Apple Home was first revealed way back in 2014, and almost a decade since its initial release, the smart home ecosystem has seen mixed results. It’s generally considered to be a quality smart home app for people who use a lot of Apple products, but there are limitations. Not every smart home accessory supports HomeKit, and support pales in comparison to competing ecosystems from Amazon and Google.
That is, until support for Matter rolled out, which has the potential to bring parity to the smart home race. Matter is a universal standard for your smart home, and accessories that support the new standard will be compatible with Apple, Amazon, and Google’s smart home ecosystems. But not much is changing in the short term because it will take time for accessory makers to update their products and services to be compatible with Matter.
