Google’s Nest and Home devices have joined the Matter smart home party

Matter, the new standard to help smart home devices talk to one another, is gathering serious momentum – and Google is the latest manufacturer to deliver upgrades to existing devices to make them Matter compatible.

Google has announced that as of now, a whole bunch of Google and Nest devices are Matter compatible: the Google Home, Nest Hub (both generations), Nest Hub Max, Google Home and Google Home Mini, Nest Mini, Nest Audio and Nest WiFi Pro.

You don't need to do anything. The updates are all automatic.

Everybody thinks Matter matters

Google isn't the only big tech name to climb on board the Matter bus. Apple's there too, with Matter in the latest software update for its HomePods and HomePods mini as well as a Matter hub in the 128GB version of the new Apple TV 4K. Samsung has thrown its considerable weight behind the standard too: it was one of the first firms with Matter certification. And Amazon is bringing Matter to almost 20 devices in the next few weeks.

So far all these Matter upgrades have been preparatory: actual Matter smart home devices are still thin on the ground because it's a brand new standard. But as they start to appear in 2023, it's clear that the promised support from all the major manufacturers is already waiting for them. And that means our smart homes are going to get even smarter in the year to come.