Matter is revolutionizing the smart home by introducing a unified system that enables local control of smart devices. This means smart gadgets like light bulbs no longer need to communicate with the cloud when you ask a voice assistant to control them. While some platforms already support local control, Matter simplifies integration into any smart home ecosystem.

This week, Google revealed that the Google Home hub fully supports local control of Matter devices with Home Runtime integration. As a result, devices such as Google Nest hubs and speakers, Chromecasts, Android 14 Google TVs, LG TV selections can now be connected to gadgets without counting the cloud.

Ginny Zhang, Google Home's product manager, emphasizes the advantages of this development. Historically, the Google platform depended on the cloud connection to the control device. However, this change means that even if there's an internet outage, Google Assistant will still be able to perform tasks like turning on the lights.

In addition to this milestone, Google outlined efforts to help developers create Matter-compatible products. These efforts include cooperation with the alliance of connection standards to optimize material certification and work with Mediatek for the development of a new chip, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and flow capacities. According to Matt van van van der Stye, primary engineering director of Google Home, this chip seeks to make easier and more effective economically to introduce the flow into its products.

Furthermore, Google has expanded access to its Home APIs, enabling developers to integrate Google Home devices and automation capabilities into their own apps. This allows manufacturers to focus more on product development rather than system integrations. The Home API was originally announced at Google I/O and was previously part of an early access program with brands including Eve, Nanoleaf, LG, ADT, Cync, Yale, and Aqara. The Android version of the Home API is currently available in public beta for developers, with an iOS version due to be released soon.