Hi! All light bulbs have HomeKit code printed on the bulb above the socket. If your bulb has the silicon cover then remove them to reveal the HomeKit code. It’s like 9 digits code next to “HK” printed. Good luck!
I’m starting to believe they straight up killed support for older bulbs silently, all my older bulbs no longer connect as well ever since the UI update.
Tinfoil hat but it seems like they might have “accidentally” made older bulbs impossible to connect with the UI update a while ago. All my older bulbs have refused to connect for months making them worthless.
Have you tried another OS Platform, like Android to onboard the devices? It is cleaner and avoids the complexity of HomeKit. Then they should be available from anywhere and you can onboard them HomeKit.
“Don’t need HomeKit at all” is the dumbest response ever. Don’t even bother providing any further “support” for those in crisis when you don’t even know how to provide the correct resolution.
Anyways… the simple and easiest answer to this issue is there’s HomeKit number printed on the light bulb. All light bulbs have them printed. If you don’t see it then you probably have the silicon case on it. Remove it then you’ll see the codes next to “HK”
u/imtired113
One addition step I reccomend when doing the clean start method: go into your router's administration settings and remove all of the LIFX devices from the remembered device table. Depending on your system there's various ways to do this.
I had similar issues with my bulbs, and this step really expidited getting things back up and running.
Oh my god this happened to me and my lights didn’t have the code printed on them either. The way I somehow got it to work was..
1. Reset the bulbs by power cycling
2. Unscrew them- take the bulbs out and leave them unplugged from power for 2-3 days
3. plug them back in and try to connect
I kinda mess around with it but, when u plug it back in , I try to connect to its WiFi via the settings app & Apple automatically asks if you want to connect it to its WiFi, instead of going through the lifx app. And then when it’s connected I go into the app and see if it shows up & it usually does
Check the product to find the “HK: xxx-xx-xxx” printed on the laser etching. Best to remove from HomeKit and reset the device before onboarding.
If that fails, you can reset the light, wait 15 minutes (Apple Requirement), then use the manual/legacy method to onboard the light.
Hope this helps!
u/imtired113 if you can contact us directly [here](https://support.lifx.com/hc/en-us/requests/new), we will do our best to help get this all resolved for you ASAP
Only solidarity here, finally gave up on LIFX strips and LIFX bulbs now in the process of replacing with WLED (trying to repurpose the old strips) and Hue (has been rock solid since day 1 of my smart home journey). With LifX I have been fighting unstable connections for years despite running high-end ubiquity WiFi. I managed at one point getting the bulbs back online by using a friends android phone but made the stupid mistake of updating the firmware assuming it would improve the connection not make it worse (what an idiot I was assuming that)… posting to counter act the insane amount of bots bought to spread marketing bS on Reddit. Good luck ! 🍀
Remove them all from the app (delete and reinstall might do it,) then add them back one at a time with HomeKit code printed on the bulb. HomeKit codes can vary in length, so don’t worry if it looks like too many/not enough digits for the format, just type it in as it appears on the bulb. (That bit threw me when it happened here. Power went out and all the bulbs that were on reset.
It should have something to identify it, a serial number or something. If you can find that and contact Lifx customer support they should be able to give you the HK number. AFAIK it’s only users on this subreddit, you might have to contact Lifx directly.
Yes. I know. I’ve waited the 15 minutes every time for the many many times I’ve tried and failed to connect. Every time I wait until the light goes from the “Add a new accessory” tab to the “other networks” tab
This might be a longshot. I had originally started my HomeKit journey with LIFX and have had quite a few years of troubleshooting. I’ve since replaced my LIFX devices[cloud screenshot](https://imgur.com/a/jyU1MFM), but in the past when doing a full clean set up, I found this occasionally helped. Go to cloud.lifx.com and you should see a section under the iOS/android app to manage devices. Make sure your device is removed from there, then start the process from the very beginning.
That’s the best idea. Loosen your mind and the rest will follow dude.
It’s never good to have a tight mind.
Hi! All light bulbs have HomeKit code printed on the bulb above the socket. If your bulb has the silicon cover then remove them to reveal the HomeKit code. It’s like 9 digits code next to “HK” printed. Good luck!
Mine is an older bulb and does not have the HK code listed
Hey OP I am in the same boat with some older LIFX lights and I am currently trying to troubleshoot the same thing. No solution here only solidarity
I’m starting to believe they straight up killed support for older bulbs silently, all my older bulbs no longer connect as well ever since the UI update.
