Eve, a smart home brand, announced last year that it would bring its suite to Android on the back of Matter, and next month that’s finally coming to reality. However, there is a catch.
Starting today, Eve is selling its Eve Energy Smart Plug with Matter enabled out of the box. It’s available for purchase from Amazon and Eve’s website – Eve tells us the latter is the best bet for ensuring you’re getting a Matter-enabled unit, but Amazon is stocking the updated version.
For existing versions of the products, Eve is rolling out firmware upgrades to the smart plugs and sensors in North America, Europe, and the UK, starting on April 17. The update will enable Matter support on all of these devices for existing owners on iOS, but will also mean that the products can start working with Android via the Google Home app or Samsung SmartThings app.
Buying a new version of the product is the route to go for Android users, as the update for existing models requires an iOS device and, as it stands, there’s still no Eve app available for Android.
The company tells 9to5Google the app is still “in development” and won’t be ready for a bit longer. But in the meantime, the products themselves can still be used through Matter-enabled smart home apps on Android.
As we detailed earlier this year, the Google Home app works with Matter products completely independent of the manufacturer’s app. In that case, we set up and controlled a TP-Link smart plug using nothing but the Google Home app.
Related: Setting up a Matter device with Google Home on Android is delightfully easy [Gallery]
It seems that Eve’s devices will be used in a similar capacity, with basic functions in the Home (or Samsung SmartThings) app until an Eve app is available on Android for further functionality, such as the energy tracking that makes this plug stand out from cheaper alternatives.
Eve is selling its Energy Smart Plug for $39.99. Matter-enabled versions of the Motion and Door & Window sensors will be made available on April 17.
More on Matter:
- What is Matter, and why are so many smart home companies supporting it?
- ‘Works with Google Home’ branding arrives with Govee’s first Matter-enabled light strip
- Samsung’s SmartThings Station controls Matter devices, can find and charge your phone, too
Author: Ben Schoon
Source: 9TO5Google
