How to add a Matter device to Apple Home

Adding a Matter accessory to Apple Home is much the same as adding any HomeKit accessory, with a few more requirements up front. Get those in place and the rest takes a couple of minutes.

Before you start

• A home hub. Matter needs a HomePod, a HomePod mini, or an Apple TV 4K signed in to your account. Nothing adds without one.
• A Thread border router, if the accessory uses Thread rather than Wi-Fi. A HomePod mini, a second-generation HomePod, or an Apple TV 4K with Ethernet all act as one.
• Your iPhone or iPad signed into iCloud with two-factor authentication turned on.
• A working internet connection. Matter checks the device’s certificate online while it pairs, so an offline phone or hub will fail at the last step.
• The Matter setup code. Eleven digits, usually printed with a QR code that starts with MT:. It is not the eight-digit HomeKit code, so check you are reading the right one.

Adding a new Matter device

1. Power on the accessory. If it is new out of the box it is already in pairing mode. If it has been used before, factory reset it first.
2. Open the Home app and tap the plus button, then Add Accessory.
3. Scan the Matter QR code. If you cannot scan it, tap More options and enter the eleven-digit code by hand.
4. The Home app recognises it as a Matter accessory and asks you to confirm adding it. If it warns that the accessory is uncertified, you can continue.
5. Wait while it joins your network. Wi-Fi accessories connect to your Wi-Fi; Thread accessories join the Thread network through your border router automatically.
6. Give it a room and a name.
7. If you see Additional Setup Required, the pairing worked. Open the maker’s app to finish, usually a firmware update or extra settings.

Adding a device that is already on Google Home, Alexa or SmartThings

Matter lets one accessory belong to several platforms at once. You do not reset it or start over. Instead you generate a fresh code from the app it is already in.

1. In the other app, open the device, find its settings, and choose the option to pair it with another platform. The wording varies: “Turn on pairing mode”, “Add to another network”, “Linked matter apps”.
2. That app shows a new QR code and setup code. It is temporary and expires after a few minutes, so have Apple Home ready.
3. In the Home app, tap the plus button, Add Accessory, and scan or enter that new code.
4. Confirm and assign a room as above.

The device now responds in both Apple Home and the other platform.

If it will not add

Matter has more moving parts than classic HomeKit, so there is more that can stall it: the hub offline, no internet during setup, the phone on a guest network or a VPN, or the original code being used when a fresh multi-admin one was needed. The full checklist is in what to try when an accessory will not add.