Samsung SmartThings starts testing for Matter with a new partner program

XDA

By Richard Devine

Published May 18, 2022

Samsung is preparing for Matter to launch in late 2022 with a new partner program to test devices through its SmartThings platform.

At Google I/O, there was a sizeable focus on smart home, and in particular, Matter. The upcoming standard developed between Google and a range of partner manufacturers in the space is set to officially launch in the latter stages of 2022. But preparations for it are well underway, and that includes at Samsung. SmartThings is getting Matter-ready and Samsung is announcing its partner early access program to get the ball rolling.

In a nutshell, Samsung is opening up to manufacturers of Matter-enabled smart home devices and providing a way to test in the SmartThings ecosystem.

"We’re thrilled to welcome Aeotec, Aqara, Eve Systems, Leedarson, Nanoleaf, Netatmo, Sengled, Wemo, WiZ, and Yale into this exclusive program. As a founding member of Matter, we are excited about this development, as well as the opportunity for partners to test their devices and Matter interoperability with Hub-enabled devices and through the SmartThings app. Additionally, partners can use the SmartThings app for seamless onboarding of their devices."

Samsung and Google are two of the big hitters that will be pushing Matter forward with SmartThings and Google Home respectively. But the beauty of Matter, compared to the current state of smart home, is that interoperability is key. If a device supports Matter then it's supposed to work seamlessly with other devices that support Matter.

Samsung SmartThings has been talking up Matter for some time. At its developer conference in late 2021, the company outlined its plans to integrate Matter device control into various other Samsung connected products. The new Matter standard being built into SmartThings should allow for seamless smart home device control without the need necessarily to have a dedicated hub.

Matter is shaping up to be a huge deal in the smart home industry. There is a lot of cooperation and interoperability out there already with the likes of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant as well as SmartThings, but Matter should make everything much easier for consumers. At Google I/O we saw how easily it will be to onboard a Matter-enabled device, with little more than scanning a QR code needed to get the process rolling.

The proof will be in the pudding but with Google and Samsung both gearing up for Matter's launch as well as collaborating on the project, exciting times are on the horizon.