Expand your Apple Smart Home by adding Matter-compatible technology. The era of the Matter Smart Home is upon us, although it hasn't been without some initial challenges. A range of Matter-compatible devices, from a range of brands including Nanoleaf, Eve, TP-Link, Wiz and Aqara, are now available and a host of Matter smart home devices are planned to hit the market in the coming months, especially as the new smart home standard expands beyond the original launch categories. Early adopters have found that assimilating Matter smart home devices into their existing ecosystems wasn't quite the seamless experience initially touted. Despite Matter's promise to streamline the smart home landscape, its implementation has hit some obstacles so far. Nevertheless, signs of progress are visible. If your intention is to seamlessly integrate Matter devices into the HomeKit setup – whether Matter over Thread or Matter over Wi-Fi – the good news is that this is a much smoother path with the Apple Home app and that you should be able to get compatible Matter devices up and running in minutes. Here's how to get started with HomeKit and Matter and sync these devices with your Apple Home...

Matter and Apple HomeKit checklist

We assume you're already an iOS user (whether via an iPad or an iPhone) and that you are already running a HomeKit smart home system via the Apple Home app, which in this case becomes the 'Matter Commissioner'. The next requirement, when it comes to adding Matter devices to your Apple Home, is a Matter controller. Like a HomeKit Hub, the Matter controller is the central brain for your Matter smart home. And just like a HomeKit Hub, it's probably a device you already have at home when you're reading this guide. The following Apple devices all function as Matter controllers: HomePod (both generations), HomePod Mini, and Apple TV 4K (2021 and 2022 models). To add a Matter over Thread device to your Apple Home, that Matter controller must also double as a Thread border router. There are currently four options if that's the case: 2nd generation HomePod, HomePod Mini, 2021 Apple TV 4K, and the 128GB version of the 2022 Apple TV 4K. Technically, you can add Matter devices to your HomeKit system which are already set up on various, non-Apple, Matter controllers (like a Google smart speaker), but that's another story for another day.

How to add Matter devices to Apple Home

Apple transferred much of what it learned from onboarding HomeKit-compatible devices to the Connectivity Standards Alliance – the group that runs the Matter show. Therefore, the process will be very familiar when adding regular HomeKit devices. And just like that process, you can always just add the devices via the native apps (provided they're Matter compatible) and HomeKit will do its magic in the background to share credentials with the Home app using your iCloud -keychain. If you want to keep it simple and add Matter devices directly to the Apple Home app, here's what you can do:

1. Turn on your Matter device.
2. Open the Apple Home app.
3. Tap the + icon in the top right corner.
4. Choose Add Accessory.
5. Scan the Matter QR code (or enter the code manually).
6. Wait for the connection to be established.
7. Once paired, name your Matter device and tap Continue.
8. Choose the room you want to add the device to.
9. Done: You can now create automations and add your Matter smart home devices to groups just like you would with any other HomeKit device.

View your HomeKit Matter devices

You can keep an eye on all Matter devices linked to your Apple Home through the settings menu on your iPad or iPhone.

1. Simply go to the settings menu on your iOS device, choose General and then tap Matter Accessories.
2. You can view a list of all your Matter devices and delete them if you wish.

See also…

• How to add Matter devices to Alexa
• How to add Matter devices to Google Home
• How to add Matter devices to SmartThings