'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
Google announces Nest and Android devices are Matter-enabled
The lineup of Google Nest devices is looking ahead at a future that Matters -- sorry, I had to.
As a new step towards breaking down interoperability walls, you can now connect Matter-enabled Google devices with Matter devices from other brands.
Google just announced that its Nest and Android devices are officially Matter-enabled, meaning they are now able to connect to other Matter devices, presumably regardless of the brand. The announcement comes weeks after Google and Samsung committed to multi-admin capabilities between SmartThings and Google Home, which is coming in 2023.
Also: Matter has arrived: How a Google Nest Hub just controlled an Apple HomeKit smart plug
Matter is a new smart home connectivity standard that works over wi-fi or Thread, developed and launched by the Connectivity Standards Alliance in late 2022. Big players like Amazon, Samsung, and Apple were behind the initiative to develop the new standard, and the companies have reiterated the integration of Matter devices with their systems.
As explained in the 6-minute, all-one-take video from the CSA above, Matter will make it easier for consumers to buy almost any smart item off the shelf and pair it with their favorite smart home system. No more checking labels to see if this Lifx smart bulb is HomeKit compatible or if you can control your Eve devices with a Google Nest Hub. Simply choosing devices with the Matter badge is enough.
Of course, Matter needs a platform to work, and, yes, a hub or controller. The good news is, however, that the Google Home speaker, Google Home Mini, Nest Mini, Nest Audio, Nest Hub, Nest Hub Max, and the Nest Wifi Pro.
ZDNET Recommends
Other devices that double as Matter hubs are the Apple HomePod mini, and Amazon Echo devices, for example.
Also: Eve, Nanoleaf and Amazon: Here's when you can expect Matter devices and software updates
Google Home users don't have to do anything to upgrade their devices, Nest and Android devices are automatically updated to support Matter. This update also includes Fast Pair for Android devices, which makes it easy to add Matter devices to your home network and Google Home, in an almost automatic fashion.
Though Matter devices are still trickling into the smart home market, the launch of this connectivity standard has been a catalyst for companies to make new devices. You can look forward to the beginning of 2023 for an influx of new Matter-enabled devices and more current products getting upgraded.