Can't connect Phillips Hue bridge to Apple Home

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Can't connect Phillips Hue bridge to Apple Home

I'm trying to setup and connect a Phillips Hue bridge to Apple Home, but despite following Phillps instructions I cannot get it to connect. I saw another thread here: Philips Hue won't connect to Homekit - Apple Community. I seem to be in the same situation as the fellow in that thread, but I didn't see any solution posted.

Phillips website says this:

Make sure that your mobile device is connected to the same router to which your Hue Bridge is connected. The router must be able to support Apple’s Bonjour software, which allows you to discover other devices and services on the network. If your router does not support this feature, you will not be able to use HomeKit.

What do they mean about the router being able to support Bonjour software? Does that even have anything to do with the router? I have tried the Hue bridge HomeKit setup with two different routers and had the same failure to connect on both of them. The router I'm using now is a brand new Gateway router from AT&T. I haven't had any problems connecting any of my other HomeKit devices. I'm using an iPhone13 and an AppleTV 4K.

Has anyone been able to successfully connect a Phillips Hue bridge to Apple Home?

Posted on Nov 18, 2022 7:20 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

isophlex Author

Level 1

13 points

Dec 1, 2022 10:28 AM in response to msc0nfig

I haven't tried that, but I may give that a shot. Thanks for the suggestion. At this point I think I've decided that Phillips Hue isn't worth wasting any more time on. There are other smart bulb products on the market now that are far less expensive and actually work with Apple Home without all this nonsense. Furthermore, if anyone at Apple is listening, I don't think Phillips should be allowed to market their product as HomeKit compatible if it doesn't work any better than this.

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Answer 2

K_Faith

Community Specialist

Nov 21, 2022 1:26 PM in response to isophlex

Hello isophlex,

Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities, and we'll be happy to help in any way we can. We understand you're having issues with adding an accessory to HomeKit. Follow the steps listed here to see if they resolve the issue: Add an accessory to the Home app - Apple Support

"If you can't add an accessory

Update your iPhone or iPad to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.
Make sure that your accessories support HomeKit, AirPlay 2, or Matter.
To use and manage your home in the Home app on all of your devices, sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID on every device. Then turn on iCloud Keychain and Home in iCloud Settings."

If after those steps it is isolated to a particular accessory, reach out to the manufacturer for assistance in resolving the issue.

We hope this helps.

Cheers!

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Answer 3

msc0nfig

Level 1

13 points

Dec 1, 2022 10:39 AM in response to isophlex

I came to find out that my specific problem was due to my iPhone and iCloud account.

After weeks of troubleshooting I finally got everything working again.

Please note that my problem was that I had everything setup and working previously, and after a certain event happened my iPhone and iCloud account refused to connect to ANY of those devices.

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Answer 4

Jan 4, 2023 3:04 AM in response to msc0nfig

So, could you please tell us how you managed to fix it in the end ?

This is driving me crazy and I'm sure it's due to my iCloud account, since my wife's phone is able to connect and find the Hue bridge

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Answer 5

msc0nfig

Level 1

13 points

Jan 4, 2023 7:23 AM in response to johnny21a

Sorry for your troubles Johnny.

I ended up having to backup my iPhone to iCloud, reset my iPhone back to its original state, and then finally I restored my iCloud account.

Be careful when backing up your iPhone. There are different options such as storing the backup on your computer or storing the file in the cloud.

One way is better than the other as it stores more of your info I believe. The backup should also be encrypted as this allows the backup to store your personal data.

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Answer 6

msc0nfig

Level 1

13 points

Nov 21, 2022 5:20 PM in response to isophlex

Have the same issue and tried everything.

I did find out that I can add it from a different phone. Have you tried this?

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Can't connect Phillips Hue bridge to Apple Home

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