Matter is an innovative smart home standard that aims to enhance interoperability across the competing ecosystems from Apple, Google, and Amazon. Recent reports indicate that there is an upcoming smart speaker support for Matter, but there’s an important aspect that Apple users with HomePods should be aware of.
New Matter speaker support will be limited to specific products
According to a recent report from The Verge, Matter is in the process of creating ‘a new streaming speaker device type and related controls’ within its smart home framework. This information was confirmed by Chris LaPré, the CTO of the Connectivity Standards Alliance responsible for Matter.
However, before getting too enthusiastic about the idea of HomePods and Amazon Echo devices flawlessly cooperating, there is a significant limitation to consider.
Despite the introduction of the upcoming ‘streaming speaker device type,’ popular smart speakers, such as those from Apple and Amazon, won’t be part of this initiative.
Instead, the focus will be on speakers from brands like Sonos, Bose, and others—essentially, devices primarily designed to play music, rather than to manage other smart home gadgets.
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy from The Verge provides some clarity:
Smart speakers such as HomePods, Echo devices, and Google’s Nest speakers act as Matter controllers rather than Matter device types. This implies they can connect to and control Matter devices within their specific ecosystems, yet they cannot be controlled by other Matter devices or ecosystems. Consequently, you cannot use an Amazon Echo Show to adjust the volume on a Google Nest speaker or have your HomePod notify you when your Matter-compatible washing machine has finished its cycle.
However, there’s a silver lining.
This new integration could still be beneficial for integrating various third-party speaker systems into Apple’s Home app and with Siri. For instance, if you are entrenched in the Sonos ecosystem or have a mix of different speakers, Matter support could be a valuable enhancement. It will simplify switching between different home ecosystems.
Yet, it doesn’t completely align with the vision many users might have for seamless collaboration among smart speakers from Apple, Amazon, and Google within a singular automated home environment.
Are you intrigued by this upcoming Matter speaker feature? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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