Philips Hue is making user accounts mandatory if you want to use its app. But there are alternatives.
          • @ratman150@sh.itjust.works
            5•9 months ago

            If I’m not mistaken it’s possible to add bulbs via bridge alone due to how they work.

            That being said, stop buying hue bulbs. Once you have home assistant you can integrate other brands into the mix. Don’t reward Phillips after they try to steal your information.

    • Uprise42
      4•9 months ago

      You can repurpose it to spots that don’t need the smart feature. I only have a couple bulbs, but they’ve now found their way into my basement where I don’t need smart lights. That way the bulbs don’t go to waste since they still work with a simple light switch still.

      • @BallShapedMan@lemmy.world
        0•9 months ago

        Until someone flicks the light and they end up flashing for forever… I have off brand ones I’ve done that with for security reasons and a few months ago we ate dinner with those lights flashing. It helped not to make eye contact with my wife, she didn’t find it as funny as I did.

        • Uprise42
          2•9 months ago

          The off brand do that, yes. But I don’t think Phillips do as easily. I think it has to be 3 quick on-off’s to reset them. Using them as a normal light should be fine. We have been using it for a few months now as I moved them out when I converted to matter

    • AFK BRB Chocolate
      2•9 months ago

      I’ve just switched to the Home app for now. Google has actually fixed all my complaints about it - now it launches to the favorites screen which can have devices or groups. I have mine set to show my two cameras and the light group for each room, and that’s basically all I want.

      If they end up making it so you have to be logged in to even use the lights with the Home app, I’ll just switch to something else.

    • @TrustingZebra@lemmy.one
      5•9 months ago

      No, it’s not at all the same company, despite using the same Philips brand. Philips split up into several separate companies. The healthcare division is the only thing left of the original Philips company.

  • AutoTL;DRBEnglish
    4•9 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    After launching a new security system last month and finally making good on its promise to support Matter, the company is now requiring users to sign up for a Hue account to use its app.

    Signify has a page on its site with details on what benefits you get from an account, but I reached out to find out why this change was being made and exactly what it means for your devices and data.

    “What we will over time change is that if you want to have an overview and to manage which applications and users have access to your Hue system, you will need to be logged into your account,” says Yianni.

    This is good news for people who have or plan to have more than 50 lights and accessories (the current limit on existing bridges), as it will make it easier to expand their system.

    If you don’t want to sign up for an account, you can still circumnavigate the Hue app by directly integrating the bridge (and its connected accessories) into a platform such as Apple Home.

    In both of these cases, you lose the features of the Hue app, such as scenes and automations, but you can control the lights locally in your home with no cloud integration and no need to create an account.

    The original article contains 1,181 words, the summary contains 220 words. Saved 81%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

    • @corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
      3•9 months ago

      “Up until this point, the mechanism we’ve used to identify who is the owner of the Hue system and can do this [control your bridge], is by physical access to the device — and pressing the button on the bridge,” says Yianni. “This approach is inadequate going forward, and we need a more robust way to identify the owner of the system and enable them to manage their system — the Hue account is how we will do this.”

      Actual physical security that requires people to be admitted into your home before they can manage your config is somehow inadequate? Compared to a fucking clowd scheme it’s so much better.

      what this means for you

      I have a friend with a bushel of hue bulbs in her garage, having swapped dozens for something less enshittified. They’re going to the landfill. She’s never touching the hue line again and regrets spending any money with them in the past. THAT’s what that means. It’s okay if they die.

      • @i_am_not_a_robot@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        1•9 months ago

        It’s probably a logistical issue, not a basement security issue. It sounds like they’re implementing something like an OAuth API for integrations that operate outside your house, and you use the account for managing or deauthorizing those integrations.