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Samsung has now announced the launch of a brand new Partner Early Access Program intended to help test compatibility between partner products and incoming Matter smart home standards.
The newly-announced program is intended to accelerate progress in testing interoperability between devices, services, and manufacturers that support Matter. In fact, there are already no fewer than ten partner companies named as taking part in the program. Including some of the biggest names in the home automation market. Such as smart LED lighting manufacturer Nanoleaf as well as long-time lock and smart home maker Yale.
Other names included in the list include Aeotec, Aqara, Eve Systems, Leedarson, Netatmo, Sengled, Wemo, and WiZ.
All of those companies will be able to utilize Matter and SmartThings as a hub for interacting with other products. And with Samsung’s own Galaxy-branded devices, televisions, and Family Hub appliances.
What does the Partner Early Access Program mean for SmartThings users?
Now, no immediate impact will be felt by end-users as a result of the new Samsung Partner Early Access Program. More likely, it will be quite some time before any results arrive from the program. The purpose, as noted above, is to test compatibility. Ensuring that Matter standards are followed and that partner devices work with Samsung Smarthings and Hub-enabled devices through the SmartThings app. This, in turn, should help other companies involved in Matter, by proxy.
Samsung also says that partners will be able to test the onboarding of their devices via the SmartThings app. Meaning that they’ll be able to use the SmartThings app for effectively every part of the process. But Samsung is hardly resting on its laurels.
Samsung has also pledged to continue investing “heavily” in Matter. Just as it has already been, as a founding member of Matter alongside the likes of Google, Apple, and Amazon.