Skip to Content

iOS 16.1 Begins Laying Groundwork for Matter Launch

by

The iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1 betas that were released to developers today add a new "Matter Accessories" section to the Settings app as Apple begins preparing for the launch of the new Matter smart home standard.

matter iot standard
Tapping into the Matter Accessories section suggests that it will display all Matter accessories that have been added to a connected service. "These can also be added to additional services with an app that supports Matter," reads the text.

Apple has not yet implemented official support for Matter, but has said that it will be introduced sometime this fall. Matter is a new interoperable, secure connectivity standard that is designed for smart home devices.


Created by the Connectivity Standards Alliance that includes tech companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google, Matter ensures interoperability between smart home devices from different companies. HomeKit, Google Assistant, Alexa, SmartThings, and other smart home devices that support Matter will be able to work together.

Some accessory makers are set to support Matter as soon as the new standard is released and supported by Apple.

Tag: Matter
Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

AirPods Max 2 Feature

Apple Announces AirPods Max 2 With H2 Chip and More

Monday March 16, 2026 6:12 am PDT by
Apple today unveiled AirPods Max 2, with key upgrades including the H2 chip, increased active noise cancellation, improved sound quality, and features such as Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, and Live Translation. The new AirPods Max have the same overall design as the previous generation, with most of the new features coming from the upgrade to the H2 chip:- Adaptive ...
Read Full Article • 357 comments
Apple Logo Sketch Feature

Apple Unveiled a Surprise New Product Today

Monday March 16, 2026 10:50 am PDT by
Surprise! Apple today unveiled the AirPods Max 2, despite no rumors suggesting that a new version of Apple's over-ear headphones were imminent. Key upgrades compared to the previous AirPods Max include Apple's H2 chip, increased active noise cancellation, improved sound quality, and features such as Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, and Live Translation. AirPods Max ...
Read Full Article
iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Be Like Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Sunday March 15, 2026 9:42 am PDT by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that iOS 27 will be similar to 2009's Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that one of Apple's biggest priorities is bug fixes for improved performance and stability. During WWDC 2008's State of the Union, Apple showed a slide that said Mac OS X Snow Leopard had "0 new features," as it opted to focus on performance and...
Read Full Article • 263 comments

Top Rated Comments

vegetassj4 Avatar
vegetassj4
46 months ago
I don't have any applicable smart home devices, so it doesn't matter.

ba da bing....thank you, I'll be here all week.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chucker23n1 Avatar
chucker23n1
46 months ago
Question is: does anything else in 16.1 matter?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Think|Different Avatar
Think|Different
46 months ago
Bring it on! It's taken forever due to, undoubtedly, too many cooks in the kitchen.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
azentropy Avatar
azentropy
46 months ago
Cool, another "standard" that probably isn't compatible with the stuff I already have (myQ, Wemo, Wyze, Fiet).
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B
boak
46 months ago
That is a weird place to hide away the settings
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
K
KaliYoni
46 months ago

Created by the Connectivity Standards Alliance that includes tech companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google,
Yeah, the generic looking, artifact-of-its-time logo and typeface design tips off companies other than Apple are involved. I wonder if Meta's insanely lacking in taste emperor insisted on picking his favorite option.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments