Android and Google Nest Devices Now Support Matter Smart Home Standard

Google announced today that Android devices and the company’s Nest smart home devices now support the Matter standard. Matter is a new smart home standard that made its debut in October, and it leverages Wi-Fi and the Thread wireless protocol to make smart home devices talk to each other without a cloud connection.

The Connectivity Standards Alliance that develops the new Matter standard brings together close to 300 companies including Google, Amazon, Apple, and Samsung. There are currently very few smart home devices that support Matter, but Google’s Nest devices and Android phones are now compatible.

The original Google Home speaker, Google Home Mini, Nest Mini, Nest Audio, Nest Hub (1st and 2nd gen), Nest Hub Max, and the new Nest Wifi Pro can now act as Hub for Matter devices, and they’ll be able to connect to other Matter devices from other brands. “We’ve also updated Nest Wifi Pro, Nest Hub Max and the Nest Hub (2nd gen) to work as Thread border routers, so you can connect Thread devices to your network too,” Google explained today.

Starting today, the Fast Pair feature on Android can also be used to connect to Matter devices via the Google Home app or other Matter-compatible Android apps. Google also plans to bring Matter support to its Google Home app for iOS next year.

“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,” Google said today. If Matter is still a brand new smart home standard, we should see many more Matter-compatible devices come to market in 2023.