Owing to the unique 4f-5d transition, Eu²⁺ is one of the most commonly used activators in luminescent materials for phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes (pc-LEDs), and Eu²⁺-doped phosphors exhibit outstanding luminescence properties, including multi-color emission, adjustable bandwidth, excellent thermal stability as well as high luminescence efficiency. These attributes motivate scientists to find Eu²⁺ doped phosphors that can practically meet the various LED application requirements. In this talk, I will summrize our recent progresses to manipulate Eu²⁺ emission exhibiting red and near-infrared emissions under blue light excitation. One can expect and further adopt proper structural engineering strategies to tune the Eu²⁺ luminescence. Moreover, the state-of-the-art LED application including solid-state lighting and near infrared night-vision technologies will be also introduced based on these Eu²⁺ doped phosphors. We hope this talk will be helpful for controlling the photoluminescence by theory-structure-property relationships and guide scientists discover the next generation of Eu²⁺ doped phosphors for emerging applications.