Philips decided to drop support for third-party light bulbs in order to prevent any misconceptions or confusion about its products.
The announcement came following several interoperability issues that involved third-party smart bulbs. Philips recently rolled out a firmware update to its network-connected Hue light bulbs and disabled connectivity with third-party bulbs such as those from rival company GE.
"We've encountered a number of such issues over the years including 3rd party lights which do not turn off when we fade them to off, lights which do not react correctly to scene recalls and lights which stop proper functioning of our Wireless Dimmer Kits," said Philips.
The company stresses that it is still committed to open technology and that it will continue to push for the ZigBee Light Link being the best standard for private homes' lighting control.
Last week, the company launched the so-called "Friends of Hue" program that is meant to certify third-party products, which in turn will assure their interoperability for the long term.
"We launched the 'Friends of Hue' program where we will certify and test 3rd party products to guarantee a consistent and long term interoperable experience also for these products," Philips added.
This means that Philips has not entirely shut its doors to third-party products, instead it is still very much willing to establish a long term relationship with third-party makers. As long as customers have been using compatible products, they can continue to do so even after the announcement. Only new products that are untested will be excluded from the company's support.
Philips said that only a small fraction of users will likely be affected by the move. While consumers can continue using the lights, Philips cannot guarantee that future updates won't allow the exposure to new bugs and that they will be free of issues on compatibility, in case users fail to delete the lights or reset the bridge.
The brand name Philips is now a household name known for making quality consumer electronics, such as headphones, TVs and light bulbs. Philips' growing interest in connected objects is just one of the first steps it has taken to dominate the world of connected things.
