Help & Support
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I download Hue in the Menu?
Open the App Store on your Mac, and search for "Hue in the Menu". Or, simply click here: Hue in the Menu on the Mac App Store
I can not connect to the Hue bridge
This is quite a common problem. It's typically because of one of the following two issues:
Reason #1: you need to tap the LINK button on the Hue bridge before you try to connect the app. Pressing the button is only valid for a short bit (few seconds to a minute maybe) and then you'll need to press it again in case you haven't paired the app in that timeframe. The first connection attempt usually fails, then you press the LINK button and retry again in the app. That's it.
Reason #2: you have a device we haven't seen yet. Since the development of this app is entirely voluntary, we don't have ALL of the Philips (or compatible) devices at hand here. Every now and then there's a device that returns parameters, values or settings that our app hasn't seen yet and misinterprets. This can lead to a connection error (it shouldn't, but has happened in the past). PLEASE, if you can, open the Hue in the Menu Settings screen, and you should either see a blue notification that allows you to send us debug information, or you can simply click on the Version Information at the bottom of the screen. This should open a window that allows you to send us debugging information. The information sent is only a list of devices and groups you have connected to your Hue bridge, we don't know who you are, where you are, and we don't collect your IP or anything else. And the debug information is only used to run it against our version of the app, to see where it fails. Once we have fixed that, we release and update and remove all debugging information. This usually takes about 24 hours, depending on App Store approval times.
Reason #1: you need to tap the LINK button on the Hue bridge before you try to connect the app. Pressing the button is only valid for a short bit (few seconds to a minute maybe) and then you'll need to press it again in case you haven't paired the app in that timeframe. The first connection attempt usually fails, then you press the LINK button and retry again in the app. That's it.
Reason #2: you have a device we haven't seen yet. Since the development of this app is entirely voluntary, we don't have ALL of the Philips (or compatible) devices at hand here. Every now and then there's a device that returns parameters, values or settings that our app hasn't seen yet and misinterprets. This can lead to a connection error (it shouldn't, but has happened in the past). PLEASE, if you can, open the Hue in the Menu Settings screen, and you should either see a blue notification that allows you to send us debug information, or you can simply click on the Version Information at the bottom of the screen. This should open a window that allows you to send us debugging information. The information sent is only a list of devices and groups you have connected to your Hue bridge, we don't know who you are, where you are, and we don't collect your IP or anything else. And the debug information is only used to run it against our version of the app, to see where it fails. Once we have fixed that, we release and update and remove all debugging information. This usually takes about 24 hours, depending on App Store approval times.
Do you support multiple bridges?
Not yet, unfortunately. We have the foundation for it ready, but not the interface. So technically the code is capable of running with as many bridges as you like, but we haven't figured out an interface that works for it. Part of the issue is that this is still a smaller use-case than "having just one bridge", so we need to separate this from the rest of the interface a bit. And adding/removing bridges and configuring this all requries a separate window of some sort. So, not yet, but if you have ideas on how to implement this visually, please do send them along.
The translations are weird / Les traductions sont bizarres / Die Übersetzungen sind etwas seltsam
We have native English/German speakers for some translations, but not for French, Spanish, Italian or any other languages unfortunately. If you can send us the correct (or better) translation, we would love to add it to the app. We depend on our users to help us translate into many more languages, so if you can assist, it should take you less than five minutes, and the app will be completely available in your own language because of you.
Does the app support dark-mode?
Yes, absolutely. It's not perfect, but we're open for suggestions. Send design ideas.
Can I run this on Catalina?
So far, yes. But we may have to cut support for it eventually, depending on what Apple has in mind in terms of deprecating features.
Can I run this on Mojave, High Sierre, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, Snow Leopard, Leopard, Tiger?
Nope. Sorry!
Do you support the new M1-chip?
Yes we do! The app is actually developed on a Mac Mini M1 and should run natively on the M1.
Are you going to make this a paid app? Why is it free? Will there be in-app purchases?
You can read more about our "let's keep it free" vision for this project here.
Are you tracking me?
No. We don't have any reason to track you. We see how many apps are downloaded through the App Store, this is data Apple is collecting, but that's about it. The app itself does not do anything to track your usage, or your data.