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

Apple Wallet ID Illinois

Apple Plans to Expand iPhone Driver's Licenses to These 7 U.S. States

Wednesday December 24, 2025 8:40 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Brings AirPods-Like Pairing to Third-Party Devices in EU Under DMA

Monday December 22, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
The European Commission today praised the interoperability changes that Apple is introducing in iOS 26.3, once again crediting the Digital Markets Act (DMA) with bringing "new opportunities" to European users and developers. The Digital Markets Act requires Apple to provide third-party accessories with the same capabilities and access to device features that Apple's own products get. In iOS...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Why Apple's Foldable iPhone May Be Smaller Than Expected

Tuesday December 23, 2025 5:21 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone, rumored for release next year, may turn out to be smaller than most people imagine, if a recent report is anything to go by. According to The Information, the outer display on the book-style device will measure just 5.3 inches – that's smaller than the 5.4-inch screen on the ‌iPhone‌ mini, a line Apple discontinued in 2022 due to poor sales. The report has led ...
iPhone Chips

Apple Clings to Samsung as RAM Prices Soar

Monday December 22, 2025 6:17 am PST by
Apple is significantly increasing its reliance on Samsung for iPhone memory as component prices surge, according to The Korea Economic Daily. Apple is said to be expanding the share of iPhone memory it sources from Samsung due to rapidly rising memory prices. The shift is expected to result in Samsung supplying roughly 60% to 70% of the low-power DRAM used in the iPhone 17, compared with a...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Features Leaked in New Report, Including Under-Screen Face ID

Tuesday December 16, 2025 8:44 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with under-screen Face ID, and the front camera will be moved to the top-left corner of the screen, according to a new report from The Information's Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu. As a result of these changes, the report said the iPhone 18 Pro models will not have a pill-shaped Dynamic Island cutout at the top of the screen....
chatgpt year end

ChatGPT Now Has a 2025 Year-End Summary Feature Like Spotify Wrapped

Monday December 22, 2025 4:12 pm PST by
OpenAI added a year-end summary feature to ChatGPT, allowing users to get a personalized overview of their 2025 ChatGPT usage. The summary is similar to year-end wrap-ups from companies like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and other services. ChatGPT offers up an overview of themes discussed and chat stats, such as busiest chatting day, number of overall chats, messages sent, and more....

Top Rated Comments

bradman83 Avatar
28 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
28 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
28 months ago
Whoever picked that typeface needs to go to jail.



Attachment Image
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mazz0 Avatar
28 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
28 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
28 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)