# OnSwitch for Philips Hue — #1 Rated Philips Hue App

> Philips Hue smart lighting companion app with animated scenes and effects. (iPhone/iPad app by Buzzhaus, LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/onswitch-for-philips-hue/id853520339 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Buzzhaus, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1162934164)
- Category: Lifestyle, Utilities
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.70/5 from 9,562 App Store ratings · 368 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 88 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France)
- Released: 2014-04-08
- Data updated: 2026-08-26
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/onswitch-for-philips-hue/id853520339/reviews.md

## What is OnSwitch for Philips Hue?

LIGHTS! COLORS! ACTION!

OnSwitch is the #1 rated companion app for Philips Hue smart lighting systems. Downloaded over 2.5 million times!  

OnSwitch for Philips Hue has a beautiful, simple user interface but it's also powerful. Your Hue lights come alive with a single click! 

• Holidays
• Party/Disco Lighting
• Sports, Including LIVE game-sync events
• Sunrise alarm and sunset sleep timer
• Fun kids content
• Accent Lighting
• Color flows
• Candle light
• Nature Scenes
• Lightning
• Fireworks

Our Hue app connects to your Philips Hue Bridge, creating immersive animated experiences with your Hue lights! 

Get the best Hue App, get OnSwitch!

UNLOCK EVERYTHING
With OnSwitch Premium subscription you can unlock our entire content library and more!
• Unlock ALL albums (300+ animated light scenes) 
• Unlimited SIRI Shortcuts
• Access exclusive LIVE events.
• Amazing NEW scenes added regularly.

HERO LIGHTING 
Our Hue light scenes have cinematic flair. Music sound tracks set the mood while our an animation engine delivers bursts of light and sound where anything can happen. Santa lands on your house! Zombies attack! You are in a spaceship battle!

Other light scenes transport you to a Lush Forest, Venice or even Deep Space to chill out in the Orion Nebula listening to superb ambient electronic music. 

CREATIVE LIGHTING
OnSwitch gives you smarter, clearer ways to control your smart lights. Instead of guessing what Hue's "Light Recipes" mean, our Everyday Lighting album presents gorgeous photos of antique and halogen bulbs or a skylight so it's clear what kind of light you are going to get. Our fluorescent tube even flickers on like the real thing! 

Want Color? Other apps make you drag a pin around a color wheel. OnSwitch makes it easy with curated Pastels and Accent colors. Warm and Cool color flows. And "Color Splat!" our exclusive color discovery feature that's always fun and a surprise.

SUNRISE ALARM & SUNSET SLEEP TIMER
Wake up with a beautiful sunrise and your favorite music! Go to sleep with a sunset, optimized for better sleep.

LIGHT GROUPS
Easily create and manage groups of bulbs. Control each group independently. OnSwitch manages groups on your Philips Hue Bridge so it will play nicely with your other apps!

IMPORTANT!
• You will need LIFX smart bulbs or a Philips Hue bridge and light bulbs to use this app.
• OnSwitch requires iOS10 or later to run.

SUBSCRIPTION TERMS
OnSwitch Premium subscription unlocks all of the app's lighting content.  You can preview all of the content for 3 days FREE before your subscription starts. 

If you choose to subscribe, you will be charged a per month subscription fee according to your country. The subscription fee will be shown in the app before you complete the payment. Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of each subscription term, unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the term. Subscription renewals cost the same as the original subscription, and your credit card will be charged through your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase.

You may manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal at any time after purchase by going to your iTunes Account Settings. Refunds will not be given for any unused portion of the term.

For additional information, please read:
•Terms of Service (https://www.getonswitch.com/terms) 
• Privacy Policy (https://www.getonswitch.com/privacy)

## Key features

- Animated light scenes for holidays and parties
- Live game-sync events for sports
- Sunrise alarm and sunset sleep timer
- Creative color control and discovery
- Manage and control light groups
- Hero lighting with cinematic flair

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| OnSwitch Premium | $35.99 | per year |
| OnSwitch Premium | $12.99 | per month |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nature Album | $4.99 | one-time |
| Fireplace | $1.99 | one-time |
| Embers | $0.99 | one-time |
| Fireworks Album | $7.99 | one-time |
| Lightning | $1.99 | one-time |
| Aurora | $1.99 | one-time |
| Science Fiction Album | $5.99 | one-time |
| Fireworks Album | $7.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of OnSwitch for Philips Hue?

Overall sentiment: neutral

**Pros**

- ⭐ Simply the best
- 🚀 Fantastic app
- 👍 Great app
- 👍 Awesome app
- 👍 Excellent app
- 👍 Best app for Hue
- 👍 Brilliant app
- 👍 Creative and fresh
- 👍 Smooth Hue control
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Lots of options
- 👍 Great for daily use
- 👍 Useful modes
- 👍 Animated/color flowing modes

**Cons**

- 🔒 Subscription to control my lights
- 🔒 No One-Time Purchase Option
- 🐛 Doesn't work with LifX
- 🐛 Disconnects from the hue bridge
- 🐛 Unable to open after recent update
- 🐛 Doesn't connect
- 🐛 Glitches since update
- 🔋 Battery drain
- 🔋 Overheats Your Phone
- 🔒 NFL GAME SYNC DECREASED AVAILABILITY
- 🔒 VPN
- 🔒 Doesn't support LIFX anymore

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Crashes on launch after update
- Connectivity issues
- Lights not responding correctly
- Scenes not working as expected

**Most requested features**

- Add support for LIFX bulbs
- Allow customization of light groups
- Add background mode/automation
- Add Siri/HomeKit integration
- Improve interface and organization
- Add more scenes and effects
- Reduce pricing of individual scenes

## Recent user reviews (10 of 368)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/onswitch-for-philips-hue/id853520339/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Battery killer

*2026-07-03, version 4.1.29*

The app doesn’t appear under the background app refresh list in Settings, so it’s impossible to keep the app from absolutely nuking your battery 24 hours a day. This thing drains like 40% overnight just sitting there doing god knows what with it’s background processes.

