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Philips Hue Lights Getting Deep Spotify Integration

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Starting today, the popular Philips Hue smart lights will feature a deep integration with the Spotify streaming music service, allowing Hue users to sync their lights to their Spotify playlists.

philips-hue-spotify-integration.jpg

The Philips Hue system will use an algorithm to analyze the metadata of each song in real time to make Hue lights flash, dim, brighten, and change colors while matching with the beat, mood, genre, and tempo of music on Spotify. The algorithm even takes into account factors like loudness, segments, pitch, and more.

With the Sync tab in the Philips Hue app, users can personalize the Spotify integration experience. There are tools for starting and stopping the sync, changing the brightness and intensity of the lights, and choosing a palette to change the colors of the lights.

Spotify integration is free to use, requiring a Hue Bridge and color-capable Hue lights like the White and Color Ambiance Smart Bulbs. The feature works through the Philips Hue app and it does not require a microphone to react to the music, so the syncing experience can be done with no background noise and while leaving the phone free to be used for other tasks.

According to Philips Hue parent company Signify, the integration works with any Spotify-compatible audio device, which includes speakers, computers, and smartphones. All that's required is linking a Spotify account and a Philips Hue account in the Hue app, and the lights will perform whenever you play a Spotify song.

The Philips Hue and Spotify integration will begin rolling out as an early access program for Philips Hue App 4 users beginning on September 1.

Those who have the current version of the app can tap on the "What's New" update with the Spotify card and can select "Early access" to try it out. After October 2021, Spotify integration will be a permanent feature in the Philips Hue app.

Article Link: Philips Hue Lights Getting Deep Spotify Integration
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/01/philips-hue-lights-spotify-integration/
I'm going to love this. I use Hue Disco but it uses the phone's microphone and is out of sync. Now I just need to sell a kidney to buy a couple more bulbs.
 
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joelhinch said:
This is definitely awesome… But I don’t use Spotify. Apple? Your Q…
Click to expand...

Indeed... easy Apple iTunes/Music integration into HomeKit, without the need of Hue account.

But, there are other things that should be done in the Hue-HomeKit area:
* Adding a user adjustable fade-time option to scenes or devices in HomeKit. Missing for all brands(?).
* Adding a trigger option when a Hue light parameter changes (to any random value, not a fixed value)
* Having the option to trigger the Hue scenes from HomeKit (with fade-time).
* HomeKit currently cannot set scenes with more than Hue 6 lights. In a scene with 7 Hue lights and one other light device, randomly some Hue lights are not turned on or the colour or lightness parameters are sometimes not set. I have to trigger that same scene 2 or 3 times to get it right. Inside the Hue system itself, no problem though,
 
That sounds pretty cool!

To all the non-Spotify users who commented above: Just use Spotify. It really doesn't matter much for you on which service you listen to your music and Apple doesn't need to own it all. I use Spotify by principle because Apple makes way too much money with way too many things already. It can't harm if there is some room for other players, too. Definitely better for consumers in the long run. Just my opinion.
 
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it is great to see updates like this, since it means they haven't given up on them at all, but what they really need is to update the bridge to support 200 (or whatever) lights and devices.

Keep the software updates coming, but improve the hardware too.
 
PlasmStudios said:
Too bad you basically need to be Jeff Bezos to be able to afford a halfway decent setup with Hue.
Click to expand...
Doesn’t have to be. Buy the Hue bridge and then buy IKEA’s Tradfri bulbs. They pair with the bridge (a little fiddly at first but you get the hang of it) and can be used with HomeKit via a HomeBridge setup, all of which isn’t very costly. HomeBridge can be tricky for some to set up but I believe you can now buy a pre-made setup for it.

I have a few native Hue lights but mostly they are IKEA and other brands. All integrated with HomeKit and most rooms have enough lights to do scenes properly. Did not cost me a fortune. In the UK anyway, IKEA’s color bulbs are £15 for a GU10 345lm or Edison/bayonet 806lm. The white gradient ones are cheaper at around £6.

