Delays have been a major part of Matter's narrative, so it shouldn't be surprising to learn that one of the biggest names associated with the new smart home standard is delaying its rollout.
According to HueBlog.com, Phillips Hue will not update its bridge to support Matter by the end of the first quarter of 2023 (i.e. now), despite promising to do so last November.
The update, when it arrives, will connect all of Hue's existing lights, including the original bulb launched in 2012, to any compatible Matter ecosystem. Gramuglia suggested the delay was partly related to other companies' slow rollout. “The launch of Matter is co-dependent on other players in the smart home industry,” she said.
Amazon Alexa and Samsung SmartThings' Matter controller don't yet support bridging, meaning Hue bulbs won't work with Matter on those platforms until they do.
Additionally, smart home apps from Google and Amazon don't yet work with Matter on iOS, which can be frustrating for users. There is no new timeline for the Hue Matter update. For those who want to try their Hue lighting products with Matter, you can sign up for a developer account and access the beta software. If you're happy with your Hue setup as it is, I wouldn't advise rushing to do this.
Matter is about fixing the fundamentals of smart home connectivity, not bringing new features to your existing devices (at least not yet). Ecosystems are not yet quite in sync with the new normal. Currently, setting up and using Matter devices across multiple ecosystems is frustrating. The delay is not a disaster for Matter.
Signify isn't about to abandon the standard like Belkin did last week. He is one of the first and most ardent defenders of Matter. But it's another illustration that Matter as a concept may be ready, but the companies working together to support it still have a long way to go.