Philips Hue starts requiring an account for the hue app
Philips Hue is a product line of smart lighting equipment by Signify (former lighting division of Philips). A change was announced in 2023, which requires users of the Hue app to create an account to control their smart lights.
Background
When these smart lights initially came to market, they were able to be controlled offline through local API's. This meant the smart lights could be used without uploading any data to Philips and without creating an account.[1] Customers particularly liked this feature of the smart lights, as it does not come with the security concerns that other smart lights have by being fully connected to the internet.[2] There is a dedicated Hue app which allows controlling the smart lights, which only required an account if you wanted to remotely control the lights using Philips cloud services. If users did not want to use those cloud services, they were free to use their own solutions, like Home Assistant. The smart lights themselves use the Zigbee protocol. They connect to a device called the bridge or hub, which can control the lights that you have installed.
Account requirement for the app introduced after product purchase
Existing users of the Hue app got a notification which said:[2]
Hue accounts are designed to enhance your system's security. Starting soon, you'll need to be signed in.
While the notification is unclear on how this security enhancement is achieved George Yanni, Philips Hue CEO, has stated that the previous identification mechanism for controlling the system, via pressing a button on the hub, was inadequate and the new account system is a needed upgrade.[3] While the new account systems makes attempts to gain access to the system harder it now requires users to allow for a remote way to gain access to the devices, making them more vunerable remotely than they previously were.
Concerns were initially raised that the creation of an account would always connect the devices to the internet, making sharing user data with Signify a requirement to use the products. This was addressed by Signify, making data sharing opt-in when creating an account. Further, when customers bought the product it was not a requirement to have an account for the app. That was a condition changed after the purchase of the product for existing customers. Making an account also requires providing an e-mail address.
Signify's response
In response to the backlash, there were a few changes in the planned policy changes. They do proceed with the requirement of an account, but do not make the creation of an account automatic consent to also share usage data, which was previously the case when the account was not required.[3] Signify focuses on the benefits of having an account, as it will allow using multiple Hue bridges in the same home.[3] Their reaction also mentions that users can remove internet connectivity once you’ve connected your account, which does not address the concern of needing an account in the first place.[3]
Consumer response
As the app itself with the Hue hub requires an account, some customers have opted to use the smart lights with a different hub, as they do not agree with this requirement.[4] This is possible because many other smart devices also use the same protocol, so there are compatible hubs for the Hue smart lights themselves.
See Also
References
- ↑
Rossmann, Louis (25 Sep 2023). "Philips changes terms after the sale: requires data-sharing account to use a light bulb..." Youtube. Retrieved 19 Feb 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Schoutsen, Paulus (22 Sep 2023). "[Update Oct 2: data sharing to become optional] Philips Hue will force users to upload their data to Hue cloud". Sonos. Archived from the original on 7 Feb 2025. Retrieved 19 Feb 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Tuohy, Jennifer Pattison (28 Sep 2023). "Philips Hue will soon require an account to use its app — here's what that means". The Verge. Archived from the original on 1 Feb 2025. Retrieved 19 Feb 2025.
- ↑ "Philips Hue will force users to upload their data to Hue cloud". Reddit. March 2023. Archived from the original on 16 Nov 2023. Retrieved 19 Feb 2025.