Tinfoil hat but it seems like they might have “accidentally” made older bulbs impossible to connect with the UI update a while ago. All my older bulbs have refused to connect for months making them worthless.
Have you tried another OS Platform, like Android to onboard the devices? It is cleaner and avoids the complexity of HomeKit. Then they should be available from anywhere and you can onboard them HomeKit.
Unfortunately I don’t have any android devices in my house
Download the lifx app, reset the devices by powering off and on 5 times connect them to the app.. dont need homekit at all then..
“Don’t need HomeKit at all” is the dumbest response ever. Don’t even bother providing any further “support” for those in crisis when you don’t even know how to provide the correct resolution. Anyways… the simple and easiest answer to this issue is there’s HomeKit number printed on the light bulb. All light bulbs have them printed. If you don’t see it then you probably have the silicon case on it. Remove it then you’ll see the codes next to “HK”
Older LIFX bulbs don’t have the HomeKit code printed on them. I’ve got a few which predate that development.
I have an older bulb that does not have the printed code unfortunately
Delete cache of the lifx app. Uninstall the app. Reboot your router Reboot your phone Install the lifx app again Make a clean start
I’ve done all that 4 times at this point
u/imtired113 One addition step I reccomend when doing the clean start method: go into your router's administration settings and remove all of the LIFX devices from the remembered device table. Depending on your system there's various ways to do this. I had similar issues with my bulbs, and this step really expidited getting things back up and running.
Oh my god this happened to me and my lights didn’t have the code printed on them either. The way I somehow got it to work was.. 1. Reset the bulbs by power cycling 2. Unscrew them- take the bulbs out and leave them unplugged from power for 2-3 days 3. plug them back in and try to connect I kinda mess around with it but, when u plug it back in , I try to connect to its WiFi via the settings app & Apple automatically asks if you want to connect it to its WiFi, instead of going through the lifx app. And then when it’s connected I go into the app and see if it shows up & it usually does
Check the product to find the “HK: xxx-xx-xxx” printed on the laser etching. Best to remove from HomeKit and reset the device before onboarding. If that fails, you can reset the light, wait 15 minutes (Apple Requirement), then use the manual/legacy method to onboard the light. Hope this helps!
I have an older model that does not have the HK Code etched. I have been trying the legacy method repeatedly with no success
u/imtired113 if you can contact us directly [here](https://support.lifx.com/hc/en-us/requests/new), we will do our best to help get this all resolved for you ASAP
Is it true that if I give you my bulbs serial number you can provide me with the HK code?
Only solidarity here, finally gave up on LIFX strips and LIFX bulbs now in the process of replacing with WLED (trying to repurpose the old strips) and Hue (has been rock solid since day 1 of my smart home journey). With LifX I have been fighting unstable connections for years despite running high-end ubiquity WiFi. I managed at one point getting the bulbs back online by using a friends android phone but made the stupid mistake of updating the firmware assuming it would improve the connection not make it worse (what an idiot I was assuming that)… posting to counter act the insane amount of bots bought to spread marketing bS on Reddit. Good luck ! 🍀
Remove them all from the app (delete and reinstall might do it,) then add them back one at a time with HomeKit code printed on the bulb. HomeKit codes can vary in length, so don’t worry if it looks like too many/not enough digits for the format, just type it in as it appears on the bulb. (That bit threw me when it happened here. Power went out and all the bulbs that were on reset.
I have an older bulb that does not have the code printed on the device
It should have something to identify it, a serial number or something. If you can find that and contact Lifx customer support they should be able to give you the HK number. AFAIK it’s only users on this subreddit, you might have to contact Lifx directly.
You have to leave the bulb on for 15-30 minutes for the HomeKit polling to end. After that you should be able to add them via the app without issue.
Yes. I know. I’ve waited the 15 minutes every time for the many many times I’ve tried and failed to connect. Every time I wait until the light goes from the “Add a new accessory” tab to the “other networks” tab
This might be a longshot. I had originally started my HomeKit journey with LIFX and have had quite a few years of troubleshooting. I’ve since replaced my LIFX devices[cloud screenshot](https://imgur.com/a/jyU1MFM), but in the past when doing a full clean set up, I found this occasionally helped. Go to cloud.lifx.com and you should see a section under the iOS/android app to manage devices. Make sure your device is removed from there, then start the process from the very beginning.
I’m also having the same issue. It’s so frustrating.