Here's a possible fix for Philips Hue lights offline issue with Google Home

Frustrated with Google Home telling you your Philips Hue lights are offline when they’re clearly working fine in the Hue app or HomeKit? You’re not alone. A flood of complaints has been popping up online, with users saying they can’t control their Hue lights through Google Assistant anymore. This problem isn’t even entirely new. We’re seeing reports about the issue coming in for over a year. If this sounds familiar, there might be a fix.

The issue seems tied to Google Home’s handling of Hue lights, and some users suspect it’s related to recent updates or the push for Matter integration. While it’s unclear exactly what’s going on, a workaround involving the new Matter standard is helping many users. Here’s what you can try:

1. Open the Philips Hue app on your phone.
2. Go to Settings and scroll down to Smart Home under the Smart Integrations section.
3. Select Other apps, then tap Get pairing code.
4. Copy the 11-digit code provided (you’ll have 15 minutes to use it).

Next:

1. Open the Google Home app.
2. Tap the + Add button and select Set up device.
3. Choose Matter-enabled device and select Set up without QR code.
4. Paste the pairing code from the Hue app when prompted.

Once you’ve done this, Google Home should recognize your Hue Bridge through Matter instead of the older cloud-based integration. This bypasses the sometimes flaky cloud connections and makes things more reliable.

However, there’s a catch. If you already had Hue connected to Google Home, you’ll need to unlink it first. Otherwise, the new integration might not work correctly. Be warned: unlinking will delete any automations or room assignments you’ve set up for your lights in Google Home, so you’ll need to reconfigure those.

Some users report losing access to Hue scenes in Google Home after switching to Matter. If scenes are important to you, you might want to hold off on this fix or look into alternatives like using Home Assistant to bridge the gap.

While this workaround has resolved the issue for many, it’s not foolproof. A few users have said their lights still disconnect occasionally, requiring a power cycle to fix. Others are frustrated that such steps are even necessary for what should be a seamless experience.

For now, if you’re tired of hearing, “Sorry, I can’t reach your lights,” this is worth a shot. Hopefully, Google and Philips Hue will address the root cause soon.