Samsung Galaxy owners confirmed for awesome upgrade

Samsung Galaxy + Philips Hue + Music Sync = smart home disco heaven

Samsung Galaxy S21 Android phone being held by a woman wearing a beret at a party
(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung Galaxy owners have a great new feature upgrade to look forward to.

That's because it has been officially confirmed that Samsung and Philips Hue have collaborated to bring a new Music Sync feature to Samsung Galaxy phones.

Music Sync, which is being integrated into Samsung SmartThings, will let Samsung Galaxy phone users synchronise any Philips Hue smart lighting they have in their smart home to any music played on the device from any source.

This ability for the smart lights to sync with the music regardless of source is the real magic, as previously this functionality was limited to just a few apps, such as Spotify, and required access to a playlist of songs with metadata in advance.

Thanks to this new SmartThings with Music Sync integration, that is no longer the case though, with Samsung Galaxy phones actively scanning music as it plays in terms of pitch and volume to determine how the lights react.

This means Samsung Galaxy phone owners will be able to use any music streaming app, or even play music just locally on their handset, and be able to get a multicoloured smart lighting disco going in their own home.

Samsung and Hue have confirmed the update is coming in Q4, 2022, and will arrive with a SmartThings software update.

Philips Hue smart lights display purple light

Get ready for multicoloured disco dance heaven, with colored Hue smart lights syncing to the beat of the music.

(Image credit: Philips Hue)

The T3 take: Tripping the light fantastic

This feature upgrade announcement is, literally, music to my ears, as I am both a Samsung Galaxy phone user (I'm currently rocking a Samsung Galaxy Note 10+) and a Philips Hue user.

Indeed, I have Philips Hue smart lighting in basically every room in my house and have multiple colour-changing smart bulbs in my living room which is where my Hi-Fi setup is. This room is also where many of my house parties centre, too, with much dancing taking place in the early hours.

So, the fact that soon I will be able to get a proper multi-coloured disco extravaganza in operation in my home is great news. I think the thing that appeals to me most is how easy to use the system is. There's no, "oh you have to use this app" or "those files aren't compatible" nonsense – instead I'll just be able to play music and trip the light fantastic.

In fact, I'm now thinking of what other products from out best smart bulbs guide I can buy to make my disco dance room even groovier. Yeh baby, yeh!

Robert Jones

Rob has been writing about computing, gaming, mobile, home entertainment technology, toys (specifically Lego and board games), smart home and more for over 15 years. As the editor of PC Gamer, and former Deputy Editor for T3.com, you can find Rob's work in magazines, bookazines and online, as well as on podcasts and videos, too. Outside of his work Rob is passionate about motorbikes, skiing/snowboarding and team sports, with football and cricket his two favourites.