All Google tools now have Matter support

The smart home renaissance is approaching.

Save the article

Google has introduced Matter support to Google Nest products and not least to the entire Android operating system.

The matter is currently considered the “holy grail” in the world of technology: the standard that promises to make smart home products from different manufacturers compatible with each other, and which Google, Apple, Samsung, Amazon and a number of others lag behind.

When Google says it has added Matter support, it basically means that its devices can now be used to set up and control other Matter devices

Fixed pair of matter

Devices that have now received Matter support are the following:

• Minnie’s nest
• Nest Audio
• Nest Hub (1st and 2nd generation)
• Nest Hub Max
• Nest WiFi Pro
• Google House
• Google Home Mini

In addition, there is the Android operating system and the Google Home app on Android. The iOS version should get Matter support in early 2023, according to Google.

The updates have been rolled out to millions of devices recently, so you don’t have to do anything yourself. Android devices must be running Android 8.1 or later and Google Play Services version 22.48.14.

The update also brings Matter devices into Google’s “Fast Pair” platform on Android, which means you can add them to your smart home by simply scanning a QR code with your phone and choosing an account. Once you’ve added the device to the system, you can also get it in the app you want to use, whether it’s Google Home, Samsung’s SmartThings, or something else entirely.

So far, very few devices have received significant support, but it is likely that it will appear steadily in the future.

Topic axes

With the update, Google has also made the Nest Wifi Pro, Nest Hub Max, and the second generation Nest Hub a so-called Thread hub, which means they can connect to devices that use Thread (a lower power-hungry networking standard that’s also part of the Matter system, along with with wifi) to the smart home. Smart door locks are an example of a type of product that often uses thread, and there will likely be more here in the future.

Currently, the following product categories are included in the first “wave” of the Matter standard: smart plugs and buttons, light bulbs, thermostats, roller blinds, and smart locks. However, Norske Mill told us that they’re working to get Matter support in place through 2023, so it looks like smart heating is also among the products in Matter’s “pipeline.”

When they arrive, you will be able to control them using your Google devices. Apple and Samsung have already rolled out Matter support, and the new HomePod Mini and Apple TV 4K already serve as a Matter hub.

Nearly 300 companies are also members of the so-called Communication Standards Alliance, which is beyond the standard of matter. Among those we find Ikea, Huawei, LG, Signify (which stands behind the Philips Hue brand), Dyson, Norwegian electric car charger supplier Easee, the aforementioned mill, iRobot, Nanoleaf and Sonos.