One Nest thermostat is finally getting Matter, others aren't

Google is rolling out its Matter support for the 2020 Nest thermostat, meaning that it can be controlled over any Matter-certified smart home system, including HomeKit.

Matter is the umbrella system that all smart home platforms should be able to support. It's intended to mean that users can mix and match smart home devices without being locked in to any one platform.

Google has previously announced that Matter would be coming to Android and to Nest products, and its latest update is to say that has begun.

"Great news! We're rolling out Matter compatibility for our newest Nest Thermostat released in 2020," wrote the company in a blog post. "This means you can now adjust the temp and change your thermostat's mode with multiple Matter-certified smart home platforms and apps."

"If your Nest Thermostat hasn't received this update just yet, don't worry," continues the blog. "Matter compatibility will be rolling out to Nest Thermostat over the next few weeks, starting April 18."

The update is very specifically for the 2020 Nest Thermostat, however. Matter support is still being evaluated for the Learning Thermostat and Thermostat E.

"We're working to bring Matter to as many Google Home surfaces as possible, and we'll be enabling more Nest devices, like Nest Thermostat, in 2023," says the company.

Matter has taken a long time to arrive, and it will still take years to achieve the goal of any device being used on any system. Belkin, for instance, recently paused Matter support in its smart devices, as that company has decided to "take a big step back, regroup, and rethink."