Matter, a smart home standard designed to improve compatibility between different ecosystems like those of Apple, Google, and Amazon, is reportedly adding support for smart speakers. However, a new report highlights a significant limitation for Apple users and the HomePod.
Ryan Christoffel for 9to5Mac:
[This week] The Verge reported that Matter is developing ‘a new streaming speaker device type and related controls’ for its smart home system. This was confirmed by CTO Chris LaPré from the Connectivity Standards Alliance, which runs Matter.
Before you get too excited about HomePods and Amazon Echos working seamlessly together, though, there’s a key limitation coming.
Even with the forthcoming ‘streaming speaker device type,’ these popular smart speaker products won’t be included.
Instead, the feature is targeting speakers like those from Sonos, Bose, and others. Essentially, speakers that exist primarily to play music, not to control other smart home devices [such as Apple HomePods, Amazon Echo devices, and Google Nest smart speakers].
MacDailyNews Take: Regardless, we’re not giving up our HomePods.
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It’s important to remember that Matter is still an evolving standard. While this initial limitation might be disappointing for some, it’s crucial to remember that the Matter ecosystem is still under development.
If the goal is true cross-platform compatibility, shouldn’t smart speakers that people actually use as hubs be included too? I’m curious whether Apple plans to address this limitation in a future update, or if this is more of a strategic decision to keep tighter ecosystem control.