Many Matter device types are supported in the Google Home ecosystem, though not all are fully supported.
Device type and control support
Matter-enabled devices in the Google Home ecosystem can be controlled by a few different methods:
- Google Assistant — Use voice to control the Matter device from any Assistant device.
- Google Home app (GHA) — Use the UI of the GHA to control the Matter device.
- Smart Display UI — Use the UI of a Smart Display to control the Matter device.
For more information about clusters, refer to the Matter
code repository
(connectedhomeip).
| Matter Device Type | Application Cluster(s) | Matter Spec | Control Support | Home Ecosystem Type | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Assistant | Google Home app (GHA) | Smart Display | ||||
| Color Temperature Light |
Color Control Level Control On/Off |
1.0 | Light | |||
| Contact Sensor |
Boolean State |
1.0 | Sensor | |||
| Dimmable Light |
Level Control On/Off |
1.0 | Light | |||
| Door Lock |
Door Lock |
1.0 | Lock | |||
| Extended Color Light |
Color Control Level Control On/Off |
1.0 | Light | |||
| Fan |
Fan Control On/Off |
1.0 | Fan | |||
| Flow Sensor |
Flow Measurement |
1.0 | Sensor | |||
| Humidity Sensor |
Relative Humidity Measurement |
1.0 | Sensor | |||
| Light Sensor |
Illuminance Measurement |
1.0 | Sensor | |||
| Occupancy Sensor |
Occupancy Sensing |
1.0 | Sensor | |||
| On/Off Light |
Level Control On/Off |
1.0 | Light | |||
| On/Off Light Switch |
On/Off |
1.0 | Switch | |||
| On/Off Plug-in Unit |
Level Control On/Off |
1.0 | Outlet | |||
| Pressure Sensor |
Pressure Measurement |
1.0 | Sensor | |||
| Pump |
On/Off Pump Configuration and Control Temperature Measurement Pressure Measurement Flow Measurement |
1.0 | Water Pump | |||
| Speaker |
Level Control On/Off |
1.0 | Speaker | |||
| Temperature Sensor |
Temperature Measurement |
1.0 | Sensor | |||
| Thermostat |
Thermostat |
1.0 | Thermostat | |||
| Window Covering |
Window Covering |
1.0 | Lift Tilt |
Lift Tilt |
Lift Tilt |
Blinds |
Bridges
All devices behind a Matter bridge appear as normal for a user in the Google Home ecosystem. The bridge itself appears as an inert Control Bridge device type in the GHA.
Door Locks
Although the Matter specification does not require PIN codes for door locks, remote unlock is disabled on all surfaces for Matter door locks in the Google ecosystem that don't mandate a PIN code. For more information, refer to Google's Privacy and security policy.
On/Off Light Switches
The On/Off Light Switch is unique among Matter device types in that it is a Matter controller, like GHA, Assistant, or a Google Hub such as the Google Nest Hub (2nd gen).
In other words, an On/Off Light Switch is a Node that can control other Nodes. However, an On/Off Light Switch can't be controlled by another Matter controller. See Node roles in the Matter Primer for more on controllers and controlees.
Because the Google Home ecosystem does not expose the Matter Binding cluster to its controllers, end users cannot configure an On/Off Light Switch to control other Matter devices using the GHA. They can commission a Matter On/Off Light Switch, but they won't be able to do anything with it afterwards, other than delete it from the home.
An end user commissioning an On/Off Light Switch on the Google fabric naturally will want to configure it to control another device. At this time, there is no way for the user to do this in the Google Home ecosystem. The GHA can't bind an On/Off Light Switch to another device's endpoint(s), because the Google Home ecosystem does not expose the Matter Binding cluster.
In order for an On/Off Light Switch to be usable in the Google Matter fabric, the partner needs to implement a Matter director, which is a remote client that can create entries in the Binding cluster. The app would then allow the On/Off Light Switch to control another Matter device or group of devices.
On/Off Light Switch with On/Off Light
There is a special use-case involving an On/Off Light Switch in combination with an On/Off Light in the same device.
When Endpoint 1 is the On/Off Light and Endpoint 2 is the On/Off Light Switch, only the On/Off Light Switch is visible in the GHA.
However, when Endpoint 1 is the On/Off Light Switch and Endpoint 2 is the On/Off Light, both devices are visible in the GHA.
When designing a device like this, to ensure that both devices are represented in the GHA, make Endpoint 1 the On/Off Light Switch and Endpoint 2 the On/Off Light.
On/Off Plug-In Units
The On/Off Plug-In Unit device type can be configured to appear as a different device type, just like Plugs and Switches integrated with the Google Local Home SDK. When the user commissions the device, they can configure it to appear in the home as any type of device (ostensibly, the type of device that is plugged into it). The support article Customize smart plug or smart switch voice commands with device type outlines the procedure that the user would follow. A typical use case is when the user has a fan plugged into the Plug-In Unit. If the user has configured the device type of the Plug-In Unit as device type Fan, Assistant knows not to turn off the Plug-In Unit when the user says "Hey Google, turn off the lights."
Choosing a device type
Partners who develop a device that isn't a traditional AC electrical outlet, but has an On/Off endpoint that controls power to another device, have to decide whether to assign the product the On/Off Plug-In Unit device type, or another device type. In this case, we recommend that:
If the device can control power for different types of load devices, like a fan or a light, the partner should assign it the On/Off Plug-In Unit device type. The user will then be able to assign the device a different device type when onboarding it in their home.
If the device can only control a light, the partner should assign it the On/Off Light device type.
For instance, Acme Lighting Corporation makes a device that has a proprietary power connector that only Acme Lighting lights can plug into. The device can turn the lights on or off. In this case, it makes the most sense for Acme to assign their device the On/Off Light device type.
Conversely, Mega Plugin Corporation makes a device that has a standard AC power socket, allowing an end user to plug in anything from a TV to a lamp. In this case, it makes sense to implement the device as an On/Off Plug-In Unit.
Hubs
The following Google Nest devices function as Matter hubs in the Google Home ecosystem.
For more information, see the Nest devices with Matter support article.
Build a device
If you don't have a Matter-enabled device already built, you can use one of the following Matter devices to use for end-to-end verification:
| Vendor | Platform | Thread Support | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bouffalo Lab | BL602 | ||
| BL702 | |||
| Espressif | ESP32 | OTA Testing | |
| Nordic Semiconductor | nRF52840 DK | OTA Testing | |
| NXP | IOTZTB-DK006 development kit | ||
| Realtek | Ameba D Series | ||
| Silicon Labs | EFR32MG24 Dev Kit | ||
| EFR32MG Zigbee and Thread Starter Kit | |||
| Telink | TLSR9518 | ||
| Texas Instruments | CC2652R7 LaunchPad development kit |
Thread Sleepy End Devices
Thread Sleepy End Devices (SED) and Thread Synchronized Sleepy End Devices (SSED) may be used with Google Nest devices that function as Matter hubs. The maximum sleep period that allows hubs to maintain the same level of services as non-sleepy devices is 3 seconds. Longer sleep cycles might experience degradation of service, such as the devices being identified as offline in Google Home Graph.
Development tools
Google recommends using the Google Home Extension for Visual Studio Code and our Matter Virtual Device (MVD) when building a device with Matter support.
The Google Home Extension features the Google Assistant Simulator, Google Cloud Logging, and other tools to simplify the development process, while the MVD provides a way to test a Matter device in the Google Home ecosystem prior to building a physical device.