Philips Hue is expanding beyond connected bulbs with plain-language AI controls, plug-and-play TV synchronisation, Sonos integration and a wider range of decorative indoor and outdoor lights.
Philips Hue has broadened its smart lighting line-up with a mix of software updates, entertainment tools and decorative fittings aimed at making connected lighting easier to personalise and more tightly integrated with the home. The latest additions centre on three areas: more intelligent automation, wider support for synchronised television lighting and a larger design-led range for indoor and outdoor use.
On the software side, the most notable addition is Custom AI Behaviours, a feature reserved for the Hue Bridge Pro. It will let users describe the automation they want in plain language, with the app turning that request into a set of triggers, conditions and lighting actions. In practical terms, that could mean lights behaving differently at weekends, reacting to darkness rather than a fixed time, or switching scenes when an entertainment setup starts syncing. Philips Hue is also preparing Back-up & Restore, which will store settings in the cloud so lights, accessories, rooms, zones, scenes and automations can be recovered more easily. A Sonos integration is also planned, allowing selected Hue switches, including the Tap Dial Switch, to control playback and volume without opening a separate app.
The entertainment range is also expanding. Philips Hue is introducing Play Screen Sync, a plug-and-play system that reads the image on a television and extends those colours into the room. The company says it works with native smart TV apps, broadcast television and HDMI sources, using a fisheye lens and automatic calibration to capture the full display in real time. Alongside that comes the Play HDMI Sync Box 4K, which keeps the familiar sync-box format but in a simpler single-HDMI setup. Philips Hue says the device supports 4K at 60Hz and can be used with up to 10 lights once a Hue Bridge is connected.
There is also a bridging step for households that want to start smaller. Philips Hue says one Play gradient TV strip light can synchronise with either Screen Sync or the HDMI Sync Box 4K over Bluetooth, without a Bridge. Adding a Bridge or Bridge Pro then extends the setup into a fuller surround-lighting system. The company is also refreshing its strip-light range, with cuttable versions of the Play gradient strip light and Play gradient strip light pro, including a model made for televisions up to 100 inches.
The design portfolio is growing in parallel. Philips Hue is launching the Liane 360-degree rope light, which uses optical design to create continuous illumination around the whole fixture, and expanding the Signe family with pendant, pendulum and pole variants. Outdoors, the Festavia line is gaining curtain, net and icicle lights, while a new range of wall lights and spots is intended to make premium outdoor smart lighting more accessible. Philips Hue says the rollout will begin in stages from September 2026, with timing and pricing varying by market.
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