While most people probably looked to Apple’s fall event for the release of new iPhones, there were many additional products and enhancements to the Apple ecosystem announced from the company. Of particular interest to smart home enthusiasts and professional smart home integrators was the announcement of support for version 1.2 of the Matter smart home protocol in Apple Home.
Matter v1.2 adds support for the following device types:
- Refrigerators
- Room Air Conditioners
- Dishwashers
- Laundry Washers
- Robotic Vacuums
- Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
- Air Quality Sensors
- Air Purifiers
- Fans
With the release of iOS 18, this support for Matter v1.2 has become a reality, and leading the pack there are some manufacturers that have already included Matter v1.2 support in their products. In April 2024, I wrote about AiDot’s Matter-compatible smart home products. The WELOV Matter P200 Pro Smart Air Purifier, the world’s first Matter-compatible air purifier, was included in the article. At that time, the P200 Pro supported Matter. However, without support for version 1.2 of the Matter protocol by the major smart home hub manufacturers, the purifier could only be controlled using its front panel controls and the AiDot app on a smart phone or tablet.
Initially, using Apple Home you will just be able to control the power and fan levels of the P200 Pro. The control of additional functions of the purifier will be added over time. A video demonstrating this can be found here:
Smart home integration is an important feature for an air purifier. An air purifier can not only be triggered to operate by the air quality in a home, but also by the air quality outdoors from, for example, wildfire smoke. Outside air will leak into the home through gaps around windows, gaps around doors, and whenever an exterior door is opened.
I have had some very bad fires close to my own home this year. At times, the smoke outside has been so bad that our purifiers have had trouble keeping the air in the home clear. In this situation, the purifiers needed to continually operate, with their fans set to high, to keep ahead of the influx of smoke from the outside. Under normal circumstances, the life of the air purifier’s filter can be extended by only running the purifier when the home is occupied.
Robotic vacuums and mops are a smart home favorite for their ability to save people from the drudgery of floor cleaning. Unfortunately, they can be noisy and disruptive so smart home integration is an important feature of these robots as it allows them to be triggered to clean when a home becomes unoccupied.
According to Matter Alpha, there are only a few robotic vacuums that support Matter v1.2:
- Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra
- Ecovacs Deebot X2 Combo
- SwitchBot Mini Robot Vacuum K10+
- SwitchBot Mini Robot Vacuum K10+ Pro
- SwitchBot S10 (You can find the article I wrote about the SwitchBot S10 here)
Matter v1.2 support for robotic vacuums, air purifiers and air quality monitors, major appliances, and more is a welcome addition to the Apple Home app in iOS 18. While today there aren’t many products that support Matter v1.2., with Apple’s continued support for the Matter smart home protocol, I believe this is all about to change.
