Using new Google APIs and Matter, Android finally gets an Eve smart home app

Well-known smart home accessory maker Eve Systems is at last preparing a native Android app, after years of focusing on iPhone and iPad owners, according to an official announcement. The change is possible because of Matter — the universal smart home standard — and upcoming Google Home APIs, which Eve says will let it avoid proprietary connection methods or linking cloud-to-cloud. The trouble with the second option is that if one cloud system goes down or otherwise encounters trouble, accessories could ghost or simply fail to trigger. Until Matter was launched in October 2022, Eve was focused exclusively on supporting Apple HomeKit.

It’s already possible to add Matter-compatible Eve accessories directly to third-party apps like Google Home and Amazon Alexa, but in doing so you only get access to generic controls. Eve for Android will enable features usually reserved for the company’s iPhone app, like tracking energy consumption and generation, or setting heating schedules for the Eve Thermo. If you’ve got the company’s roller blinds you’ll be able to set up Adaptive Shading, which automatically darkens a room based on the sun’s position and your window’s orientation. Some of these options aren’t a part of the Matter specification yet, though energy consumption monitoring was recently introduced via Matter 1.3.

To take advantage of Matter, you need at least one device in your home doubling as a Matter controller. Outside of Apple’s products, that includes most recent speakers, displays, and routers from Amazon and Google, such as the Echo Studio, Nest Hub, and Nest Wifi Pro. The only compatible Samsung products are the SmartThings Station and Hub (v2 and v3). Your options narrow down even further if an Eve product requires Thread, but the company has a hub compatibility list that makes this easy to sort out.

When is Eve for Android coming out?

There’s no official release date yet, but Eve says it’s waiting on the public launch of the new Google Home APIs. Those were also revealed on Wednesday, and should go live sometime this fall. When Eve for Android does become available, it will be a free download from the Google Play Store.

The APIs are intended to open up more possibilities within third-party apps, particularly when it comes to Matter and automations. In some cases apps won’t even have to be smart home-focused — Google uses examples like fitness or delivery apps. Other known smart home partners include security giant ADT, and lock maker Yale, which says Google’s Automation API will let it turn your lights on when you unlock your door using the Yale Access app.

Google has sometimes been criticized for restrictive automation options. The company caught serious flak in 2019 when it shut down its Works With Nest program, something specifically intended to allow third parties to hook into Nest products.