HomeKit is about to take a big step, and hand in hand with the rest of its rivals. The home automation standard Matter has been officially presented as its version 1.0in a bid to unify the home control systems of all major tech companies, including Apple.
One home control to control them all
Matter isn’t looking to replace HomeKit with something more open, but rather be the bridge that makes it compatible with Google Home, Alexa and other similar services capable of controlling smart home accessories. It is IP-based and combines communication protocols such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Ethernet to work; and will replace protocols such as Z-Wave.
The release of Matter 1.0 means its specs SDK is now available to developers, meaning brands will be able to update the firmware of their devices to make them compatible as they already say in the official press release.
Turning more to Apple, we might see support for Matter even in iOS 16.1, which is already in beta and is expected to be released permanently and stably in the coming weeks. Too bad we can see it in other future releases, but it shouldn’t take long.
In time, matter should us allow more devices to be used via HomeKit thanks to its intercompatibility. Lights, switches, thermostats, weather stations, cameras, sensors… accessories that were perhaps only intended for Google Home or Alexa will now have an easier time adopting Apple’s home automation.
