The Samsung SmartThings app will soon offer “enhanced music experiences” for Philips Hue lighting products, according to a statement provided to The Verge. It’s unclear how this integration will work, but it could simplify the existing Philips Hue music-syncing process, which requires a computer and a $250 Sync Box.
We doubt that Samsung and Signify (Philips Hue’s parent brand) dropped this information to build hype. It’s a very short statement, simply stating that “in the coming months, we hope to announce more details of an expanded partnership between Samsung SmartThings and Philips Hue that will provide enhanced music experiences.”
Instead, it seems that the companies wanted to shoot down a rumor. Earlier this week, SamMobile reported that an upcoming SmartThings update would let users sync a Samsung TV’s on-screen action with Philips Hue lighting.
Samsung’s Vice President of SmartThings marketing, Samantha Fein, calls this report “premature” and “inaccurate.” For what it’s worth, we held out on covering SamMobile‘s report because it seemed too good to be true—Philips Hue already sells costly TV syncing hardware, why would it offer a free replacement through SmartThings?
But there’s a decent chance that Samsung is working on an updated SmartThings app. SmartThings is the testing ground for Matter, a universal smart home standard, and its app may require an overhaul when SmartThings launches. It would also be the perfect time for an app redesign, as customers will need to be educated about how Matter changes the game.
Still, we can’t confirm that Samsung is working on an updated SmartThings app. We also don’t know what “enhanced music experiences” it’ll bring to Philips Hue products. For what it’s worth, both Samsung and Philips Hue plan to integrate existing products with Matter.
