Apple Watch Wirelessly Turns Off Lights With Philips Hue App

A new app for the Apple Watch will allow its user to control light bulbs, tweak the settings of their brightness, and even turn the lights off without having to get up. However, such feature will only be effective for consumers who are also clients of Philips Hue, a wireless lighting solution.

“We are working on an app for Apple Watch that will allow Hue customers to control their lighting,” spokesperson for the company wrote on Twitter, according to Time.

Not much has been revealed regarding the Apple Watch to date, but it has reportedly been slated for an official release on April 24, following a preview period that starts on April 10.

The Philips Hue feature within the Apple Watch might help increase the latter’s sales once it comes out, considering that Philips Hue has been very successful since it was launched. It is actually more than a wireless lighting system.

Apart from its capability to control lighting and change its colors, it can actually also serve as a platform for third-party apps that can develop it further. According to Philips, the total number of third-party apps that work with the Philips Hue has reportedly gone over its 200 mark.

In this case, Philips Hue has an iOS app called Hue Camera, developed by Erwin Zwart, can dynamically sync the light bulbs to on-screen content. This particular app relies on the device’s camera. All the user needs to do is to launch the Hue Camera app, point the device’s camera towards the television, and the app will do the rest.

Hue Camera studies the on-screen content by identifying the dominant color or shade, and the data obtained by the app is transmitted to the light bulbs. The customized algorithm works by picking up what is referred to as “the most important color” that the TV is showing, and automatically adjusts the lighting to suit the program.

“The average movie scene contains a lot of different colors,” Zwart said, accoridng to Tech Hive. “So, using the average color will likely result in a grayish color.”