Philips Hue smart lighting now works with Siri Shortcuts

The Philips Hue line has some of the best smart lighting around with everything from light strips to multi-color LED bulbs. If you've got this system in your home (and why shouldn't you with 2-bulb starter kits like this on sale right now?) , then you know it is already packed with features, including voice control and app scheduling. Well, one feature has been missing for a little while now - Siri Shortcuts.
Philips Hue bulbs are HomeKit compatible as long as you are using the Philips Hue Bridge smart hub to connect them altogether. That means you can use Siri instead of Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant to control your smart lighting system with your voice. Well, thanks to the update to iOS 12, now you can use the Shortcuts app to add even more functionality to the Hue Bridge.
With Shortcuts, Siri will learn every time you interact with her. She might even teach you a thing or two like what time of day you change your lights. You'll be able to record personal phrases that can then activate your favorite lighting scenes and then keep them as actions you can activate at any time inside the app. You'll be able to activate the lights quickly from your lock screen, the Siri search, or watch face. Siri Shortcuts also has preset scenes you might like to try out with keywords like "Yoga" or "Relax." Plus, if you're using the Bridge you'll be able to connect your favorite lighting scenes to other smart home features like playing music.
Read more about Siri Shortcuts and other features from iOS 12 here. And be sure to check out all the Philips Hue lights, strips, and kits that will now work even better with Siri on Amazon.
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J.D. Levite has been in the deals game since 2012. He has posted daily deals at Gizmodo, The Wirecutter, The Sweethome, and now for Thrifter. He was there for the first Prime Day and has braved the full force of Black Friday. If you cut him, he bleeds savings. But don't try it for real. That's a metaphor.