Your smart home just got easier to manage – thanks to Matter’s new update

The CSA announced earlier this week that it's rolling out a fresh Matter update, and this one's all about making the smart home setup process a whole lot smoother. Whilst the concept of Matter is supposed to do this anyways, things can still get a bit fiddly, meaning the new update aims to iron out those wrinkles.

Now, if you were expecting Matter 1.5 to be next after the previous 1.4 update, you're not alone. We were surprised to see that Matter update 1.4.1 arrived instead, suggesting this is more of an interim update that acts as a bridge between two major releases.

As mentioned, Matter 1.4.1 is focused on improving the device onboarding experience, with three key new features – enhanced setup flow (ESF), multi-device setup QR code and onboarding via NFC tag.

The ESF will allow users to accept manufacturers' terms of service right inside Matter-compatible apps. Previously, if a device required consent, users had to jump into the manufacturer’s own app, agree to the terms there, and then hop back into the Matter app. This can now all happen in one place, making things a lot more seamless.

If you have a bunch of devices to set up at once, the multi-device setup QR code feature is for you. Instead of scanning separate QR codes one by one, you can now use a single QR code to onboard multiple devices at once.

Finally, onboarding info via an NFC tag means manufacturers can now embed setup data into an NFC tag, so you just tap your phone to the device and get started.

That said, whilst this update improves onboarding in a big way, it doesn’t introduce any new device types. Some of the devices that were expected, including some new smart garden tools, didn’t make the cut this time and are now pushed back to the next big release.

Check out the 5 reasons why you should upgrade to Matter-compatible smart home gadgets next.