Matter’s big smart home promises just keep getting delayed
Last year was supposed to be the public debut ofMatter, a unified protocoldesigned to unite all of our various smart home gadgets under one roof. As skeptical as we were, it seemed like thewinds were finally blowing in the right directionfor a launch before the end of 2021, but alas,it wasn’t meant to be. If you’re a smart home enthusiast who jotted down “first half of 2022” in your calendar, I hope you wrote it in pencil. Matter’s been delayed yet again.
A representative for the Connectivity Standards Alliance (or CSA) filledThe Vergein on the organization’s plans for Matter, and unfortunately, it involves a delay. According to the CSA, the SDK still needs time to be finalized, a process that has slowed down due to the popularity of Matter as a concept. Effectively, because many companies want to tie Matter’s interoperability standards in their products, it takes longer to ensure the required code works with every gadget.
Despite yet another delay hitting Matter, the CSA seems confident in its new fall launch window. With devices from 50 different companies currently in testing, it seems possible that the holiday shopping season could see a handful of supported products on store shelves, ready to work with Alexa, Assistant, and even Siri. Still, most gadgets can’t be tested until a “specification validation event” takes place this summer, an occasion expected to take up to eight weeks before it wraps up. With so much time needed to ensure compatibility between products before being certified, most Matter gadgets won’t launch until 2023 at the earliest.
Obviously, these dates are all assuming Matter isn’t delayed again, and at this point, it’s hard not to assume it’ll get pushed back once more. Still, it’s good to see the CSA being upfront about how long it takes to get this standard right. If Matter works the way it’s supposed to, this time will have all been worth it.
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