Matter is now built into Google Nest and Android devices, so users can quickly and consistently set up Matter-enabled devices and make their smart home fit their needs.
According to the company, Matter, a new standard for smart home platforms, apps, and devices, has made it even easier to set up and personalise your smart home devices with Google Home.
According to Google, as a member of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the organisation that developed Matter, it has worked for nearly three years with 300 companies to make it easier to connect smart home products from hundreds of brands.
Matter-enabled Google devices
Matter requires a hub to control smart devices. To control your smart home with Google Home, you’ll need a Google Home or Nest hub. Google Home, Google Home Mini, Nest Mini, Nest Audio, Nest Hub (1st and 2nd generations), Nest Hub Max, and Nest Wifi Pro are among the devices included.
- Devices that use Matter can talk to your home network over Wi-Fi or Thread, a low-power networking protocol.
- Nest Wifi Pro, Nest Hub Max, and Nest Hub (2nd gen) have been updated to function as Thread border routers.
- Google Fast Pair for Android has been updated to include Matter. Fast Pair allows you to connect Matter-enabled devices to your home network, Google Home, and other smart home apps as easily as you would pair headphones. Devices, once configured, can be linked to other apps and ecosystems.
Multi-Admin feature
Matter’s Multi-Admin feature simplifies cross-platform governance, and Google has made it even easier. Google worked with Samsung to create a more fluid multi-admin experience in 2023. You can add Matter devices set up with Samsung SmartThings to Google Home when you launch the Google Home app, and vice versa.
Availability
According to Google, a few Matter devices will be available for purchase this holiday season, with many more following in early 2023.
- Simply look for the new Matter badge to identify Matter-enabled products. If they have the badge, you’ll know they’re Google Home-ready right out of the box.
- Additionally, look for the “Works With Google Home” badge to ensure that products from other brands are compatible with Google devices.
Google said that in the coming year, it will add iOS support to the Google Home app and make Matter available on even more Google devices.
Announcing the Matter’s availability, Karen Yao, Director of Product Management, Google Home, said:
We’re excited to see how the smart home grows and evolves as more Matter-enabled devices become available, allowing you to quickly and consistently set up Matter-enabled devices and customize your smart home to best suit your needs.
We’re working with partners from across the industry — including Eve, Meross, Nanoleaf, Philips Hue and Tuya — to make sure more smart home devices work with Matter.
