The Nest Thermostat is the first smart thermostat with Matter support

By Jon Bitner April 19, 2023

The catalog of smart home products that support Matter has been steadily growing over the past few months, but the latest addition to its roster might be the most enticing yet. As of April 18, you can now use the Nest Thermostat with Matter.

Only the standard Nest Thermostat (2020) supports Matter — with both the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Thermostat E left out of the fun. A Google spokesperson told Digital Trends the company is “still exploring the possibility of Matter compatibility with [the] Nest Learning Thermostat and [is] currently hoping to make it available in the coming year.”

A person controlling the Nest Thermostat. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Nest Thermostat (2020) is now the first smart thermostat to support Matter, and there’s a good chance the floodgates have been opened and more products will follow in its footsteps.

Support for Matter will be added to the Nest Thermostat through an automatic, over-the-air update. Google is launching the feature in waves over the next few weeks, so if you don’t yet have the feature, be sure to check back frequently throughout the rest of April.

Once your device has been updated, you’ll be able to control your smart thermostat from any Matter-certified smart home platform. Most excitingly, this includes Apple HomeKit — and since HomeKit doesn’t have the most robust selection of smart thermostats, this is bound to be great news for homes running Apple’s platform.

The Nest Thermostat is the latest Google product to gain Matter support, joining the ranks of several smart displays and smart speakers like the Nest Hub Max and Nest Audio. It’s great to see Google so heavily invested in Matter, especially when some other companies are starting to back away from the interoperability platform.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Jon Bitner is a writer covering consumer electronics, technology, and gaming. His work has been published on various websites…

Smart Home

Blink Mini 2 vs. Nest Cam (Indoor): Which is the better affordable security camera?

The Google Nest Cam Indoor on a table.

The Blink Mini 2 and Google Nest Cam (Indoor) are two of the best budget security cameras on the market. They both cost less than $100, are easy to set up, and are packed with features despite their low price. You can't go wrong adding either to your home, but there are some key differences to understand if you're looking to get the best security camera for your property.

From pricing and ongoing fees to resolution and more, here's a comprehensive look at the Blink Mini 2 and Nest Cam (Indoor) to help you decide which is the better security camera for your smart home.
Pricing and monthly fees

Smart Home

Google rolls out new Nest Cam features to Google Home for web

Nest Cams on a counter.

While many users access Google Home on their smartphone or smart display, the platform is also available via web browser. The web-based Google Home experience wasn't exactly the best way to access your smart devices, but that's rapidly changing as Google rolls out new updates to the client -- the latest of which adds a ton of new ways to access your Nest Cams.

Google began rolling out the update late last week, and most users should now have access to the improved Google Home for web experience. The big draw is access to your Nest Cam history and the option to download clips. Prior to this update, it was impossible to view recorded clips via Google Home for web, forcing you to instead jump into the official Google Home app.

Smart Home

The Blink Mini 2 features an updated design, support for outdoor use

The Blink Mini 2 placed on two books.

The original Blink Mini was one of the best indoor cameras thanks to its affordable price, 1080p resolution, and support for Alexa. Now, Amazon is making the gadget even more enticing with the new Blink Mini 2, which boasts a sleek new design and is capable of working both indoors and outside in the elements.

While it's still small and compact, the Blink Mini 2 looks slightly different from the old Blink Mini. Its corners are much softer, its entire chassis is white (instead of a white chassis and black faceplate), and its camera takes up a bit more space on the front of the device. The differences are apparent when the two gadgets are placed side by side -- and the minor changes add up to make the Blink Mini 2 look a bit more premium than its older sibling.