We demonstrated for first time the tunable photoluminescence (PL) properties and photocatalytic activity of the Tb3+ and Eu3+ co-doped BiPO4 assemblies. They are fabricated via a facile hydrothermal approach. Through co-doping of Eu3+ and Tb3+ ions and changing the doping ratio, the emission color of the co-doped BiPO4 phosphors can be tuned precisely from green to yellow and red. Meanwhile, a very efficient energy transfer from Tb3+ to Eu3+ can be observed. Fascinatingly, a warmwhite color has been realized in the co-doped sample by tuning the ratio of Tb3+/Eu3+ to a certain value as displayed in the CIE chromaticity diagram. The doped BiPO4 samples also exhibit significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to the pristine BiPO4 pertaining to Rhodamine (RhB) degradation under UV light. This enhancement should be attributed to the trapping electron effect induced by ion doping that endows BiPO4 with high separation of photoinduced electron-hole pairs, thereby greatly promoting the photocatalytic reactivity. It was corroborated by the electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). Moreover, the crystal structure, microstructure and optical properties of as-prepared samples were investigated in details. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.