In late 2023, Matter received a big 1.2 update. Now, the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has released the new Matter 1.3 update.
Matter is a freely available connectivity standard for smart home and IoT devices, which attempts to improve interoperability and compatibility between devices.
Currently available for use, this update provides support for kitchen appliances such as microwaves, ovens, cooktops, extractor/vent hoods, and laundry dryers.
Additionally, it has introduced new features for water and energy management.
For energy management, the feature includes the option to report actual and estimated energy usage numbers (voltage, current, and energy consumption) for devices over time.
Developers can also use Matter with leak/freeze detectors, rain sensors, and controllable water valves, monitoring overall usage.
There are also updates to entertainment center functionality, and now Matter can push important messages through to TV apps.
The CSA has revealed this can alert the user about a robotic vacuum getting stuck, or laundry that has finished. There’s also support for Scenes, which allows the user to group settings together and activate various devices simultaneously.
Other additional improvements that were made include improved network commissioning and event time stamp synchronisation. However, these are more for developers, not directly impacting consumers.
It has also introduced new features for Matter’s universal casting protocol. This could be a competitor to AirPlay and Google Cast.
Matter continues expanding and building on the promise of a fully connected smart home. Another update is expected to arrive later this year with support for more device types and improvements.
The one downside to this is that major platforms haven’t added support for Matter 1.2 yet, so it’s unclear when they will support 1.3.
According to The Verge, Amazon has revealed it’s working on adding support but is doing it slowly.
Samsung’s SmartThings is the most proactive platform, but still doesn’t allow Samsung appliances to be part of Matter yet.
