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ipedro

macrumors 603
Original poster
Nov 30, 2004
6,325
8,828
Toronto, ON
My brother recently moved to iOS after a decade of loyalty to Google. He has some HomeKit compatible products including Hue. He didn’t save the HomeKit codes. Is there a way to add a Phillips Hue hub to HomeKit without the code?
 

StumpyBloke

macrumors 603
Apr 21, 2012
5,592
6,311
England
Have you looked underneath the Hue bridge? It’s normally under there. And it needs to be the square bridge, not the round one.
 

ipedro

macrumors 603
Original poster
Nov 30, 2004
6,325
8,828
Toronto, ON
Have you looked underneath the Hue bridge? It’s normally under there. And it needs to be the square bridge, not the round one.

Yup, square bridge and there's just a blank placeholder where the HomeKit code would usually be. I vaguely remember getting mine many years ago and I might've had to peal the sticker off an included paper and onto the back of the Hue bridge. Is that how it is or does it come already with the sticker on the hub? If not, then my brother probably just threw it out with the box and included papers.

Alternatively, I found that some newer HomeKit devices have NFC so you merely have to be close to the bridge when you add it to HomeKit. Anybody with newer Hue setup want to chime in?
 

Itinj24

Contributor
Nov 8, 2017
4,573
2,624
New York
I had three bridges and all had a preinstalled label on the bottom of the bridge. I know some manufacturers also add the code in multiple places like in the user manual and a separate card contained in the packaging (Leviton and Logitech to name a couple) but I’ve never seen a natively supported HomeKit device that didn’t have the code somewhere on the actual device or within the device’s software (Ecobee).

I got my Hue bridges well after HomeKit support was already established. Is it possible these are a very early batch of the square ones that required a firmware update for Homekit and it’s buried somewhere in the software? I know the earlier Wemo Mini plugs did not have a HomeKit code on them but a firmware update allowed them to be added to HomeKit within the Wemo app.
 
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malcky77

macrumors regular
Oct 12, 2019
247
108
Does the bridge have a black sticker on it with a picture of a house with 3 lines in it?
If it does, then you should be able to just put your phone near the hub to add it....as long as the phone is a iPhone 7 or newer.
Screenshot 2020-06-26 at 20.47.17.png
 
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ipedro

macrumors 603
Original poster
Nov 30, 2004
6,325
8,828
Toronto, ON
Does the bridge have a black sticker on it with a picture of a house with 3 lines in it?
If it does, then you should be able to just put your phone near the hub to add it....as long as the phone is a iPhone 7 or newer.
View attachment 928097

There are no HomeKit stickers on his bridge at all.


IMG_1275.jpeg


Mine has far fewer information but has the HomeKit sticker in that white space between the brackets. Is there such a thing as non-HomeKit Philips Hue hub?
 

Itinj24

Contributor
Nov 8, 2017
4,573
2,624
New York
There are no HomeKit stickers on his bridge at all.


View attachment 928549

Mine has far fewer information but has the HomeKit sticker in that white space between the brackets. Is there such a thing as non-HomeKit Philips Hue hub?
How was this Hub obtained? If pre owned, it’s possible the previous owner removed and set it aside it for future reference (by the way, I highly recommend the app HomePass for this purpose ).

Also, Try contacting the company’s support and see if they can retrieve the HomeKit code using the serial number. Maybe they have a database of this info.
 

ipedro

macrumors 603
Original poster
Nov 30, 2004
6,325
8,828
Toronto, ON
How was this Hub obtained? If pre owned, it’s possible the previous owner removed and set it aside it for future reference (by the way, I highly recommend the app HomePass for this purpose ).

Also, Try contacting the company’s support and see if they can retrieve the HomeKit code using the serial number. Maybe they have a database of this info.

It was purchased new from BestBuy. My brother has had it for a couple of years but because he was on Android, he never noticed because he had any use for HomeKit until now that he’s switched to an iPhone.

Now, he’s just pissed off and blaming it on Apple because “why does Apple need a code? I added it on Google Home without any code. Apple sucks at cloud services!”

I’m just curious if there was ever a time when Phillips included the HomeKit code on a peelable sticker that you’re supposed to stick on the bridge yourself and my brother just threw it out not knowing what it was.
 

Itinj24

Contributor
Nov 8, 2017
4,573
2,624
New York
It was purchased new from BestBuy. My brother has had it for a couple of years but because he was on Android, he never noticed because he had any use for HomeKit until now that he’s switched to an iPhone.

Now, he’s just pissed off and blaming it on Apple because “why does Apple need a code? I added it on Google Home without any code. Apple sucks at cloud services!”

I’m just curious if there was ever a time when Phillips included the HomeKit code on a peelable sticker that you’re supposed to stick on the bridge yourself and my brother just threw it out not knowing what it was.
Hmm, possible. You did say yours is different looking on the back so they may have changed it over the years. I’d still at least try customer support and see if they can help and if they can’t, just get a new one and carry on. They’re relatively inexpensive.
 

pup

macrumors 6502a
Dec 31, 2009
514
499
I seem to remember that when I did my Hue system that the codes were on a little leaflet in each box, which I thought was strange. I think somewhere I have a stack of them that I won’t be able to find when needed.
 

waw74

macrumors 601
May 27, 2008
4,767
1,001
I seem to remember that when I did my Hue system that the codes were on a little leaflet in each box, which I thought was strange. I think somewhere I have a stack of them that I won’t be able to find when needed.
OP already said box and papers are long gone
 

Debauch

macrumors regular
Jul 6, 2013
216
371
The HomeKit sticker and code would have been in those bracket (below the WiFi certified label). I’d call Philips and see if they can provide the HomeKit code for the serial number.
 

Dave.Inwood1988

macrumors 6502
Oct 18, 2019
285
194
If you use the Philips Hue App and set it all up on there on the iPhone then go into settings ‘HomeKit/Siri’ you should be able to add the lights to each of your existing rooms ok homekit
 

Benjmain Griffiths

macrumors newbie
Dec 18, 2023
4
2
Prefer Not To Say
You can still pair it with HomeKit by doing the steps below

1. Click the plus in HomeKit.

2. Click More options.
IMG_1481.jpeg


3. Click the bridge if you see it.

IMG_1482.jpeg


3. Click add to home in the popup


IMG_1483.jpeg

Hope this helps! Tell me if any errors happen on your journey or if it works.
 
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