Love the lights. hate the app
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.
Great idea, needed more work
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.
App could use some work
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).
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).
Show more
No Timer
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.
Such a simple feature, there is definitely a reason they are not adding it, but they aren't sharing that.
Show more
Waste of money
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.
Oh yeah, Philips didn’t even manufacture this and no longer supports it. They simply slapped their label on it and resold it.
Show more
Unusable now
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.
I know why they were discontinued
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.
Show more
App Location Services
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.
Poor quality lights, unattractive settings, modest controls
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.
Show more
Great when you get it to work
This product is amazing once you get it to work. The setup is pretty challenging though
Location Services Manditory
So now the app will not start unless location services is turned on in app setting and in your phone settings. Phillips and the app developer have no business knowing my location. I paid for the product and it connects locally not to the cloud. Looking for app options.
Never connects
Lights are great and all, but this thing never connects, not worth the 95$ spent on this
Useless app do not purchase these lights
The lights themselves are very good the app makes them worthless. Save your money and time get anything else. If Phillips care enough they might fix the app and need to connect with the lights wirelessly by giving a cabled option because the wireless connection is worthless making the lights expensive junk. Last Phillips product I’ll be using.
Show more
Wifi Issue
The app says that my wifi is off when it is one. Pretty useless.
Terrible and no regard for customers
Your app and control system for holiday lights is terrible. It BEVER worked with a local network as described, only directly to the cell phone. This year it no longer works with ANY current iPhones. I know this after waiting TWO WEEKS for a call back from customer service. Instead of posting the issue on the app description, Phillips just ignored it as if nothing was wrong (even though they knew that no iPhone users with a current operating system could control their lights )and Instead left all users to fend for themselves. I’ll
avoid the Phillips brand for the rest of my life after this horrible experience. You sold the light system but didn’t maintain a way to control it rendering it useless. Never added any meaningful updates over the last 5 years. Customer service literally told me that I have to find an Android or anything other than an iPhone if I want my lights to work, and offered me no other solution either short or long term. I had to like it or lump it. PHILLIPS IS A TERRIBLE BRAND THAT SHOULD NOT BE TRUSTED. This is the only instance in my life when I’ve taken the time to write a bad app review. Phillips sure deserves it. Thanks for ruining my Christmas decorations this year.
avoid the Phillips brand for the rest of my life after this horrible experience. You sold the light system but didn’t maintain a way to control it rendering it useless. Never added any meaningful updates over the last 5 years. Customer service literally told me that I have to find an Android or anything other than an iPhone if I want my lights to work, and offered me no other solution either short or long term. I had to like it or lump it. PHILLIPS IS A TERRIBLE BRAND THAT SHOULD NOT BE TRUSTED. This is the only instance in my life when I’ve taken the time to write a bad app review. Phillips sure deserves it. Thanks for ruining my Christmas decorations this year.
Show more
No Timer
Please add in a basic timer feature.
It would be a 4 star app if it had this feature.
It would be a 4 star app if it had this feature.
Garbage
Have had these lights for three years now and the app has become utterly useless as it does not recognize the WiFi. Can’t turn them on or off. Wonderful. Also, how did they NEVER have a timer function??? TOTAL GARBAGE!
App is broken
Doesn’t even work anymore with IOS13. Worked ok last year, dealing with all the reconnecting issues others have noted. Now on IOS13 the app requires location data to enable wifi??? What!? You’re kidding me right. This is specifically the kind of abuse that Apple updated their location privacy settings to counter. Unfortunately for owners of these lights, if you don’t allow location data, the app will not connect to wifi. Sorry suckers!
Show more
So close to spectacular
Always has a hard time scanning for control box and how is there not a timer setting!? I have to buy a smart plug so my smart lights can turn on automatically
DO NOT BUY - WILL WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY
Absolutely the most frustrating and useless setup I have ever experienced. They design these lights so that the only way to control it is through their app and then they don’t service their app and it’s absolute garbage. I’m so frustrated that I had to spend two evenings of my Christmas dealing with these. Please please return them if you have purchased anything they have sold to you.
Show more
