What Is Matter and Why It Matters When Buying a Robot Vacuum
If you're shopping for a new robot vacuum, you've probably come across all sorts of technical jargon. Suction power, LiDAR mapping, Visual SLAM… and now, there's a new term popping up: Matter. You might be wondering what it actually means and whether it's something you should care about when choosing your next robovac. The short answer is yes, especially if you're into smart home tech.
This guide will walk you through what Matter is, why it's relevant, and how it could shape the future of your smart home cleaning routine.
A Simple Explanation of Matter
Matter is a smart home standard created to make different devices work better together. It was developed by a group called the Connectivity Standards Alliance, backed by big names like Apple, Google, Amazon and Samsung. Their goal was to fix a major problem in smart homes: device compatibility.
Right now, many smart devices only work with certain platforms. A robot vacuum might be great with Alexa but refuse to play nice with Apple Home. Matter changes that. It's designed to be a universal language that lets smart devices from different brands talk to each other reliably, regardless of the app or voice assistant you use.
Why Smart Home Compatibility Matters
Robot vacuums have moved well beyond simple bump-and-go cleaning. These days they connect to Wi-Fi, use advanced navigation, and support voice commands or routines. But getting everything to work smoothly can be a pain, especially when you're mixing brands or trying to use one app to control your whole home.
That's where Matter helps. It allows your robot vacuum to connect more easily to your other smart home devices, whether it's your smart lights, locks or thermostat. It cuts out the mess of juggling different apps and platforms, giving you more control and flexibility.
For example, with Matter, you could set up an automation so that when you leave the house, your robot vacuum starts cleaning while your lights turn off. And it doesn't matter if those devices are from different brands. They'll still work together.
How Matter Makes Your Robot Vacuum Smarter
One of the biggest wins with Matter is how it simplifies setup. Devices that support Matter pair quickly and work reliably on your local network. That means less time fiddling with Bluetooth or cloud syncing, and more time letting your vacuum do its job.
Because Matter supports local control, your robot vacuum doesn't need to constantly talk to the cloud. That improves reliability and also boosts privacy, since fewer commands need to leave your home network.
It also means your robovac can respond faster when you give a voice command or trigger an automation. So instead of waiting for a cloud server to process a request, your vacuum just gets to work.
Is Matter a Must-Have When Buying a New Robot Vacuum?
Whether or not Matter is essential depends on how connected your home already is. If you're just looking for a simple vacuum with great cleaning performance, it's not a dealbreaker. But if you're building out a smart home or already use Apple Home, Google Home or Alexa, choosing a Matter-compatible vacuum is a smart way to future-proof your setup.
Right now, support is still fairly new in the robot vacuum space. Only a few brands like Roborock, SwitchBot and Matic have started rolling out Matter support or announcing plans for it. Many existing vacuums may get support via firmware updates, but you'll want to check the manufacturer's website to be sure.
Even if you don't fully use smart home automation today, Matter support means your vacuum is more likely to stay compatible as your home setup evolves.
Vacuums That Support Matter (So Far)
Robot vacuums with Matter support are just starting to hit the market. It's still early, but we expect to see a lot more models adopt it in the coming year. Matter is already being adopted across lighting, plugs, locks, thermostats and more. Vacuums are the next step.
If you're buying now and Matter is high on your priority list, scroll down to the bottom of this page for a live-updated list of compatible models. We'll keep it current as more vacuums are released or updated to support the standard.
Final Thoughts
Matter might sound like another smart home buzzword, but it's actually a big deal. It simplifies how your devices connect, helps everything work together more smoothly, and gives you more freedom to choose the brands and features that matter to you.
If you want a robot vacuum that fits into a modern smart home and won't become obsolete as platforms evolve, it's worth keeping Matter in mind. You don't need it yet, but once you've experienced the benefits of a home where everything just works together, you'll see why it matters.
Robot vacuums that currently support Matter:
- SwitchBot S10
- SwitchBot S20
- SwitchBot K10+ Pro Combo
- SwitchBot K20+ Pro
- Roborock Saros 10
- Roborock Saros 10R
- Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra
- Roborock Qrevo Edge
- Roborock Qrevo Edge S5A
- Roborock Qrevo Curv
- Roborock Qrevo Curv S5X
- Roborock Saros Z70
- Roborock Qrevo Master
- Roborock S8 Max Ultra
- Roborock Qrevo Slim
- Ecovacs X2 Combo
- Ecovacs X8 Pro Omni
- Ecovacs T50 Pro Omni
- Dreame X40 Ultra
- Dreame X50 Ultra
- iRobot Roomba Combo 10
- iRobot Roomba Plus 505 Combo
- iRobot Roomba Max 705
- Eufy Omni S1
- Eufy Omni E25
- Eufy Omni E28