Amazon has promised to update “virtually every plug-in Echo speaker” to support the Matter smart home platform. While you’ve probably never heard of Matter, it’s a big deal.
Matter was developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, an industry association made up of some of the largest device manufacturers in the world – including Amazon, Apple, Google, and Samsung. These competing companies are working together to standardize hands-free voice assistant support across multiple devices. They also hope to make it easier to connect smart home devices to your home Wi-Fi network.
In the simplest case, Matter is a seal of approval for all smart home gadgets that you buy. When you spot the Matter logo on the packaging of a connected device – from WiFi lightbulbs to robotic vacuums, smart thermostats to speakers – you can be sure it will work with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri.
If you decide to switch from an Amazon Echo to an Apple HomePod or vice versa – all of your Matter devices can seamlessly switch to the new voice assistant. As it stands, it’s possible to buy an Alexa-compatible smart lightbulb that won’t work with Google Assistant or Siri, forcing you to replace the work kit to use a new hands-free assistant.
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Google has already strongly supported Matter. In the future, the existing Nest Wi-Fi and Nest Hub Max gadgets can act as Matter connection points, helping new devices connect to the network.
During a recent Alexa Live presentation to developers, Amazon confirmed how many of its devices are being updated to take advantage of the Matter standard it developed with Google and Apple. Virtually every single plug-in Amazon Echo speaker will support Matter in the future.
The only speakers that can’t support all Matter devices are the first generation Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Tap – which only hit the US market.
“The Matter Mark will serve as a seal of approval that will remove the guesswork from the buying process and allow businesses and consumers to choose from a wider range of brands to create safe and connected homes and buildings,” the Connectivity Standards Alliance said in a statement in May.
