Matter smart home networking standard delayed to 2022
Amazon, Apple and Google will just have to wait.
You'll have to wait a while longer for the Matter standard to usher in a (hopefully) more harmonious smart home. The Connectivity Standards Alliance has delayed Matter's rollout from late 2021 to the first half of 2022. Members need more time to ensure the development kit and other tools can match the "expectations of the market," according to the CSA.
A rough version of the Matter specification should be ready by the end of 2021, but the kit, first device certifications and a formal certification program will take a while longer. The longer timelines for those elements should not only boost quality, but ensure they're "deployable at scale," the CSA added.
The delay might be important. Matter is designed to not only ensure more consistent and reliable smart home networking, but to speed up development through open source tools. Amazon, Apple, Google and many smart home device makers (such as Nanoleaf and Signify) are already committed to Matter. If the standard is going to see widespread adoption, it needs to work well from the start — the extra time could help achieve that goal.