It was waaaay back in October 2023 that the CSA added robot vacuum cleaners to the mix with the launch of Matter 1.2, and well over a year ago since Roborock announced its first Matter-compatible cleaner at CES 2024.
However, until now, that robot – the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra – and all subsequent Matter-enabled Roborocks have actually not been able to join your Apple Home-flavored Matter smart home at all.
That’s all set to change though as Roborock is rolling out a firmware update between now and 10 April so that the following models will be singing and dancing with your HomeKit Matter setup…
- Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra
- Roborock Saros Z70
- Roborock Saros 10
- Roborock Saros 10R
- Roborock Qrevo Curv
- Roborock Qrevo Edge
- Roborock Qrevo Master
If you own one of these robots you’ll need to wait for the update to arrive based on your timezone, but once installed, your Roborock bot will finally be able to play nice with your broader smart home system; think adding to automations, scheduling, triggers and more.
Roborock is also planning to expand Matter support to additional models in the coming months, including the Roborock S8 Max Ultra and Qrevo Slim.
The firmware bump arrives in time for iOS 18.4 and its official support of robot vacuum cleaners via Matter, in the Apple Home app.
Amazon Alexa and SmartThings have actually supported device types introduced in Matter 1.2, including robot vacuum cleaners, for a while now… Google Home still hasn’t got involved though, which is a bit rubbish. That’s why Roborock states that “specific Matter-related functionality may vary not only by Roborock device, but also by ecosystem.”
Roborock isn’t the only brand available for Matter robot cleaner fans; the likes of the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Combo and the new Roomba range all promising Matter support.
What that Matter integration looks like depends on what robo brand you’re using, and what smart home ecosystem you’re syncing to.
You can expect things like mode switching, power functions and returning to the dock to be on offer.
However, more advanced features like mapping and room selection will come further down the line.
As is usually the case with Matter, the basic building blocks are put in place before more advanced options arrive; that’s the same story across lighting, smart locks and more.
