Turn your home into a nightclub by syncing your Philips Hue with Spotify

Philips Hue is partnering with Spotify to provide potentially the most streamlined way yet to convert your home into a veritable nightspot... or, at least, it will look a lot moodier and cool. Announced earlier today by Signify, makers of the Philips Hue, the latest update to the Hue Bridge app will include a new algorithm designed to analyze Spotify tracks’ metadata in real time so lights can “flash, dim, brighten, and color change right along with the beat, mood, genre and tempo of any music.”

Users will be able to hand off the controls to the algorithm, or personalize the color options and timing themselves. Best of all, you don’t even need to have a Spotify Premium account — the service will work just as well with a free profile.

Starting today — Philips Hue’s Spotify compatibility rolls out as early access to Hue Bridge App 4 users beginning today, with the new feature becoming built-in to Hue App 4 after October 2021. As The Verge notes, there are a couple of catches — one, you’ll obviously need to have access to the Hue Bridge App, as well as color bulbs (plain ol’ white just won’t cut it). Still, it’s a pretty nifty little addition to an already very enjoyable home accessory. We wonder what it’ll look like set to Chvrches, or hell, maybe even Eve 6.

Econo options are available — Of course, the only way to really feel the full effect of the new Spotify integration is to have an entire room lit by Philips Hue bulbs... which can be a bit of a pricey endeavor. Luckily, there are a number of cheaper options on the market, the best of which is also offered from Philips. The company’s Wiz Smart Wi-Fi LED bulbs cost a helluva lot less than their bigger siblings, and run on their own dedicated Wiz App. You probably can’t get something as swanky as full Spotify integration with it, but it’s still a great alternative if you’re looking to spruce up your abode a bit.

The inevitable privacy downsides — All of this arguably comes with a pretty hefty, non-monetary price: your privacy. After all, any “smart” product — lightbulbs included — are by definition connected in some way to the internet, thereby providing a new route for data intrusion and privacy abuses. Last year, researchers found security flaws buried within Philips Hue programming, and while those were later corrected, it still serves as an important reminder that the more connected you are, the greater the chances are of unwanted snooping.