The Matter Wireless Update lets you set up and control your Nest thermostat in the Apple Home software without requiring a dedicated Nest hub.
- Google is rolling out Matter support for its latest third generation Nest learning thermostat, released in 2020.
- With Matter, your smart thermostat can be controlled from the Apple Home app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac without the need for additional hardware like a Nest home hub.
- Additional Nest devices will get Matter compatibility later in 2023.
The Nest 2020 thermostat now works in the Home app.
With the automatic over-the-air update installed, you can perform actions such as adjusting the room temperature, changing the device mode, and controlling the fan using the Apple Home app without the need for special hubs or other hardware.
This is because Apple is one of the proponents of the Matter protocol, which enables interoperability between various smart home accessories.
For example, with the Apple Home app, you can control Matter-enabled lighting in your Amazon or Google smart home. You can use any Matter-certified smart home system for this, such as Samsung SmartThings, not just Apple’s HomeKit.
The Nest update may take several weeks.
The update began rolling out on April 18, but it may take some time before it becomes available to all users.
“If your Nest thermostat hasn’t received this update yet, don’t worry,”says the Google Nest Community Blog. “Matter compatibility will be rolled out to Nest Thermostat over the next few weeks starting April 18th.”
You will need to be running iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, or macOS Ventura 13.3 for Matter functionality. You will also need to update the Home app to the new Apple architecture.
Other Nest devices, including older versions of the Nest Thermostat, will be updated to support Matter later in 2023. In addition, Google is currently evaluating Matter support for Learning Thermostat and Thermostat E.
Problem with Matter
The native Google Home app for iOS does not currently work with Matter devices, but this will be fixed in a future update. You can add the Nest thermostat to the Apple Home app using the Matter pairing code that appears on the thermostat after you install the update. This will change in the future, says Google.
Soon when you set up the Google Home app, you’ll be aware of the Matter devices that have been set up with the SmartThings app on your Android phone, and you’ll be prompted to easily connect those devices to Google Home, and vice versa. This means you don’t have to manually add each of your devices one at a time or worry about which ecosystem your device was set up with in the first place.
Amazon also doesn’t have an iOS app that works with Matter.
For now, though, Matter remains a new standard that has yet to reach its full potential. And for that, we will need more Matter-enabled devices and smart home appliances on the market.
Matter was previously known as Connected Home Over IP.