Amazon will slowly roll out its Matter to support the new smart home standard to 17 Echo devices in December, according to The Verge.
Users shouldn't expect too much from the first rollout because the Matter will be limited. First, it will only be available over WiFi. Next, it will only be compatible with Android phones. Finally, it will only cover three device types, which are smart plugs, smart bulbs, and smart switches. A further rollout to Thread and iOS should be expected early next year.
Device Makers, Listen Up!
As for device makers, they will need to undergo Amazon's Works With Alexa program to gain the WWA badge that they can place on their product pages. They can also do the program along with Matter certification. When a device is a Matter certified, it can work with Alexa.
A New Collaboration With Samsung
Along with the announcement of the Matter's gradual rollout this year, the platform also announced its collaboration with Samsung SmartThings. The collaboration will make it easy to set up Matter devices on one platform and port them to the other without the need to set them up again.
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What is Matter?
Matter is a new smart home interoperability standard that provides a common language for smart home devices to communicate locally in the home without the need to rely on a cloud connection. It uses Thread and WiFi protocols.
Once it arrives, Android phone users will be able to add any Matter-compatible device to any compatible Matter app on your smartphone, while the Echo will act as a controller. Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung's SmartThings are all slated to act as controller apps on Android for Matter.
The reason it's taking so long is that they need to wait for Thread and iOS support for Matter on Alexa's platform, and they are being cautious. Chris DeCenzo, an Amazon senior principal engineer and the CSA board director said, "We're bringing Matter support to well over 100 million devices across 30 Echo and Eero devices. This is an effort unprecedented in scale and complexity. It's a big deal, and we need to make sure it goes smoothly."
In addition, there is the lack of available products in other Matter categories that Amazon can test. The company also said they will update their Echo fourth-gen smart speaker to support Matter over Thread.
The rollout of Matter is a journey, and the platform seeks more cooperation among its competition before it is fully rolled out on the marketer. With Matter, smart home will be more interoperable, that will make the lives of users a lot easier. However, there's still a lot of work to be done to improve Matter.
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Written by April Fowell
