Philips Hue Music Synchronization with Sonos

  • 12 November 2021
  • 9 replies
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Hi all,

Anyone knows whether this can be achieved ?

I would like that my Philips Hue lights dance with the music that I am playing through the Sonos app.

This works fine when I’m playing music through the Spotify app. However it does not work when I’m playing music through the Sonos app (although Sonos and Spotify accounts are synchronized).

Thanks,

Thomas


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9 replies

Userlevel 7

Currently there are three ways to sync your Hue lights to your music:

  1. Through the Spotify app
  2. Connecting an HDMI device to a Hue sync box
  3. Syncing music directly from your PC or Mac with the Hue Sync desktop app

https://www.philips-hue.com/en-gb/explore-hue/propositions/entertainment/sync-with-music

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Thx GuitarSuperstar,

Considering Hue lights can be synched to music being played through Spotify, why does it no work when I’m using the sonos app to play music with Spotify as source? Is this intended not to work or am I missing smth?

Thx

Thomas

Userlevel 7

Thx GuitarSuperstar,

Considering Hue lights can be synched to music being played through Spotify, why does it no work when I’m using the sonos app to play music with Spotify as source? Is this intended not to work or am I missing smth?

Thx

Thomas

Philips has integrated Hue Sync with the Spotify app but not the Sonos app.

Thx GuitarSuperstar,

Considering Hue lights can be synched to music being played through Spotify, why does it no work when I’m using the sonos app to play music with Spotify as source? Is this intended not to work or am I missing smth?

Thx

Thomas

Once you have linked your Hue/Spotify accounts, if you start your music in Spotify and use its ‘connect’ feature to play to Sonos Speakers, the Hue entertainment area will work fine, whilst playing on Sonos… If the sync does pause for any reason, just tap the sync option in the Hue App. See screenshot…

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Thx Ken.

What I would like is to simply use the Sonos app. Any plans for that to happen?

Thx Ken.

What I would like is to simply use the Sonos app. Any plans for that to happen?

I very much doubt it, because the Sonos app is just a remote control, not a music player.  Sonos rarely comment on upcoming developments (although it does occasionally happen with something significant).  It would also require Philips to want to do it.

The audio lag built into Sonos to allow multiroom sync may be another tricky aspect.

I could, of course, be wrong, but I think the only sensible working assumption is that this is never going to happen.

There are 3rd-party Apps, that use the mic on an iPhone/iPad (other mobiles etc.) that will listen to the audio playing in a room and will flash a selected group of Hue lights across a chosen spectrum, or theme …and you can adjust/add to the beat etc. I found I played with things for a short time, but then thought it can’t be good for the bulbs (which are not particularly cheap anyway) and so gave up - plus there was no-one to have a party with anyway during lockdown. 

It felt like I was the only one at a disco, so these type of Apps now just sit there on my iDevices at the moment, not really doing much.🤷‍♂️

No doubt the Santa season might cause me to revisit these things, perhaps? 🎅🎄(bah humbug).

I tried a couple of the "listening" apps a while back. At that time the ones I tried didn't keep up at all

I tried a couple of the "listening" apps a while back. At that time the ones I tried didn't keep up at all

Yes, that’s true - someone may aswell just switch their coloured lights off/on at random, as there’s nothing I saw that showed the light behaviour was in-keeping with the playing audio.