SmartThing: Samsung’s iOS app is now compatible with Matter
Samsung has updated SmartThings, its smart home app on iOS, with support for the Matter protocol to help expand interoperability between different device ecosystems.
After the launch of Matter Easy Pair by Samsung at the beginning of the year, the Korean giant has now a step further into the era of interoperability by updating its SmartThings application on iOS. Now this is compatible with the new Matter protocol.
As a reminder, Matter is a standard that makes it easier for consumers to customize and create their own smart home network. without having to worry about which gadget works with which. It is therefore intended to simplify the installation and configuration of connected devices, and to ensure their interoperability. Matter will help all smart devices to communicate effectively with each other.
SmartThing becomes even more convenient on iOS
While Samsung’s SmartThing app on Android had already received support for Matter, the standard is finally coming to iOS. Thanks to the application update, which has the number 1.9.94, Matter-enabled smart home devices connected to a SmartThings hub can be controlled using an iPhone, an iPad or an Apple Watch.
For those unfamiliar with SmartThings, it’s a smart home platform that’s a subsidiary of Samsung, and akin to Apple’s HomeKit. Samsung showed off its Matter-certified products at this year’s CES, along with the SmartThings Station, a smart home hub and charging port that helps control and charge home devices.
After integration with Samsung service, it seems that all your devices will also be immediately visible to assistants. So you can control your lights with both Google Assistant and Alexa, without having to do anything first.
Unfortunately, not all Apple iPhones will be eligible for the feature. To control devices on the Matter protocol, an iPhone must be running iOS 16.2 or later, i.e. iPhone 7, first-generation iPhone SE, and older models are not compatible.
