Google Brings Matter Support to Android Devices, Nest Home Products for Smart Device Interoperability

Google Home, and Google Nest devices can also serve as hubs for other Matter-enabled devices and products.

Google Brings Matter Support to Android Devices, Nest Home Products for Smart Device Interoperability

The alliance, first conceived in 2019, has around 300 companies onboard

Highlights
  • Matter has over 300 smart device companies onboard
  • The technology utilises both Wi-Fi and Thread protocols
  • Matter allows smart devices to function when offline
Advertisement

Google has announced that its Android, Google Nest, and Google Home devices will, starting today, be interoperable with smart ecosystems from other brands. This has been made possible by the search giant through support for the Matter protocol on the aforementioned devices. Matter is an open-source, royalty-free, next-generation unifying protocol for smart home device connectivity developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA). The alliance, first conceived in 2019 has around 300 companies onboard including major players Apple, Samsung, Amazon, and Huawei.

According to an official blog post from the search giant, Google Nest and Android devices, have been automatically updated to with support for the Matter protocol. The list of devices that are already Matter-enabled, as of today, include Google Home devices like the Google Home Smart Speaker, Google Home Mini Smart Speaker. Google Nest devices like the Google Nest Mini, Google Nest Audio, Google Nest Hub, Google Nest Hub (2nd gen), Nest Hub Max, and the Nest Wifi Pro also get support for Matter, as per the company.

Google has also added Matter support for Fast Pair on Android which will allow users to quickly connect to Matter-enabled devices to their home network, Google Home and other smart devices.

Matter utilises a wireless technology based on a combination of internet protocol (IP), and the Thread protocol. Smart devices from different brands have been utilising different technologies or protocols to build their smart devices which resulted in the smart devices being incompatible with each other.

The Matter smart home standard also allows devices that were previously heavily dependent on internet connectivity and the cloud for functioning, to work even when offline. The decrease in reliance on internet and cloud connectivity also reduces the latency between human action and smart device reaction. This is probably one of the most significant advantages that Matter brings into the smart home ecosystem and one that could truly revolutionise smart device adoptability and ease of use at large.

Google also announced that it is continuously working with industry partners in improving the smart device operating protocol.

The search giant also confirmed that it is working with South Korean conglomerate Samsung to develop a built-in Multi Admin feature that will allow users to have cross-platform control over their smart devices and smart home ecosystem. The multi-admin feature will arrive sometime in 2023, confirmed the company.

Meanwhile, Google also announced that it will bring Matter support on iOS through the Google Home app. However, the search giant shied away from mentioning a timeline for the same.


What are the best smartphones you can buy in India in 2022? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
  • KEY SPECS
Model Home
Color White
Power Requirement 16.5V
Touchpad Yes
Network connectivity Bluetooth Connectivity
Display included No
  • KEY SPECS
Model Home Mini
Color White
Power Requirement 5V
Touchpad No
Network connectivity Bluetooth Connectivity
Display included No
  • REVIEW
  • KEY SPECS
  • Design
  • Smart Features
  • Audio Quality
  • Value For Money
  • Good
  • Wall mountable
  • Louder than the Google Home Mini
  • Good voice recognition
  • Bad
  • Average audio quality
  • Sounds shrill at high volumes
Model Nest Mini
Color Chalk, Charcoal
Touchpad No
Display included No
  • REVIEW
  • KEY SPECS
  • Design
  • Smart Features
  • Audio Quality
  • Value For Money
  • Good
  • Looks pretty good
  • Smart functionality is top-notch
  • Microphones can hear you clearly from far away
  • Loud, detailed, refined sound
  • Bad
  • Nothing, really
Model Nest Audio
Touchpad Yes
Display included No
  • REVIEW
  • KEY SPECS
  • Design
  • Smart Features
  • Audio Quality
  • Value For Money
  • Good
  • Google Assistant and connected services work well
  • Visual cues for some basic functions
  • Useful ambient light sensor
  • Bad
  • Smart displays offer limited functionality
  • A bit expensive for what's on offer
  • Sound quality isn't great
Model Nest Hub
Color Chalk, Charcoal
Power Requirement 15W
Network connectivity Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Display included Yes
  • KEY SPECS
Color Chalk, Charcoal
Power Requirement AC Adaptor
Network connectivity Bluetooth
Display included Yes
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Google, Matter, Google Nest
Elon Musk Disables Twitter Spaces Feature After Clash With Suspended Journalists
Samsung Galaxy M23, Galaxy A12 Nacho Get Android 13-Based One UI 5.0 Update
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »