Updated Matter 1.2 Specification Supports New Device Types and Brings Performance Improvements

The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) that Apple is a member of today announced that an updated Matter 1.2 specification is available for device makers and platforms. Matter 1.2 adds support for additional device types and brings improvements to Matter. Matter is a smart home protocol that allows devices to work across multiple platforms, including HomeKit.

matter update
With Matter 1.2, Matter support can be added to refrigerators, standalone room air conditioners, dishwashers, laundry machines, robotic vacuums, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, air quality sensors, air purifiers, and fans.

Apple's ‌HomeKit‌ supports some of these device types such as air quality monitors, air purifiers, and smoke alarms, but Apple may need to implement ‌HomeKit‌ updates to add Matter 1.2 support.

Matter 1.2 also adds improvements for multi-unit switches and multi-light fixtures, along with semantic tags and improvements for device operational states, which should give device makers more options for more complex smart home products.

According to the CSA, Matter 1.2 includes enhancements to testing and certification, which will allow companies to bring products to market faster.

Matter 1.2 certification is open as of now, and the Matter 1.2 devices and improvements are expected to be available on the market later this year. More information on the changes can be found on the CSA website.

Tag: Matter

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Tuesday March 25, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing. Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1. Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Supports 8K Video Recording, Suggests Leaker [Updated]

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:06 am PDT by
Update 7:25 pm: Based on comments from our forums, it appears the original Weibo post may have been mistranslated and "8K" actually refers to the high price of the device rather than 8K video recording capabilities. The iPhone 16 Pro currently starts at 7,999 yuan in China. Our original article follows below. Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 Pro models are capable of shooting 8K video, up...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

'iPhone Fold' to Feature Metallic Glass Hinge That Resists Deformation

Thursday March 27, 2025 4:21 am PDT by
Last week, we covered a report claiming that Apple's book-style foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold," as we are provisionally calling it here) will use liquid metal hinges to improve durability and help minimize screen creasing. Today, a Chinese leaker provided more details on the properties of this hinge material that help to clarify why Apple chose it for its first foldable device. According...
iOS 18 4 Ambient Music Control Center

How to Use iOS 18.4's New Ambient Music Feature in Control Center

Thursday March 27, 2025 7:45 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone adds an Ambient Music feature to Control Center. Below, we take a closer look at how it works. iOS 18.4 is currently in beta, so the Ambient Music feature is not widely available yet. The update will likely be released to the general public next week. To use the feature on iOS 18.4, open Control Center and tap on the plus sign in the top-left...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

Gurman: Jon Prosser's iOS 19 Mockups 'Aren't Representative' of Redesign

Tuesday March 25, 2025 4:47 pm PDT by
The iOS 19 mockup images that leaker Jon Prosser shared today are not representative of the actual iOS 19 design, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on social media. According to Gurman, the images that are "floating around" are based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions," and are lacking key features. Gurman says that we can "expect more from Apple in June." Gurman made the same comment ...

Top Rated Comments

bradman83 Avatar
19 months ago

I still don’t understand how these Smart home standards work.

So are matter devices just automatically compatible with HomeKit (assuming it’s a device type HomeKit supports) or must the device still explicitly support HomeKit as well?

I’ve just resorted to using my Homebridge server on anything that doesn’t have native homekit support

Matter devices are compatible with anything else that speaks Matter. It's that simple. But no, they don't automatically support HomeKit — they can be controlled via the Home app though.
EmotionalSnow's answer is correct but I think some context is needed.

HomeKit is a framework and protocol for smart devices to communicate with Apple's proprietary Home app. Similar frameworks and protocols exist to communicate with Google, Amazon, and Samsung's respective home apps.

Smart devices have to be separately programmed to speak to Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung's respective ecosystems. Many devices settle on just Google and Amazon's.

Matter was developed as as sort of single, universal language that allows a smart device to speak to all of the major smart home platforms. Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung's apps speak both their native protocols and they speak Matter. As a result smart device manufacturers just need to program their devices to use Matter and the device can support all of the major smart home platforms.

So Matter is not HomeKit because HomeKit is just a protocol. Both Matter and HomeKit speak natively to Apple's Home app ecosystem, without the need for add-ons like HomeBridge.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Squuiid Avatar
19 months ago

I’m in the same boat. My Hue Bridge is giving me the option to upgrade, but if I do, it’ll reset all my scenes and settings. Why would I want to do this? I have 46 bulbs in my home!
Don’t do it. I did, and regret it, as do many others on Reddit. Seriously, just don’t.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
boss.king Avatar
19 months ago
Whoever picked that typeface needs to go to jail.



Attachment Image
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mazz0 Avatar
19 months ago
Great. I’ve always wanted to be able to check that my fridge exists without going to the kitchen.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jdawgnoonan Avatar
19 months ago
I wonder how big the market is for people who closely follow these developments and buy new products accordingly. I believe that it is likely small and will stay small for some time as most of these devices are not things most people upgrade often. For instance, in my newly constructed house for which I bought all new medium to high end so called "Smart" appliances in early 2022 there is no chance at all that I will be replacing any of my so-called "Smart" appliances any time soon. If my refrigerator, oven, microswave, dishwasher, clothes washer or clothes dryer live for 20 years then I will be using them for 20 years. I simply do not understand the lifecycle of these standards or how in the long run they really even matter except for maybe for extremely niche (and likely rich) consumers (of which there really are not that many).
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
19 months ago

Apple already “blew it” in the “smarthome/automation” market, failing to produce a cohesive product. I think they’re too late to catch up now.

Amazon dominates with Alexa — but has somehow managed to make it a colossal financial failure, reportedly losing the company $10 Billion last year alone ('https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-alexa-business-failure-10-bn-losses-2022-11')!
While you are technically correct, most of Amazon's smart home devices rely on web services to operate. If the Internet or device maker goes out of business, your smart home device will become "dumb" or inoperable.

Apple insisted on smart home devices to talk to their Home hub directly, so they can operate even when the vendor goes out of business or without the Internet. Matter also share the same benefit.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)