### 2/5 — Hors de prix

*2026-05-21*

Je cherchais une fonctionnalité précise que l’app officielle Philips n’a pas (un scénario de lumières qui s’éteint tout seul pour dormir) et que celle-ci semble avoir. Mais l’achat est un abonnement !?? On se fiche du monde ? Je veux bien acheter une fois, mais pas tous les mois 👎🏼

**Developer response:** Merci pour votre avis. Bonne nouvelle : cette fonctionnalité est disponible gratuitement dans notre application. Aucun abonnement requis. Si vous voyez une scène verrouillée que vous souhaitez utiliser pour le sommeil, vous pouvez acheter l’album avec un achat unique (à vie).

### 3/5 — Great App but will make your battery hot (multiple devices)

*2026-05-11, version 4.1.27*

It’s by far the best hue app in the market but the app will make your phone battery hot.  I thought perhaps it was just a device whose internal consumable battery was failing, but the issue with battery getting hot occurs across multiple generations of devices.  I just have to be certain that I’m not running any other apps at the time so that my phone doesn’t eventually overheat (iPhones)

### 5/5 — Love this game

*2026-05-01, version 4.1.26*

This is amazing

### 5/5 — The BEST light app out there!

*2026-04-27, version 4.1.26*

This is my favorite light app ever! So many great, fun choices and the customer service is amazing as well. Highly recommend!!

### 2/5 — Expensive but good

*2026-02-11, version 4.1.23*

Most of the features require a monthly subscription.  There are a few free but not worth it in my opinion.  They want $4.16 cad a month.  To much to change light colors

### 5/5 — Super Bowl Halftime Show

*2026-02-09, version 4.1.23*

Great lighting experience! Thank you! I didn’t think you would have it but you sure did!

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work well

*2026-02-07, version 4.1.23*

Every time I select an effect like candle light or fire, it works fine as long as my iphone is open. But whenever the phone goes to sleep the effect stops. That is insane, what am I supposed to keep my phone open all night

### 5/5 — Love this!

*2026-01-26, version 4.1.23*

Love watching NFL games with this app, really hope you guys have plans to sync with World Cup Games

### 3/5 — No More LIFX Support?

*2025-12-15, version 4.1.21*

I started using this app years ago and even had a premium subscription.  I wanted to use my outdoor LIFX lights that I’ve used in the  past but it seem LIFX is no longer supported.

## Frequently asked questions about OnSwitch for Philips Hue

### What does OnSwitch for Philips Hue do?

OnSwitch is a companion app for Philips Hue smart lighting systems that creates immersive animated experiences. It offers a wide variety of light scenes for different occasions, from holidays and parties to nature scenes and creative lighting effects. The app connects to your Philips Hue Bridge to bring your lights to life with dynamic animations and sound.

### What are the key features of OnSwitch?

Key features include over 300 animated light scenes for various themes like holidays, parties, and nature, live game-sync events for sports, a sunrise alarm to wake you gently, and a sunset sleep timer to help you wind down. It also offers creative color controls, the ability to manage light groups, and 'hero lighting' with cinematic flair.

### How much does OnSwitch cost?

The app offers a free version with some content, and a premium subscription unlocks the entire content library, unlimited Siri Shortcuts, and access to exclusive live events. A 3-day free trial is available before the subscription begins. Pricing varies by country and is displayed in the app before purchase.

### What are the compatibility requirements for OnSwitch?

To use OnSwitch, you will need a Philips Hue bridge and compatible light bulbs. The app requires iOS 10 or later to run. It is designed to work seamlessly with your existing Philips Hue setup and other Hue apps.

### What are some common use cases for OnSwitch?

Common use cases include setting the mood for parties with disco lighting, creating a festive atmosphere during holidays, enhancing sports viewing with live game-sync events, waking up gently with a simulated sunrise, and relaxing with ambient nature scenes. It's also great for creative lighting setups and adding a unique touch to your home.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.1.30 — 2026-07-20

• "Purchased Albums" section added to Favorites
• Game-Sync improvements

### 4.1.29 — 2026-06-12

• Added a My Purchases section to My Favorites
• World Cup matches now available in Sports Game Sync

### 4.1.28 — 2026-05-29

• For sports: new, easy "Sync to TV" feature
• Bug fixes and performance improvements

### 4.1.27 — 2026-05-10

• NBA and NHL Playoffs Game-Sync.
• Bug fixes and performance improvements.

### 4.1.26 — 2026-04-16

Bug fixes and performance improvements.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*