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Yeelight App Updated With HomeKit Functionality

Yeelight, the Chinese smart lighting company that is part of the Xiaomi smart home ecosystem, has released an update to their iOS app today (version 3.1.75) that adds HomeKit functionality for the first time. This new functionality allows you to add Xiaomi ecosystem devices that are HomeKit compatible, to the Yeelight app, much in the same way that the Mi Home and Aqara apps do.

If you already have devices like an Aqara hub, or any of the recent Mi lamps that were released with HomeKit functionality right out of the box you can add these to the Yeelight app, which includes;

  • Mi Desk Lamp Pro
  • Mi Desk Lamp 1S
  • Mi Bedside Lamp 2

If you have an Aqara hub this will be automatically be discovered by the app for you to quickly add. As can be seen in the third image above, it will also discover smart bulbs by Yeelight, including;

  • Yeelight Colour bulb (2nd Gen)
  • Yeelight Tunable white bulb (2nd gen)
  • Yeelight Light Strip Plus
  • Mi Colour Bulb

If you haven’t been reading our other Yeelight related news in the last two weeks, you will have missed the updates that have been issued by Yeelight that essentially bring HomeKit functionality to the aforementioned bulbs and light strip. Up until this update, the only way to get them into HomeKit was via adding them to the Mi Home app, which would be no problem if you already had the app and an account, however, there are many people that only used the Yeelight app, which meant these users having to add the Mi Home app in order to get HomeKit functionality. This new update seems to address that issue, which ‘should’ allow those users to now simply update these products, then add their bulbs and strips to HomeKit and bypass the Mi Home app.

Eric Yao

Occasional HomeKit reviewer, HomeKit addict, and Apple fanatic.

18 thoughts on “Yeelight App Updated With HomeKit Functionality

  • Thank so much for valuable information … Now I already updated Yeelight app and “Add to Homekit” also available as your suggestion BUT only one problem is all my devices (Blub color V2 and Light Strip Plus) cannot get latest firmware update (All device firmware still be 1.4.2.XXXX ???)

    Could you please kindly suggest me to solve the problem ?

    *** My Yeelight server is Singapore, the same as Mi home App

    • If there’s no update showing for your devices, you will have to wait until the updates are issued, as they will still not be able to be added to HomeKit without these updates.

      • Thank so much for kind suggestion … Hope Yeelight officially announced homekit firmware and spread through all server soon 🙂 … Thank again

        • I’ve noticed more people on social media reporting that they’ve got updates, so it looks like they’re slowly issuing these updates bit by bit.

  • Besides lamps and lights, do you have a list of compatible HomeKit devices from this company?

    • There will be more HomeKit compatible products from Yeelight soon, but at present the only devices that are compatible are the Colour Yeelight bulb (2nd Gen), the tunable white Yeelight bulb (2nd gen), the Mi Colour bulb, and the Yeelight Light Strip plus.

  • Do you know if yeelight colour bulb v1 will be homekit compatible? No update shown at this time,

    Thanks.

    • The Yeelight colour v1, with the silver base and the Yeelight logo – this will not get a HomeKit update. The only bulbs like this that will get updated are the ones with the Mi or Mijia logo on them. They look the same as the older Yeelight bulbs, with the silver base, but without the Yeelight logo.

      • Do you know why they went with this choice? aren’t those models the same?

        • The gen 1 Yeelight bulb and the Mi Colour bulb have the same body, but from what I’ve been told, the internals are different, which is why the Mi bulbs are updatable and the Yeelight is not.

  • I have a Yeelight LED strip, no clue if it’s the ‘plus’ though? How can I tell, or is that the only model?

    Thanks!

    • Extendable? First gen strip can’t be extended.

      • Aha! Will check when I’m home.. fingers crossed🤞

  • I’ve got the updates. And they show up in the home app. But I have no idea how to add them, as they require a code to be added to the home app. Any ideas? I have the new light strips and bulbs.

  • Hi, I know it has been while now, but how stable is it? I have the mi home app with some rules and I have added the bulbs to HomeKit as well. The problem is that is very unstable, I lose connection with HomeKit however it works fine on the mi home app. Sometimes they comeback on their own or I need to fully unplugged them (no power) and plugged them back again. I have fully disable rules on the mi home app so that no commands are coming and only HomeKit is controlling, but I still experience instability.

    Any comments would be appreciated

    • Hi Tony,
      I don’t think you’re alone in this, as I have two Yeelight bulbs in the kitchen, along with a Yeelight LightStrip plus, all of which occasionally disconnect. It’s easy enough to bring them back online, but of course, you shouldn’t have to do so. I think Yeelight are aware of this, and I think we can expect firmware updates soon. This type of HomeKit connection (no HK code, and via a third party app) is quite new, so I imagine there are kinks that need ironing out.

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