Matter for Smart Home Products: What It Means for Your Device
Matter is the smart-home standard backed by Amazon, Apple, Google and the rest of the industry. If your lights, locks, sensors or thermostats support it, buyers can set them up in Apple Home, Google Home or Alexa without your brand needing a separate deal with each platform. Supporting it also means hardware requirements, Alliance membership and certification. This guide sets out what the Connectivity Standards Alliance and the three big platforms say Matter involves, so you can decide early whether your product should support it. Checked on 5 November 2026.
The sources are the Connectivity Standards Alliance's Matter overview, its Matter FAQ, its certification process page and its Matter 1.6 announcement. The platform sources are Google's What is Matter? and its Interop Test Lab transition page, Apple's Matter support in iOS and Amazon's Connect your device to Alexa with Matter, plus the Thread Group overview. How Thread, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compare as radios is covered in our IoT connectivity guide, so this page does not repeat it.
What Matter is
The Alliance calls Matter "a unifying, IP-based connectivity protocol". Its FAQ says Matter "uses existing, familiar technologies, including Bluetooth Low Energy for device setup and Wi-Fi, Thread, and Ethernet for connecting devices." It is an application layer that sits on top of those networks rather than a new radio. Google describes it as "an open standard for smart home technology that lets your device work with any Matter-certified ecosystem using a single protocol."
Control is local. Google says Matter offers "lower latency and higher reliability than Cloud-to-cloud connection, because Matter is an IP-based local connectivity protocol". The Alliance FAQ adds that "Matter-only devices require an internet-connected controller", such as a smart speaker or hub, "to enable control when away from the home." Thread devices also need a Thread border router on the network. Amazon notes that Thread-enabled Echo and eero devices act as border routers.
The standard is still moving. The Alliance announced Matter 1.6 on 17 June 2026 as "a focused feature release". It added commissioning entirely over NFC and a way for several controllers to share one Matter network ("Joint Fabric"). The Alliance says "the path from specification to products in users' hands will vary by company and product type", so check which version each platform supports. Amazon, for example, says its Matter Echo devices support "the Matter 1.5 Software Development Kit (SDK)".
Which products it covers
Matter defines device types, and your product has to fit one. The Alliance FAQ lists "bridges, controllers, door locks, HVAC controls, lighting and electrical, media devices, safety and security sensors, and window coverings and shades". Newer releases have added more: the Alliance says Matter 1.5 (November 2025) added "cameras, closures, soil sensors, and new energy management capabilities". Google notes that "Matter is not yet supported for all device types, though the list is growing." If your product is something else, such as a garden sensor with unusual readings, Matter may only cover part of it.
Older products on other protocols can join through a bridge. The FAQ says Matter "supports bridges that allow devices using other protocols (such as Zigbee or Z-Wave) to participate in a Matter ecosystem", but also that "there is no native interoperability between Matter and Zigbee devices."
What it means for your hardware
Matter support is decided by the chip as much as by the software. Google says a Matter device "needs a compatible radio (for example, BLE/Wi-Fi or BLE/Thread combo radios) and needs to meet the minimum hardware requirements to run a compliant Matter software library", and warns that "because you may need to select a new chipset for your device, development effort may be significant". It advises checking "with your preferred silicon provider on their Matter support and minimum hardware requirements."
Security is part of the hardware too. The FAQ says "all Matter devices come with a device attestation certificate, which is used to verify that the device is authentic and certified". Each unit needs its own credentials, loaded in production; our device provisioning guide explains that factory step. Matter also includes an over-the-air update mechanism, though the FAQ says a device can "use its own software update methods" instead.
Setup and multi-admin
The Alliance says Matter "uses numeric and QR setup codes, and Bluetooth Low Energy to simplify setup", and that setup can start "from the device maker's app, or your favorite smart home platform". On iPhone, Apple says that once the user scans the code, "iPhone will automatically provision the accessory onto Wi-Fi or Thread, as appropriate", and that "your app does not have to prompt the user for network credentials."
