Matter-enabled Amazon Echo devices to work with iOS soon as phase one rollout is now complete

With the official launch of the new Matter standard for smart home accessories in November, Amazon has announced its plans to add Matter support to its Echo devices. The company confirmed on Monday that the phase one rollout of Matter support is now complete, while phase two is expected to begin next year with support for iOS.

Amazon to expand Matter support on Echo devices to iOS

According to Amazon, the phased rollout of Matter support to Echo devices allows the company to ensure that its devices work with the “most common device types” while it continues to work in order to expand “interoperability, stability and longevity-testing” with its partners.

During the first phase of the rollout, Amazon added Matter support to Echo devices via Wi-Fi for smart plugs, smart bulbs, and smart switches. However, this first phase only included Android compatibility as Amazon said at the time that supporting iOS would require its apps to use new APIs that took longer to become available.

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. Tens of millions of Alexa customers across the globe now have more ways to connect their devices with the availability of Matter over WiFi spanning 17 different Echo devices, Plugs, Switches, and Bulbs with Android setup.

With the next phases of the rollout, Amazon plans to bring Matter to even more accessories and Echo devices. Plans also include adding compatibility with the Thread protocol and iOS, which the company said would come in early 2023. In today’s statement, Amazon said it will share news about phase two of Matter support rollout at CES 2023, which will take place January 5-8.

More about Matter

For those unfamiliar, Matter new standard supported by companies such as Apple, Amazon, and Google to make smart home devices interoperable across multiple platforms. This is a significant upgrade as it means accessory makers no longer need to individually adopt each smart home platform, such as HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Home.

This initial release of Matter includes support for a number of the most common categories of smart home accessories: lighting and electrical, HVAC controls, window coverings and shades, safety and security sensors, door locks, media devices including TVs, controllers as both devices and applications, and bridges.

On Apple devices, support for the Matter standard was introduced with iOS 16.1.

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