After a run of minor updates, the Connectivity Standards Alliance has officially announced Matter 1.5, bringing long-awaited support for cameras and much more.
Matter, the unifying smart home standard, has only been around since 2022. Developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), a member-driver organization, it has seen at least two updates each year.
Earlier in 2025, it released minor spec bumps, bringing primarily quality of life improvements. Now, Matter 1.5 is being rolled out with new device types and other improvements that will potentially come to supported platforms — including Apple Home.
Finally support for cameras
The headlining feature is no doubt support for cameras. A Matter enabled camera will be viewable on any other Matter-enabled hardware or app.
Within the Matter framework, cameras support live video and audio streaming using WebRTC with both local and remote access. There is also support for multi-stream setups, two-way communication, pan-tilt-zoom controls, detection and privacy zones, and cloud or local recording in either continuous or event-based setups.
Matter itself doesn't offer any sort of recording requirements, but allows ecosystem creators and accessory makers to continue offering their own solutions. There are no requirements for resolution, frame rate, or aspect ratio.
Cameras will now work across multiple supported ecosystems
Like many elements of Matter, the various elements are optional. Just because it is supported in the spec, does not guarantee each feature will arrive on every platform or device.
If Apple would fully adopt the spec, that would bring a number of new features to Apple Home users, such as PTZ controls, 4K resolution, and more. While Apple hasn't publicly confirmed its plan to support Matter cameras, my sources say Apple has been part of the working group building cameras along with other ecosystems and hardware manufacturers.
Other new features
While cameras headline this update, they aren't the only new accessories being added. One of the new additions is a new category for closures.
Closures replaces the previous "blinds" category to support several new installations. The new closures category encompasses shades, drapes, awnings, gates, and garage doors.
Additionally, there is support for sliding, rotating, and opening motion types and single panels, dual panels, and nested mechanisms for configurations. This should allow for a wide ranging set of accessories that can be supported by closures.
Next, CSA has introduced support for soil sensors. Soil sensors can measure moisture and optionally temperature.
When combined with existing smart watering, this will enable better garden and lawn management and reduce water usage. Irrigation and faucets are already in the Matter spec.
Finally, there is better energy management with support for vehicle-to-grid setups and enhanced smart metering.
SDK available now
The new Matter 1.5 SDK is available to member organizations now. It will be up to each accessory maker and ecosystem to decide on what features to support as well as when.
While we expect announcements soon, CES 2026 may be an ideal time for companies to start finalizing their Matter 1.5 plans.
Apple is also expected to update several smart home products like Apple TV and HomePod. It could announce stronger support come the spring with the launch of its smart display.
