Philips' original model, Hue Bridge, used by the company's popular Hue lamps to interface with smartphones and digital assistants, will lose support for all Internet-connected services, including Google Assistant and Alexa, on April 30, 2020 .
After this date, customers can continue to use Hue Bridge v1, but only if they are connected to the same local network using the older Philips Hue Bridge v1 app. However, Philips is not offering any new software updates for the app, including security patches. Because of these security concerns, Philips recommends customers upgrade to the bridge's v2 model instead of continuing to use the limited functionality of the v1.
However, the local app still works
The company actually announced that the v1 bridge would lose support last year, but the move is still significant: most Hue products won't work without the bridge as a hub, and it's the first major devaluation of all Hue Products since then The company started selling in October 2012.
Philips first introduced the v2 Bridge model in 2015 as part of an update to add support for Apple's HomeKit smart home technology (at that time, Apple was asking manufacturers to provide a physical hardware authentication chip to use HomeKit to work, although this has now become easier with this limitation.) It is easy to see whether you have the v1 bridge or not: the original model (which loses internet support) is circular, while the v2 model is rectangular .
The Philips Hue Bridge v1 (left) and v2 (right)
In a comment to CNET explaining the decision, Philips said: “The Hue Bridge v1 no longer has the resources to ensure the system continues to evolve – from compatibility and quality to speed to security. We therefore decided to end support for it. ”
Philips also tried to reassure customers of the current v2 model on Twitter that they should not soon fear a similar lack of support and found that "there is no scheduled date when Bridge v2 will no longer be supported". Another tweet added: "There is currently no planned end of life for the V2 bridge, and we are not currently working on a new bridge, so we will continue to work with the V2."
