Beginning today, Google Nest devices and Android devices become Matter-enabled, allowing users to quickly and consistently configure Matter-enabled devices and tailor their smart home to their specific needs.
According to the business, Matter, a new standard for smart home platforms, apps, and devices, has made setting up and personalizing your smart home devices with Google Home even easier.
According to Google, as a member of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the organization that developed Matter, it has worked with 300 companies for nearly three years to make it easier to link smart home products from hundreds of brands.
Matter-enabled Google devices
Controlling smart devices using Matter requires a hub. You’ll need a Google Home or Nest hub to control your smart home with Google Home. The devices that are included are Google Home, Google Home Mini, Nest Mini, Nest Audio, Nest Hub (1st and 2nd generations), Nest Hub Max, and Nest Wifi Pro.
- Matter-enabled devices can connect to your home network using either Wi-Fi or Thread, which is a low-power networking protocol.
- Google updated Nest Wifi Pro, Nest Hub Max, and Nest Hub (2nd gen) to act as Thread border routers.
- Google updated Fast Pair for Android to integrate Matter. Fast Pair connects Matter-enabled items to your home network, Google Home, and other smart home apps as easily as pairing headphones. Once set up, Matter devices can be connected to other apps and ecosystems.
Multi-Admin feature
Matter’s Multi-Admin functionality streamlines cross-platform governance, and Google has made it easier. Google collaborated with Samsung to provide a smoother multi-admin experience for 2023. When you launch the Google Home app, you may add Matter devices set up with Samsung SmartThings to Google Home and vice versa.
Availability
A few Matter devices will be available for purchase this holiday season, according to Google, with many more following in early 2023.
- Simply look for the new Matter badge to identify products that are Matter-enabled. If they have the badge, you’ll also know that they are Google Home-compatible right out of the box.
- Additionally, search for the “Works With Google Home” badge to confirm that products from other brands have been proven to function properly with Google devices.
Google said that it will add iOS support to the Google Home app and make Matter available on even more Google devices in the next year.
Announcing the Matter 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.