# Philips Illuminate

> Smart lighting control app for customizable light shows and music synchronization. (iPhone/iPad app by Seasonal Specialties LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/philips-illuminate/id892864130 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Seasonal Specialties LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/892864133)
- Category: Entertainment
- Price: Free
- Rating: 1.90/5 from 138 App Store ratings · 64 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 8.0 · 20 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France)
- Released: 2014-09-01
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/philips-illuminate/id892864130/reviews.md

## What is Philips Illuminate?

Create your own light show using the Illuminate™ customizable lighting system. Control your lights from your smart phone or tablet using the Illuminate™ app.  The easy to use app allows you to adjust the color, brightness or function of your Illuminate™ lights. Synchronize your lights to music or make your own customized light show. For a more robust display, network several starter kits together and use add on sets.

The Illuminate™ starter kit includes one control box and one 25 light string. Connect up to 12 Illuminate™ lights strings (300 lights) to one control box for a fully synchronized light show using the Illuminate™ add on light sets. Only Illuminate™ features Continuous Motion™ technology, ensuring that the functions will travel through the length of all connected strings, keeping your light show perfectly coordinated. 

 Customize your light show:
            •           Choose a color from color wheel or select preset buttons for warm white, cool white or multi lights.
            •           Make colors brighter or dimmer.
            •           Choose from 21 pre made functions for a variety of effects, or create your own functions/colors.
            •           Choose the speed of the function.
            •           Select music from your own device and the lights automatically flash and change colors.

Network your light sets:
            •           Using your home WiFi router, network several starter kits together to create a whole house light show.
            •           Each starter kit can be set for a different effect, or set your entire light display to one function.
            •           Continuous Motion™ technology synchronizes colors and functions throughout all connected light strings.

## Key features

- Customizable lighting control
- Color and brightness adjustment
- Music synchronization
- Create custom light functions
- Network multiple light kits
- Continuous Motion technology

## Recent user reviews (10 of 64)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/philips-illuminate/id892864130/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Love the lights. hate the app

*2025-11-29, version 2.0.6*

The lights are pretty but the app is so poorly made that we won’t be using them going forward after this year. Govee makes incredible lights and their app is amazing.

### 1/5 — Great idea, needed more work

*2024-12-21, version 2.0.6*

When it worked it was great, but Philips must assume it never rains where these lights are used because I went through three different strands. Over the years.

### 3/5 — App could use some work

*2023-12-21, version 2.0.6*

Had these for 4-5 years now. Lights work great. I have a couple wishes for the app. First and foremost- setting a automatic on and off timer for the lights.  Would prefer a color wheel a bit darker options specifically for the greens and blues. Wish you could do more with the customized colors than just the 3 functions it has.  

The app is not intuitive or helpful. Example: nowhere is there an explanation for adding extended lights. I was just playing around in the app until I figured out that you have to go to settings and change the bulb count. (Each strand is 25 bulbs).

### 1/5 — No Timer

*2022-12-05, version 2.0.6*

Christmas lights that you cannot set an a timer are useless, I have had these lights for a number of years and it is frustrating that they do not have a timer in their app. The best I can do is remember to turn them on every night, and have a timer that cuts the power to them at a certain time.

Such a simple feature, there is definitely a reason they are not adding it, but they aren't sharing that.

### 1/5 — Waste of money

*2021-11-26, version 2.0.6*

I bought the starter kit and with 3 strings of lights it worked fine. The system is supposed to be able to handle 12 strings of lights (25 per strand up to 300 lights) but it doesn’t. The startup kit and light strands are hella expensive. They’re also a brilliant idea: smart phone controlled LED lights that can go from cool white to warm white to colored lights to animated lights, presets or play to music. Definitely worth the money, if they worked. Now, after having invested a couple of hundred in lights I thought would last a few years, I’m back to $8 lights because these simply don’t work. The app has a stupid menu set up and after unplugging and replugging the control box (as recommended in the troubleshooting) the system no longer accepts the password and no matter how many times I tried to get the system to read just 5 light strands, it doesn’t.
Oh yeah, Philips didn’t even manufacture this and no longer supports it. They simply slapped their label on it and resold it.

### 1/5 — Unusable now

*2020-12-10, version 2.0.6*

Swell. Shelled out for some “Philips” smart lights last year and now the app doesn’t work. Super. Really glad I haven’t adopted Hue lights since they could abandon the platform at any time.

### 1/5 — I know why they were discontinued

*2020-12-09, version 2.0.6*

The app is extremely confusing to set up & connect. To power them up nightly, you need to be within a few feet of the lights router. We took them down and handled them with kid gloves. Put them up this year and they were only displaying very dim blue. Went through troubleshooting to no avail. Tossed them in the garbage where they belong. Terrible product.

### 1/5 — App Location Services

*2020-12-02, version 2.0.6*

Tried to use without location services on only to find out it’s Mandatory.  Now it doesn’t even populate in the list of apps to make that change.

### 1/5 — Poor quality lights, unattractive settings, modest controls

*2020-11-26, version 2.0.6*

The fact that a Phillips product is not being supported by Phillips should say it all. Phillips came up with Hue and seemingly abandoned this product. The programmed patterns are mostly just off somehow, not appealing. The lights are just not hardy, I’m looking to see if any of my strips has all 25 bulbs working correctly. You can’t customize chaser patterns, just either five color static and solid color cross fades. Which would be nicer if all the bulbs worked as expected. Disappointing.

### 4/5 — Great when you get it to work

*2020-05-23, version 2.0.6*

This product is amazing once you get it to work. The setup is pretty challenging though

## Frequently asked questions about Philips Illuminate

### What does the Philips Illuminate app do?

The Philips Illuminate app allows you to control your Illuminate™ customizable lighting system directly from your smartphone or tablet. You can adjust colors, brightness, and select various functions to create your own unique light shows.

### Can I synchronize my lights to music?

Yes, the app allows you to select music from your device, and the lights will automatically flash and change colors in sync with the music. This feature helps create an immersive audio-visual experience.

### How do I network multiple light sets together?

You can network several starter kits together using your home WiFi router to create a larger, synchronized light show. Each starter kit can be set for a different effect, or you can set your entire display to one function.

### What is Continuous Motion™ technology?

Continuous Motion™ technology is a feature exclusive to Illuminate™ that ensures functions travel smoothly through the length of all connected light strings. This keeps your entire light show perfectly coordinated, even across multiple connected kits.

### Is the app free to use?

Based on the provided information, the app is free to use. There are no mentions of subscription fees, in-app purchases, or advertisements associated with the application itself.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.0.6 — 2019-09-19

Support for iOS 13

### 2.0.5 — 2018-10-16

Support for iOS 12, updated customer service email, and disabled camera color

### 2.0.4 — 2018-01-23

Password security updates

### 2.0.0 — 2017-11-03

* User Interface updated.
* Bug Fixes

### 1.0.9 — 2016-10-25

French translations have now been included.

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## More apps by Seasonal Specialties LLC

- [Philips Motion Effects](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/philips-motion-effects/id1457801577)
- [ColorStream+](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/colorstream-plus/id1616139228)
- [ChromaBright](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chromabright/id6736643582)

All apps by Seasonal Specialties LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/892864133

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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 2026-06-10.*