Matter's multi-admin feature lets one device be controlled from several platforms at once. The FAQ says it "allows users to connect their Matter devices to multiple platforms, apps, or other control points". In practice, a buyer can add your lock to Apple Home and also use it from Alexa or your own app.
Apple, Google and Amazon
- Apple: "iOS 16.1 and later includes support for Matter." Apps pair accessories through the MatterSupport framework, and users can see and remove all their Matter accessories under Settings, General, Matter Accessories. Apple says Xcode "includes the certified Matter SDK in its entirety".
- Google: "nearly every Google Nest speaker, hub, and Wi-Fi system will natively support your Matter devices for local connectivity and control", and "you only need to ensure that your device is Matter certified". For the Works with Google Home badge, Google says it will use the Alliance Interop Test Lab, and that "starting in 2026, all Matter integration and testing will require the Alliance Interop Test."
- Amazon: with Matter, devices "can connect directly to Alexa without a separate hub or smart home add-on". Your product must be in an Alexa-supported device category and implement the required Matter clusters. Works with Alexa is a separate certification you apply for after testing with an Echo or eero device.
So Matter certification is the base, and each platform's badge is an extra step if you want to use it on the box.
Certification with the Alliance
The Alliance says certification "is available to Connectivity Standards Alliance members" and that "all new product certifications require product testing at a Connectivity Standards Alliance Authorized Test Provider, followed by an application with the Connectivity Standards Alliance in our Certification Tool." Its process runs in this order:
- Become a member and reserve a Vendor ID.
- Choose the network transport (Wi-Fi, Thread or Ethernet) and certify it with its own standards body first. The Alliance says this transport certification has to come before you certify the Matter device.
- Test at an Authorized Test Provider, which sends a final report to the Alliance.
- Apply in the Certification Tool. Certified products are listed in the Alliance's product database, and the FAQ says manufacturers "must put data for their products into the Distributed Compliance Ledger (DCL)".
The Alliance says certifications "remain valid for the lifetime of the product" and that the main costs are "the testing fee and the application fee". It gives no fixed timeline, saying the duration depends on the test provider and on any items raised in review. Matter certification is separate from radio and safety approvals such as FCC or CE, which our product certification guide covers. Plan for both.
Do you still need your own app and cloud?
Not for basic control: buyers can run a Matter device entirely from the platform apps. The Alliance still describes a role for "a device vendor app that offers advanced configuration and differentiated features", and says makers "that want to maintain their cloud connectivity can of course do so". Your own app remains the place for accounts, history, firmware notes and anything beyond the standard device type. Google adds that "your mobile app will also need changes to support the pairing and interaction models of the protocol." How the app side connects to a device is covered in our companion app guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is Matter a radio like Wi-Fi or Thread?
No. The Connectivity Standards Alliance describes Matter as an IP-based protocol that uses Bluetooth Low Energy for setup and Wi-Fi, Thread or Ethernet for connecting devices. You still choose and certify the network underneath.
Does a Matter device work without the internet?
Control in the home is local. The Alliance says Matter-only devices need an internet-connected controller, such as a smart speaker or hub, for control away from home.
Will a Matter device work with Apple, Google and Amazon at once?
That is the aim of multi-admin, which lets users connect one Matter device to several platforms. Each platform supports a set of device types and Matter versions, and their own badges, such as Works with Google Home and Works with Alexa, have separate requirements.
Who certifies Matter products?
The Connectivity Standards Alliance. Certification is open to members and needs testing at an Alliance Authorized Test Provider followed by an application in the Alliance Certification Tool. The underlying network, such as Wi-Fi or Thread, must be certified first.
Can an existing product be updated to support Matter?
Sometimes. The Alliance says whether a device is updated depends on its technical capabilities and on whether the maker offers an update, and Google notes that a new chipset may be needed.
Planning a smart home product and deciding whether to support Matter? See our IoT development service and all our services, or email [email protected].