Tuya and Matter
Tuya enables retail chains such as Lidl and Action to create their ‘own’ smart light bulbs. Tuya only makes the software platform, manufacturing is done by partners elsewhere in the world. Consumers often have never heard of the name Tuya, but with 446,000 registered developers and more than 1,100 product categories, Tuya is a huge player. That there is now support for Matter is therefore good news. Matter is an initiative of Apple, Google, Amazon, the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) and others, with the goal of releasing a common smart home standard that ensures that devices and platforms work together effortlessly. A Nest thermostat will eventually also work with HomeKit devices, without the need for special workarounds.
The brands that are launching low-cost lamps thanks to Tuya will be able to have their first Matter-capable products made in the course of 2022. The Matter protocol is in fact completely ready this year. Tuya herself sits on the board of the CSA, the former Zigbee Alliance, and was also an early member of the Matter Work Group. The company has thus shown an early interest in more open standards to allow IoT products to work together. Once Matter picks up steam, products with Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings can all work together.
In a press release, Tuya stated his continued commitment to improving compatibility and “transforming the future of connectivity”. That's great, but consumers are only really happy when they see a lamp with the Matter logo at the Action. The announcement was made at the CES 2022 tech show, where there is much more interesting news, including for Apple users.