You don’t necessarily need color everywhere. I’ve discovered that the color GU10 are great for use as Spotlights against a wall but ultimately quite pointless as in-ceiling down lights. Similarly there’s not a whole lot of point doing color in your bathroom as it ends up feeling weird. Color ones should be used to cast color against and up walls. Perhaps in pendant lights too but that’s up to yourself. I have color ones in my pendants but I usually keep them a shade of white except for specific scenes where I want the room filled with color - scenes I have only really ever used to show people how it works because it’s not practical to be in a room so saturated with color for very long.
 
Nowhere to be found in the updated app. There is no “Spotify” card in the “what’s new” section for me.

edit: apparently it’s rolling out over a week.
 
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twistedpixel8 said:
Doesn’t have to be. Buy the Hue bridge and then buy IKEA’s Tradfri bulbs. They pair with the bridge (a little fiddly at first but you get the hang of it) and can be used with HomeKit via a HomeBridge setup, all of which isn’t very costly. HomeBridge can be tricky for some to set up but I believe you can now buy a pre-made setup for it.

I have a few native Hue lights but mostly they are IKEA and other brands. All integrated with HomeKit and most rooms have enough lights to do scenes properly. Did not cost me a fortune. In the UK anyway, IKEA’s color bulbs are £15 for a GU10 345lm or Edison/bayonet 806lm. The white gradient ones are cheaper at around £6.

You don’t necessarily need color everywhere. I’ve discovered that the color GU10 are great for use as Spotlights against a wall but ultimately quite pointless as in-ceiling down lights. Similarly there’s not a whole lot of point doing color in your bathroom as it ends up feeling weird. Color ones should be used to cast color against and up walls. Perhaps in pendant lights too but that’s up to yourself. I have color ones in my pendants but I usually keep them a shade of white except for specific scenes where I want the room filled with color - scenes I have only really ever used to show people how it works because it’s not practical to be in a room so saturated with color for very long.
Click to expand...

I just looked on the Ikea website, and those bulbs look they are only the white spectrum. Not really a good comp. I know personally the reason I went Hue was for color, otherwise I would have done way cheaper options.
 
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PlasmStudios said:
Too bad you basically need to be Jeff Bezos to be able to afford a halfway decent setup with Hue.

Now I could totally see Apple integration a feature like this right into Homekit into control any homekit based accessories. Perhaps even a closer tie in with Apple Music. We'll just have to wait and see I guess
Click to expand...

That’s not true at all. I have Hue lighting in two bedrooms, two hallways and my lounge, and my total spend was under $600. I don’t have it syncing to music or any of that nonsense, but I didn’t spend Bezos $$$. It’s amazing how much you can light a room by carefully placing a few of these - my bedrooms inexplicably lack ceiling lighting, so I started with just a Hue bulb in an existing floor lamp and built from there.

All my lights are connected to HomeKit, but doing very rudimentary stuff - certain lights come on at sunset and go off at a set time. I haven’t delved into how much control it has over the lights, but provided Hue exposes HomeKit-compatible, low latency endpoints to change colour and brightness, it could happen. They seem to be on a roll with software updates lately with so here’s hoping.
 
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mattopotamus said:
I just looked on the Ikea website, and those bulbs look they are only the white spectrum. Not really a good comp. I know personally the reason I went Hue was for color, otherwise I would have done way cheaper options.
Click to expand...
I have IKEA color ones. If you read my post again you’ll see that I reference both GU10 color 345lm and bayonet/Edison 806lm. They are definitely there but I can only provide UK store links which may not be useful to you.

Edison (£15): https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/tradfr...and-white-spectrum-globe-opal-white-50517637/


GU10 (£15): https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/tradfr...-dimmable-colour-and-white-spectrum-30517638/
 
alexe said:
That sounds pretty cool!

To all the non-Spotify users who commented above: Just use Spotify. It really doesn't matter much for you on which service you listen to your music and Apple doesn't need to own it all. I use Spotify by principle because Apple makes way too much money with way too many things already. It can't harm if there is some room for other players, too. Definitely better for consumers in the long run. Just my opinion.
Click to expand...
You use Spotify just to spite Apple? That’s not how capitalism works. The best service gets my dollars. And given that Apple One comes with so much value Apple Music is a no brainer in my household. Hopefully this feature shows up for non-Spotify users someday.
 
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