Matter | The Verge

Schlage’s Sense Pro unlocks the door so I don’t have to

2026-07-09T11:50:06-04:00

The Sense Pro is Schlage’s first Matter-over-Thread lock. It also supports hands-free unlocking via Apple Home Key, with Google and Samsung support coming soon through Aliro.

The Schlage Sense Pro is a beautiful smart lock. Sleek, discreet, and simple to use, it's Schlage's smartest lock to date. Thanks to ultra-wideband (UWB), it unlocks as I walk up to my front door; I don't need to enter a code or tap my phone or press my finger against it. I've tested several hands-free unlocking systems that rely on geofencing and other radio technologies, and UWB is faster and more reliable. It's the first one I actually trust.

The $399 Sense Pro is Schlage's first smart lock with ultra-wideband auto-unlock, its first to support Matter-over-Thread, and its first without a physical keyhole. It works with Apple Home Key for …

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Google built a great smart speaker, but Gemini isn’t ready for it

2026-07-01T14:20:52-04:00

The Google Home Speaker is Google’s first smart speaker in years. And it’s pretty! | Photo: Jennifer Patison Tuohy / The Verge

Smart speakers have spent the past few years searching for a compelling second act. Beyond music, timers, and controlling your lights, they've struggled to justify taking up space on the kitchen counter. AI promised to change that.

Amazon debuted its new hardware powered by a revamped Alexa last fall, and now it's finally Google's turn. The Google Home Speaker is the company's first new smart speaker in six years and its first "built for Gemini." After years of neglect, Google appears to be finally getting serious about the smart home - again. The new speaker is the clearest sign yet. Gemini for Home, however, still feels unfinished.

Google …

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The Flipper Zero creators’ Busy Bar productivity display will go on sale next month

2026-06-26T14:49:05-04:00

The Busy Bar makes it obvious to others when you don’t want to be distracted. | Image: Flipper Devices

First announced over a year ago in April 2025, the Busy Bar will be available for purchase starting on July 14th when the device also starts shipping. Created by the same team behind the Flipper Zero wireless multitool, the Busy Bar is instead described as a "productivity multitool" that relies on a pixelated LED display to help reduce distractions and improve focus. The first 3,000 units purchased on July 14th will be discounted to $199, but the Busy Bar will normally retail for $249. Those who previously joined the Busy Bar waitlist will still be able to purchase one next month for $179.

The Busy Bar looks a lot like an alarm clock, but i …

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Inside the room where the smart home industry is still betting on Matter

2026-06-27T09:11:02-04:00

Four years ago, overlooking a canal in Amsterdam, the smart home industry collectively launched Matter, the one interoperability standard to rule them all. Heralded as the solution to the industry's struggles, Matter was built on open standards and existing technologies and is the result of years of collaboration between traditional rivals, including Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung.

Matter promised an end to walled gardens and ecosystem lock-in. It promised to make a smart home device, like a lock, lightbulb, or sensor, easy to buy and set up. It promised you could choose any brand, use any platform, no expertise required - it would just …

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Philips Hue’s smart lights are getting a connectivity upgrade

2026-06-24T10:44:53-04:00

Hue’s latest smart bulbs will be able to run Zigbee and Thread concurrently. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Philips Hue has announced a connectivity upgrade for its Matter-over-Thread-enabled smart bulbs that will allow them to run both Thread and Zigbee at the same time. The change means you can connect compatible Hue bulbs and fixtures directly to a Matter ecosystem - Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, or Google Home - while keeping them linked to a Hue Bridge and the Hue ecosystem.

"Today you cannot have Zigbee and Thread running at the same time, so when you commission it, you have to choose," Philips Hue CTO George Yianni told The Verge. "If you want to then later switch, you have to reset it."

The same is true of dual-protocol products from compan …

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Got Thread problems? There’s an app for that

2026-06-18T07:37:47-04:00

The new Thread networks diagnostics app from Thread Group, the standards body behind the wireless IoT protocol, officially launches in beta today. The Thread Tools app, available on iOS and Android, is the first dedicated tool to provide visibility into your Thread-based smart home network. I've been testing the alpha version of the Android app on my complicated home network and, with a bit of extra legwork, have diagnosed several issues with my Thread setup.

Thread is one of the protocols the smart home standard Matter runs on. But since Matter-over-Thread devices began arriving in 2023, there have been reports of people struggling to conn …

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Thread Direct looks to solve Matter’s biggest setup headache

2026-06-19T10:16:45-04:00

The smart home networking protocol Thread is adding a new way to onboard devices without a Thread border router. The feature, called Thread Direct, is designed to let users set up Thread-powered devices - such as smart plugs and smart locks - using only a phone or mobile device equipped with a Thread radio. Current devices with Thread radios include many iPhones and newer Pixel phones.

Thread is one of the networking technologies used with the smart home interoperability standard Matter. A low-powered, low-latency mesh networking protocol, Thread provides a way for devices to talk to each other locally in your home, while Matter defines how …

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Will Matter finally be able to do what it should have always done?

2026-06-17T15:19:14-04:00

Matter 1.6 introduces a new way to share smart home devices with different ecosystems. | Image: CSA

Matter, the smart home interoperability standard, might finally get a feature that should have been there from day one: a single shared Matter network managed by multiple ecosystems. With this feature, called Joint Fabric, smart devices added to the network will be controllable by any authorized platform - Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and the rest. No need to "share" your smart light between apps; set it up once, and control it everywhere. It's like your smart home is a joint bank account and your platforms of choice all have signing authority.

Joint Fabric is part of the new Matter 1.6 spec announced this week at Unify, the Con …

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Apple, Google add support for Thread 1.4

2026-06-10T17:24:16-04:00

The Google TV Streamer has been updated to Thread 1.4, allowing you to access a way to manually share its Thread credentials. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Apple and Google are updating their smart home streaming devices to Thread 1.4. As first spotted by Matter Alpha and 9to5 Google, the latest spec has arrived on compatible Apple TVs in the tvOS 27 developer beta and the Google TV Streamer through a software update.

This lays the groundwork for these devices, which serve as Thread Border Routers, to implement Thread credential sharing, enabling them to connect more easily to an existing Thread network rather than creating their own.

Thread is one of the connectivity protocols the interoperability standard Matter runs on. The original plan was for Thread Border Routers to all work seamlessly …

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Matter and OpenADR team up to connect smart homes to the grid

2026-05-11T10:46:50-04:00

Smart energy management just took a step closer to becoming simpler. This week, the organizations behind Matter, the smart-home interoperability standard, and the OpenADR protocol, which sends signals between the grid and the home, announced an agreement to work together. This should make it easier for connected appliances to participate in demand response programs (DR) and, hopefully, save you money.

In demand response programs, a customer agrees to reduce or shift their electrical usage in exchange for utility bill credits or other incentives. The Connectivity Standards Alliance, which runs Matter, and the nonprofit OpenADR Alliance have …

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