The Hue Bridge itself does not send notifications, but the Hue app can notify you about certain events and settings. In the app, open Settings and check notification options for updates, automations and alerts that your setup supports. Notifications depend on the phone allowing the Hue app: on the phone, allow notifications, turn off Do Not Disturb and remove battery restrictions. Remote access and reliable delivery need the Bridge online, which the third light confirms.
The checks in more detail
Some Hue automations and integrations send their own alerts, for example a security camera or a motion sensor routine in the app, and third-party platforms such as Apple Home, Alexa and Google send their own notifications from their apps. If you expected an alert and got none, check that the automation is on, that the Bridge is online and that the trigger accessory, such as a motion sensor, has fresh batteries and is in range.
If you see too many notifications, adjust them in the app or in the connected platform. If a notification is late, the phone's power saving or a weak connection is the usual cause. Keep the Hue app and phone software up to date, and sign out and in if alerts stopped after an update. Trigger a test by walking past a sensor with the phone unlocked, then again locked, to see whether the fault is the phone.
If one phone gets alerts and another does not, the fault is that phone's settings. Add a second person to alerts so one absent phone does not mean no notice. Give your sensors a quiet test evening before relying on them, so a missing alert is discovered by you and not by a real event. Notifications from other platforms are separate from Hue's, so a missed alert may be a setting in Apple Home, Alexa or Google and not a Hue fault at all.
Differential
Likely causes of “Philips Hue Bridges notifications are late, missing or excessive”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Notifications not allowed
What separates it No alerts appear because the phone has not been allowed to show notifications from the Hue app
How to confirm Allow notifications for the Hue app in the phone's settings and check Do Not Disturb is off
- 2
An offline Bridge
What separates it No alerts arrive at all because the Bridge is offline and cannot report anything
How to confirm Fix the Bridge's connection so its lights show it is online again
- 3
An automation off
What separates it An automation does not trigger because it has been switched off in the app
How to confirm Turn the automation on in the app and test it by causing the trigger
- 4
A weak sensor battery
What separates it A sensor stops reporting because its battery is weak, so its automation never runs
How to confirm Replace the sensor's battery and check the automation runs again
- 5
Phone power saving
What separates it Alerts arrive late because the phone's power saving limits the Hue app in the background
How to confirm Remove the battery limits for the Hue app so it can receive alerts promptly
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Which alert or automation you expected and did not get
- The automation and the trigger it uses
- The notification and battery settings on the phone
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedAllow notifications on the phone
ReversibleAllow notifications for the Hue app on the phone, and make sure Do Not Disturb or a focus mode is not hiding them.
Check the Bridge is online
ReversibleCheck the Bridge is online by looking at its lights, since the third light shows the link to Hue's services.
Check the automation
ReversibleCheck the automation is switched on and enabled in the app, and that the time or trigger is what you meant.
Check trigger batteries
ReversibleCheck the batteries and range of any sensor or accessory that triggers the automation, and replace weak batteries.
Adjust alert settings
ReversibleAdjust the alert settings in the app to reduce extras, if you are getting more notifications than you need.
Update the app
ReversibleUpdate the Hue app and the phone software, because old versions can fail to show notifications reliably.
Contact Hue
ReversibleContact Hue if none arrive after these steps, and tell them which alert or automation you expected.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Platforms
- Apple, Alexa and Google each send their own alerts.
- Sensors
- Sensor alerts depend on battery and range.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit the Hue Bridge Pro.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If alerts never arrive after fixing these, contact Philips Hue support
- !If a sensor stops reporting, replace its battery before troubleshooting anything else
- !If the platform sends alerts, check that platform
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Bridge lights and updates.
Matter with and without a Bridge.
Bridge software history.
Apple Home.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
Does the Bridge send notifications?+
The Bridge itself does not send notifications, but the Hue app can notify you about events and settings, depending on what you switch on.
Can a sensor battery stop alerts?+
Yes, a weak sensor battery can stop alerts, because the sensor stops reporting and its automation never fires.
Do Apple, Alexa and Google send their own?+
Yes, Apple Home, Alexa and Google Home send their own notifications, which are set up in those apps and not in Hue.
Should I update the app?+
Yes, update the app, because old versions can miss notification fixes that later ones include.
Can alerts be late?+
Yes, alerts can be late when the phone limits background activity for the app or the Bridge is slow to reach the internet.
How far can lights be from the Bridge?+
Lights work up to about 30 feet from the Bridge, and mains powered lights relay the signal to reach further.
What does a reset delete?+
A reset deletes rooms, lights, scenes and routines from the Bridge, so you have to set the system up again afterwards.
Can I link more than one Bridge?+
Yes, the Hue app supports more than one Bridge, which suits large homes or lights spread across separate buildings.