Amazon Joins Google in Rolling Out Matter Support to Its Smart Home Product Portfolio

Amazon has announced that its most recent smart home products have received updates to the new Matter standard, providing enhanced compatibility with devices from other vendors — and is pushing other companies using Matter towards adding Alexa functionality to their own offerings.

"Last month, we announced our plans to deliver a high-quality Matter customer experience by the end of this year. Today, we’re excited to share that we completed the first phase of our Matter rollout," says Amazon's Marja Koopmans. "Tens of millions of Alexa customers across the globe now have more ways to connect their devices with the availability of Matter over Wi-Fi spanning 17 different Echo devices, Plugs, Switches, and Bulbs with Android setup."

The updates come a few days after Google, which developed the Matter standard as Project Connected Home over IP with Amazon and Apple, Samsung, and what was known at the time as the ZigBee Alliance, updated its own smart home devices to include Matter compatibility — with selected devices also doubling as Thread edge gateways.

Not all Amazon smart home devices will have received the Matter upgrade this week, however: the company has confirmed that its oldest models of Echo device are not included in the rollout. The full list of updated devices is as follows: Echo Dot (5th Gen), Echo Dot (5th Gen) with clock, Echo (4th Gen), Echo Dot (3rd Gen, 2018 release), Echo Studio, Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen, 2021 release), Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen), Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen, 2021 release), Echo Show 15, Echo Dot (Gen 3 with Clock), Echo Dot (Gen 4 with Clock), Echo Show 5, Echo (v3), Echo Dot Gen 4, Echo Input, Echo Flex and Echo Show 8.

"Today, there are more than 30,000 'Works with Alexa' devices customers can select from to create their personalized smart home," Koopmans continues. "Now, with Matter, they will have even more product selection to choose from as they build a smart home that’s right for them. Matter devices will work seamlessly alongside existing smart home devices — so customers can appreciate the familiar and consistent smart home experience with Alexa."

While Matter is about cross-vendor compatibility, though, Amazon believes it still has something special to offer — and has worked with companies including Philips, Yale, Espressif, Nordic Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, and Samsung SmartThings to add Alexa functionality into their Matter devices. "Developers are already leveraging [our] tools today," Koopmans claims, "building Alexa’s differentiated features into their Matter devices and delivering easy, unique and reliable experiences for the tens of millions of existing customers who are ready to connect Matter devices with Alexa."

More information about Amazon's Matter developer offerings is available on the company's landing page; end-users with one or more of the above devices should have received the Matter update already, but with no word yet on when — or if — it will come to older devices.