actions can be customized, and you can choose a scene from the Hue app or opt to turn lights in certain rooms on or off. Dimming lights is not an option, nor is activating automations, but some of that can be done through scenes. Adding a widget is a useful way to control frequently accessed lights or scenes.

Along with widgets, the update also improves Friends of Hue switches like the Lutron Aurora Smart Bulb Dimmer Switch. Switches now support time-based light, the scene cycle mode, the natural light scene, and more.

The Philips Hue app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. It is designed to work with Philips Hue lights and accessories.

Popular Stories

iPhone Handoff Feature

iOS 27 Introduces New 'iPhone Handoff' Feature

Wednesday September 2, 2026 12:35 pm PDT by
Apple has added a new "iPhone Handoff" feature to iOS 27 that will allow you to switch between two iPhones while using the same phone number on each device. This functionality was briefly mentioned during the WWDC 2026 keynote in June, on a slide that listed hundreds of new features coming in iOS 27 and corresponding software updates, but Apple never shared any further details at the time. ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium

New Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 Features Revealed

Sunday August 30, 2026 7:54 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today further outlined what to expect from the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 set to be unveiled on September 9. While it was initially rumored that Touch ID may be coming to the Apple Watch this year, Gurman reiterated that he does not expect the Series 12 or Ultra 4 to have any major design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models. ...
John Ternus and Rainbow Countour Apple Logo

Apple Just Made a Very Controversial Decision on New CEO's First Day

Wednesday September 2, 2026 6:31 am PDT by
Apple's former hardware engineering chief John Ternus became its CEO on Tuesday, and the company made a controversial decision on his very first day in charge. As of Tuesday, Apple Maps users in the U.S. see the name "Lake America" instead of Lake Ontario for the Great Lake that straddles the New York—Ontario border. Apple made this change after the U.S. Geographic Names Information...

Top Rated Comments

alexandr Avatar
32 months ago
I run all my Hue lights through the Home app — can't stand the native Hue app, it's just blah. But good for them, I suppose.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
32 months ago
Why wouldn’t you just use the Home app/shortcuts for this? Seems like a waste of development effort
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
32 months ago
That screenshot leaves me confused. It strikes me as a poor UX design. Very little distinction between "On" and "Off", and the themed scenes don't indicate their On/Off status at all. Am I confused?

Not a Hue user, so won't affect me, but seems like a missed opportunity to do a better job at the design.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
32 months ago

Why wouldn’t you just use the Home app/shortcuts for this? Seems like a waste of development effort
People who have hue lights but not a HomeKit hub or any other smart home stuff?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
victorvictoria Avatar
32 months ago
At this point, I'm not buying any smart home devices or items that aren't HomeKit or Matter compatible. I'll stick with Meross lightbulbs for the time being.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Neil Harrison Avatar
32 months ago
Widgets are blank. Can they improve the HomeKit integration
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)