Philips Hue BLE Bulb – No iOS Pairing Prompt Appears in Custom App #915
Description
Hi, I’m integrating Philips Hue Bluetooth (BLE) bulbs into my custom iOS app.
When using the official Philips Hue Bluetooth app, the system shows the default iOS pairing alert (the one required before controlling the bulb).
But in my own app, I never receive that pairing popup — even though I can discover and connect to the bulb.
Because the pairing alert never appears, I cannot control anything (ON/OFF, brightness, color, etc.). All write operations fail until the bulb is paired.
What I need to know
Does anyone know:
1. Which characteristic or service I need to read/write to trigger the iOS pairing request for Philips Hue BLE bulbs?
2. Is there a specific BLE method, security requirement, or descriptor that must be accessed to force iOS to show the pairing dialog?
3. Does Philips Hue require a bonding/pairing handshake through a particular characteristic before allowing control?
Details
• iOS app built with CoreBluetooth
• Philips Hue Bluetooth bulbs
• Discovery & connection works
• No system pairing dialog appears
• Writes fail until paired via official app
If anyone has worked with Hue BLE bulbs or knows the correct characteristic/service to trigger pairing, your help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!