New Hue API

Dear developers,

Big news: Philips Hue is releasing early access to a completely new version 2 of the Hue API, which includes popular feature requests such as dynamic scenes, gradient entertainment technology, and proactive state change events on the local network. The V2 API exists next to the V1 API and is not yet feature complete, but we invite you to start using what’s already available. Initial documentation including updated getting started and core concepts pages, a migration guide which details the differences with the V1 API, and a full API reference can all be found on Hue API V2. Please post any technical questions on the forum, so other developers can also benefit from the answers.

With this, we would also like to provide an update and reminder on deprecated services:

  • The V1 OAUTH2 (/oauth2) endpoint has been deprecated since July 2020 and will be disabled on short term – please double check that you are using the V2 OAUTH2 (/v2/oauth2) endpoint
  • HTTP has been replaced by HTTPS since November 2018. The V2 API does not support HTTP, but also for the V1 API it will be blocked when all bridges have received Signify signed certificates.
  • As per today, we deprecate UPnP as a local bridge discovery method, scheduled to be disabled in Q2 2022. Please use the recommended discovery methods mDNS and discovery.meethue.com which are supported since January 2018.
  • The Philips Hue SDK will not be updated to support the V2 API as it has been deprecated since July 2019, however the Hue Entertainment Development Kit (EDK) remains available and is fully compatible with the new API. The interface of the EDK itself is unchanged, so if you were using the EDK you can support the V2 Entertainment API simply by intaking the latest EDK version – no code changes required on your end.
  • The V1 Entertainment API is not able to control the individual segments of the new Gradient lights, which can be a confusing user experience. Therefore we request developers to prioritize upgrading entertainment features to the V2 entertainment API. As a general reminder, the REST API – whether V1 or V2 – must not be used for use cases with continuous fast light updates, as compared to the dedicated streaming API it provides a much slower update rate, cannot be stopped from other apps, and floods the new event stream with unnecessary messages.

Hue Developer Support