Philips Hue Hub, Lights Matter-Certified; Software Update Due in Q1

Signify’s Philips Hue Bridge smart lighting hub is Matter certified, the smart lighting company emailed Thursday. A software update to the Philips Hue Bridge will make all existing and new Philips Hue lights and accessories Matter-compatible, except for the Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box and the dial of the Philips Hue Tap Dial Switch, Signify said. Those devices aren’t yet supported by the Matter standard's Connectivity Standards Alliance’s 1.0 version, the company said. The Matter software update will be part of regular updates to the Bridge and is expected to be released to all users in Q1. Benefits to consumers after the release will be a “simplified connected experience” when connecting Philips products with other Matter-compatible smart home devices and apps, it said. All previous settings and personalization in the Philips Hue App will remain after the update, Signify said, and Google and Amazon integrations will continue to work “as-is” and be updated with Matter. Apple HomeKit users will have to reset to connect again to other products via Matter, it said. The Philips Hue integration with Matter-compatible devices and apps is open for developers as of Thursday, Signify said. Developers can test interoperability with the Philips Hue system via Matter by signing up with the Philips Hue Developer Community, it said.