Philips Hue Firmware Adds Matter and Zigbee at the Same Time

For years, Philips Hue owners with newer bulbs have faced an awkward either-or: connect a bulb to the Hue Bridge over Zigbee, or pair it directly over Matter via Thread — but not both. Picking one meant losing the other, and switching between them required a factory reset. That trade-off is now disappearing. Philips Hue has begun rolling out firmware version 1.164.2 for its newest lights, and alongside Matter 1.4.1 support and Apple’s Adaptive Lighting over Matter, the headline feature is exactly what many smart home users have been asking for: Zigbee and Matter running concurrently on a single bulb.

What’s in firmware 1.164.2

The update was first documented by Hueblog earlier this month, with the rollout starting in early October. It applies to lights on Hue’s 100b-129 hardware platform: all new products released in 2026, plus the E27 bulbs and GU10 spotlights from fall 2025 — in other words, every Hue light with a built-in Matter-over-Thread chip.

According to the release notes for software version 1.164.2, the update includes:

• Bug fixes and stability improvements
• Support for Matter 1.4.1
• Support for Apple Adaptive Lighting over Matter
• Support for Zigbee and Matter concurrency in bridgeless mode

The first two items are straightforward maintenance: the update keeps Hue bulbs aligned with the current Matter specification. The Adaptive Lighting addition means bulbs connected directly through Matter now support Apple’s feature that automatically shifts color temperature from cool to warm across the day. But it’s the fourth item — concurrency — that changes the game.

The same update wave also delivered firmware 3.5.2 to the new Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 4K, focused on stability during long-term operation and improvements to network security. Nothing dramatic there, but worth installing.

Why Zigbee-and-Matter concurrency matters

Until now, Hue’s Matter-capable bulbs forced a choice at setup time. You could commission a bulb over Zigbee to the Hue Bridge, or over Matter via Thread to a platform like Apple Home, Google Home, or SmartThings — but not both. Opting into Matter disabled the Zigbee connection, and moving a bulb between the two standards meant resetting it and starting over.

With firmware 1.164.2, both connections can live side by side. A bulb stays paired with the Hue Bridge while simultaneously joining a Thread network through Matter. As Hueblog notes, there are two practical payoffs:

A stronger Thread mesh

The most tangible benefit is invisible. Smart bulbs are permanently powered, which makes them ideal Thread routers — they forward traffic for other Thread devices and extend the mesh. With concurrency enabled, your Hue lights strengthen your home’s Thread network even while they remain on the Bridge. Thread devices sitting at the edge of coverage, like a garage sensor or garden lighting, can become noticeably more reachable.

An easier path to the Bridge later

The reverse scenario is equally useful. If you set up a Hue bulb directly over Matter and Thread today — no Bridge required — you can add it to a Hue Bridge later if you buy one, without re-pairing. That lowers the barrier for anyone who starts with a simple Apple Home or Google Home setup and grows into the fuller Hue ecosystem over time.

One caveat worth keeping in mind: if you already run a Hue Bridge, nearly all Hue products are already exposed to Matter through the Bridge, so from a pure control standpoint there is little new here. The win is mesh robustness and flexibility, not a new feature you’ll tap in an app.

The road to concurrent multiprotocol

This firmware is the delivery of a promise made this past summer, when Signify — Hue’s parent company — announced a collaboration with Silicon Labs to bring concurrent multiprotocol (CMP) communications to select Philips Hue bulbs. The bulbs run on Silicon Labs’ MG26 and SiMG301 wireless SoCs, which can handle Zigbee and Matter over Thread on a single chip, with the dual-stack behavior enabled through a software update.

The strategy behind it is clear. Hue wants users to get the interoperability benefits of Matter — working natively with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and SmartThings — without giving up the advanced features, immersive experiences, and deep ecosystem integration that define the premium Hue platform, from Entertainment areas and Sync to the Hue app’s scene engine. Concurrency means customers no longer have to pick a side.

What this means for your setup

If you own recent Hue bulbs, the update should arrive through the Hue app under Settings > Software update. The eligible hardware is the 100b-129 platform: everything Hue released this year, plus the E27 bulbs and GU10 spotlights from fall 2025. Older Zigbee-only bulbs are unaffected — they don’t have the Thread radio needed for any of this.

For Bridge users, the advice is simple: install the update and change nothing. The concurrency runs quietly in the background, and your lights will start contributing to your Thread mesh automatically. There’s no new configuration to manage.

For bridgeless households running Apple Home, Google Home, or SmartThings over Thread border routers — a HomePod mini, an Apple TV 4K, a Nest hub, or a SmartThings station — your Hue bulbs now pull double duty, strengthening the mesh for everything else on Thread. And if you ever decide you want the full Hue experience, the Bridge door is open without a reset.

Should you still keep the Bridge? If you use Hue-exclusive capabilities like HDMI Sync, Entertainment areas, or the advanced scene and automation engine, yes — those still live in the Hue ecosystem. Concurrency doesn’t replace the Bridge; it just stops the Bridge from being a connectivity dead end.

The bigger picture

One of the most persistent frictions in smart lighting has been the “which standard” question, and concurrency dissolves it at the radio level. Expect the pattern to spread: more vendors shipping multiprotocol by default, and more device categories following lighting’s lead.

The timing is notable, too. Thread mesh strength is becoming a genuine household concern as homes accumulate Thread sensors, locks, and plugs — a trend that only accelerates with each new Matter device launch. A firmware update that turns every modern Hue bulb into a better Thread citizen is exactly the kind of quiet infrastructure improvement the smart home needs.