Philips Hue Amazon Alexa integration issue now confirmed by Signify

Philips Hue has confirmed that there is a bug linked to its Amazon Alexa integration. This is supposed to allow users to control their smart home devices with Amazon Alexa voice commands. For example, you could remotely switch lights on or off or adjust the brightness or color of bulbs like the White and Color Ambiance E26 (curr. $43.99 at Amazon).

Users have been flagging issues with the Philips Hue Alexa Skill for some time. Some Philips Hue products cannot be controlled at all, while others can be controlled, though with limited functionality. This problem appeared seemingly out of the blue, without an accompanying error message in the Alexa app or on an Alexa-enabled device. Plus, users indicate that reconnecting Alexa and Philips Hue does not fix this issue.

According to a recent report by Golem.de, Signify, the company behind Philips Hue, has confirmed that the connection between Philips Hue smart home products and Alexa is broken in some cases. It claims that only a “small number” of customers have been affected by this issue, though no estimate was provided. Apparently, the company has also stated that it is working on a solution with Amazon. However, there is no indication as to when a fix could be rolled out to users. 

Customers affected by the problem should get in touch with the Philips Hue customer service team. It is worth noting that while Amazon suggests that users need a Philips Hue Bridge v2 to enable this skill, users report that they can use Alexa without the hub.