By Jennifer Pattison Tuohy , a smart home reporter who’s been testing connected gadgets since 2013. Previously a contributor to Wirecutter, Wired

Matter is now racing ahead, but the platforms are holding it back

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2024-05-08 14:00:03

By Jennifer Pattison Tuohy , a smart home reporter who’s been testing connected gadgets since 2013. Previously a contributor to Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, and US News.

The latest Matter spec brings a number of improvements to the smart home standard founded by Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung. Released this week by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, Matter 1.3 brings support for more appliances, including ovens and cooktops, adds energy and water management, and introduces new features for Matter’s universal casting protocol that could be a competitor to AirPlay and Google Cast.

This is all great progress, but as none of the major platforms have added support for Matter 1.2 yet, who knows when they’ll get around to supporting 1.3? But I digress. First, let’s dig into what’s new.

The 1.3 update adds microwave ovens, ovens, electric cooktops, extractor hoods, and electric dryers, which join washing machines and a slew of appliances added to Matter 1.2 last year. The spec also brings new energy and water management features that make EV chargers, water leak sensors, freeze detectors, rain sensors, and water valves compatible with the standard (see sidebar).