Instantly Change Multiple Hue Lamp Colors with the Home App

Philips Hue lamps are fantastic. You can smartly adjust brightness and color, and we’ve installed several in our home. I’ve come up with a way to synchronize their colors all at once.

Notice : This article is based on tests conducted using a Japanese-language iPhone within Japan. Please note that conditions may differ outside of Japan.

Want two Hue lamps to change colors between day and night

My goal is to synchronize the two Hue lamps in my study. During the day, I want a cool white light similar to natural daylight; at night, I prefer a warm, incandescent-like glow. Much like a “night mode” on Mac or iPhone, but for Hue lights. A warmer light at night is more relaxing and even improves sleep quality.

What I want:

Daytime → cool white light (like natural daylight)
Nighttime → warm light (like an incandescent bulb)

I’ll explain how to do this using Apple’s Home app on your iPhone/iPad or Mac.

Our household is deep into Apple’s ecosystem: Hue lamps are connected to a Hue Bridge hub, which syncs with the Home app. That way, Hue lamps can be controlled from iPhone, iPad, Mac, HomePod, and Apple Watch.

Use the Home app “Scenes” to sync multiple Hue lamps

To sync several Hue lamps, we use “Scenes.” Here’s how:

tap the [＋] button at the top to bring up the menu, then select “Add Scene.”

On the next screen, choose **“Custom.”**

After naming your scene, tap **“Add Accessories.”**

From the list of accessories, select the Hue lamps you want to sync and tap **“Done.”**

You should now see a screen like this. Tap each lamp to edit its settings.

Unfortunately, Hue doesn’t allow you to set color temperature with exact values, so you’ll need to fine-tune the color manually.

Once you’re satisfied with the adjustments, go back to the previous screen and tap **“Test This Scene”** to check the actual lamp color. If it’s not quite right, repeat the adjustments as needed—this part takes a bit of patience. When you’re happy with it, tap **“Done”** to save.

The scene will now appear on the **My Home** screen. In this example, the “Day Mode” and “Night Mode” scenes have been created. Just tap one of these to instantly change the color and on/off status of multiple Hue lamps.

The scenes you’ve set also appear in **Control Center**, so you can trigger them without opening the Home app each time.

Your new scenes appear on the Home App’s main screen. Tapping one instantly changes all selected Hue lamps to your specified settings. They also appear in Control Center, so you don’t have to open the Home app every time. Plus, you can trigger scenes via Siri—“Hey Siri, Study Lamp Day Mode” lights up both lamps instantly. Choose clear names to avoid confusion.

Use Automations to switch light at sunset

Since the scenes are ready, I took it a step further by automating them:

What I want:

Automatically switch to the warm-light scene at sunset

Here’s how in the Home app:

Switch to the **Automation** tab in the Home app and tap **Add New Automation**.

“Event” refers to the condition that will trigger the automation. Here, select **A Time of Day Occurs**.

Next, choose **Sunset**. The app will automatically adjust based on your location.

Under **People**, you can set the condition to **When I Am Home** or **When Someone Is Home**. “Someone” refers to any member you’ve shared your Home app with. In this example, **When I Am Home** is selected, since the lights are for a private study used only by me.

Now, choose what the automation will do. In this case, it triggers the previously created scene, “Study Scene 2.”

Review the automation details. It’s a good idea to tap **Test This Automation** to make sure everything works correctly. If all is well, tap **Done** to finish setup.

Now, at sunset, your Hue lamps automatically switch to warm mode. Nice and effortless.

Let Hue lighting light up your entire home

That’s how you master scenes and automations in the Home app for a more comfortable Hue experience. If you haven’t tried smart bulbs yet, Hue is definitely worth exploring. Even if you already use them, pairing multiple lamps increases convenience and ambience dramatically. Let’s fill every corner of the house with Hue lighting!