The Matter specification is the technical foundation of the Matter protocol. There are normally two minor releases per year, in Spring and Fall, with optional follow-up patch releases between the minor releases.

Latest Release

What's New in 1.6

Matter 1.6 focuses on device setup, device sharing across ecosystems, context-aware thermostat control, and clearer device status information:

• NFC-based commissioning - The full commissioning exchange can take place over bidirectional Near Field Communication (NFC), even before a device is fully powered. This provides an alternative to Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) commissioning for devices such as light bulbs and in-wall switches.
• Joint Fabric - Multiple user-authorized controllers can co-administer one shared Matter fabric through a central datastore. Devices on the Joint Fabric are available to participating controllers without separate setup in each ecosystem.
• Thermostat Suggestions - Ecosystems can send time-limited suggestions tied to thermostat presets. The thermostat can evaluate each suggestion against user preferences, recent manual changes, and current conditions, then explain when it does not follow a suggestion.
• Device status and safety information - Devices can report capabilities and operating limits more consistently. Security sensors gain event history, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms can report when they are unmounted.
• Partitioned certificate revocation lists - Certificate revocation information can be split into smaller, independently updated partitions as the number of certified devices grows.

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Specification Documents

The specification is made up of four documents:

Document	Description
Core	Defines the foundational components of Matter, how they interact, and the common procedures that underpin the protocol.
Application Cluster	Details the data models for each cluster that makes up an endpoint, describing their attributes, commands, and events.
Device Library	Sets out the types of end-user devices in Matter and specifies which application clusters each device type requires.
Namespace	Defines common data formats and structures shared across multiple clusters. Introduced in version 1.2.

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Release History

The Alliance aims to publish two releases per year. The specification follows a major.minor.patch versioning scheme:

• Minor releases (e.g. 1.4, 1.5, 1.6) introduce new device types, clusters, and protocol features.
• Patch releases (e.g. 1.4.1, 1.5.1) primarily contain corrections and clarifications, but may also include smaller new features.

Version	Published	Highlights
1.6.0 Latest	June 2026	NFC-based commissioning, Joint Fabric, Thermostat Suggestions, device status and security updates
1.5.1	March 2026	Multi-stream video, HEIC/CMAF media
1.5	November 2025	Cameras, closures, soil sensors, energy tariffs, TCP transport
1.4.2	August 2025	Wi-Fi-only commissioning, security enhancements, certifiable scenes
1.4.1	May 2025	Enhanced Setup Flow, NFC onboarding, multi-device QR code
1.4	November 2024	Enhanced Multi-Admin, network infrastructure, solar, batteries, heat pumps
1.3	May 2024	Energy reporting, EV charging, water management, kitchen appliances, scenes
1.2	October 2023	Vacuums, appliances, smoke/CO alarms, air quality, fans, Namespace Spec
1.1	May 2023	Intermittently Connected Devices (ICD)
1.0 Initial Release	November 2022	Lighting, plugs, locks, thermostats, blinds, sensors, media