News of Matter - the Next Smart Home Generation is On

Apple HomeKit

According to Apple's release notes, HomePod software version 16.1 includes support for the Matter smart home standard. alongside a handful of performance and stability improvements to Apple devices.

Amazon Alexa

During the CSA Member Meeting in Amsterdam in Oct 2022, Amazon has announced their roadmap for Matter support. By the end of the year, Amazon will have Matter support for a range of Echo products, including most Echoes, Echo Dots, Echo Plus, Echo Studio, and Echo Show.

Meross, as Alexa's Early Access Program (EAP) partner, entered into the development of Alexa Matter at an earlier stage. The Meross brand also appears in the list of early Alexa partners.

Google Assistant

Back in May, at Google's I/O 20222, Google made it clear what devices would be updated as Matter controllers, allowing them to connect to all Matter products and work with the Google Home app and Google Nest. At the I/O 2022 in May and the GDS 2022 developer conference in September, Google not only shared its progress in Matter, but also introduced Matter solution providers including Meross.

Samsung SmartThings

In May 2022, SmartThings announced its Partner Early Access Program, the next step toward a Matter-compatible ecosystem.
In Oct, Samsung announced that SmartThings’ Matter Controller support will begin with the second and third generations of the SmartThings Hub, as well as the Aeotec Smart Home Hub. All hubs will continue to support Zigbee, Z-Wave and Local Area Network devices, including Wi-Fi and Ethernet, and will be upgraded over the network to enable support for Wi-Fi, Ethernet and Thread-based Matter devices.