IKEA will refresh its smart home products with Matter compatibility, so they can be used with Apple Home and other platforms without its hub.
IKEA announced today that it will release the first wave of Matter-compatible products starting in January 2026. They include over 20 Matter-over-Thread smart bulbs, plugs, sensors, remotes, buttons, and temperature and humidity monitors that will replace the company’s current Zigbee offerings, and ship with a new design.
Additional releases following in April 2026 and beyond may also include Matter-over-Wi-Fi products. Support for the Matter protocol will enable those upcoming accessories to be integrated into smart home platforms like Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings.
IKEA to bring Apple Home compatibility via Matter support
For Apple customers, that means the ability to add Matter-compatible Ikea accessories to the Home app on the iPhone, iPad and Mac to manage their features there and use the devices in their automations.
The world’s largest furniture retailer also recently launched a beta update for its Dirigera smart home hub. The device already had a built-in Thread radio, so a software update was able to add support for Matter without a hardware refresh.
The update enables the hub to function as both a Matter controller and a Thread border router, supporting only Matter device types that Ikea currently offers. However, the hub will support more Matter device types in the future. The full rollout will happen later this year, but the beta firmware with limited features is already available through Ikea’s Home Smart app.
Great news for all smart home fans
The Matter protocol promises to unify disjointed smart homes comprising multiple standards, protocols, and internal networks. For example, a recent Matter firmware update has enabled the Dirigera smart home hub to control any Matter-compatible accessory, no matter the brand.
“We want to remove barriers to complexity, we want it to be simple to use, and we just want it to work,” David Granath of IKEA of Sweden told The Verge. “If you’re an Apple user, take our bulb and onboard it to your Apple Home.” Considering that it took IKEA ages to make some of its products (such as Tradfri smart lighting) compatible with Apple’s HomeKit platform, this is excellent news for all Apple fans.
About Thread and Matter
Thread and Matter were developed to fix smart home woes, like unreliable connections, slow response times, incompatibilities between smart home platforms and more. With Matter, smart home devices can use IP technology to connect. It aims to allow smart home accessories from different manufacturers to communicate regardless of the platform or ecosystem they’re designed for.
Thread is a low-power protocol on the 2.4GHz band that enables smart home devices like sensors, bulbs, plugs and shades to use wireless mesh networks. Because it uses the same IP technology that powers the internet, Thread devices can communicate between themselves or connect to each other over the internet. And if you have a Thread-capable router (both the HomePod mini and the Apple TV 4K fit the bill), accessories compatible with Thread can connect to it as well.