Set Up Philips Hue Widgets on iOS and Android

Unlocking your phone, opening an app, and waiting for the menu to load just to turn on the lights takes too much time. Smart home technology should adapt to your speed. By adding Philips Hue widgets directly to your phone screen, you can control your entire house with a single tap.

The Best Widget Configurations

Before adding buttons to your screen, it is helpful to plan what they will do. Here are three highly effective setups:

• The Master Switch: A compact button with one purpose. You tap it once when leaving the house or getting into bed, and it turns off every light in the building.
• The Scene Matrix: A larger block holding multiple buttons to trigger specific lighting scenes in your main living space, such as a movie theater mode or a reading mode.
• The Zone Controller: A setup that groups multiple rooms together. This allows you to control an entire floor of lights at the exact same time.

How to Set Up Widgets on Apple Devices

Since app version 5.14, widgets are fully supported on the iOS Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Today View. You can choose from three sizes and store up to eight lighting scenes. A recent software update also allows you to toggle entire rooms directly, rather than being limited to individual scenes.

Adding to the Home Screen:

1. Press and hold an empty space on your screen until the icons shake.
2. Tap the plus icon in the top corner.
3. Search for Hue, select your preferred size, and tap Add Widget.
4. Tap the new widget to choose which room or scene it will control.

Adding to the Lock Screen:

1. Press and hold your lock screen.
2. Tap Customize and select your lock screen.
3. Tap the widget box under the time and select Hue.

Bonus Trick: Apple lock screen widgets occasionally turn blank or gray after a system update. If your widget is empty, a quick phone restart usually fixes the issue. If it does not, delete the widget and add it again. Keep in mind that widgets cannot dim lights or trigger complex automations yet. They only handle power toggles and scene activations.

How to Set Up Widgets on Android Devices

Android devices offer highly flexible home screen widgets. You can choose a compact single-action button or a larger block with four separate buttons. Android is especially powerful for controlling large zones, allowing you to link a massive group of lights to a single tap.

Adding Widgets via the App: You no longer need to long-press the Android home screen to set these up. The developer built a faster method directly into their app.

1. Open the app on your Android device.
2. Tap the gear icon to open Settings.
3. Select Widgets.
4. Assign your specific actions, rooms, or zones. The app will then send the widget straight to your home screen.

Upcoming Energy Tracking Update

The manufacturer is rolling out a major software update soon that will measure your power consumption directly inside the app. This will allow you to track the exact energy cost of your lighting setup without needing external hardware.

Image Credit: Signify / Philips Hue