>>linker+(OP)
When I bought my no-brand coloured smartlight a few years ago I explicitly passed up on Philips Hue because it now seemed to require some smartphone app, and I just wanted to use a remote control. It's simpler to use, faster to use, has a lot less moving parts, and generally "always works". While there are some use cases where an app might be a bit more convenient, I'm willing to bet that if you asked people on the street that the majority would prefer to use just a remote (I admit I have no data to back this up).
Security and privacy concerns don't even come in to play (although these do make the apps even worse)
This is a shame, because I had good experiences with my old Hue, when they still did remotes.