Matter 1.2 just arrived, and it's moving the smart home into innovating automations in a way we've never seen before. The smart home connectivity standard is expanding to include support for nine new smart home device types, with Matter 1.2 products to be released as early as the end of 2023. The second Matter update encompasses robot vacuums, refrigerators, dishwashers, air quality sensors, air purifiers, laundry appliances, fans, room air conditioners, and alarms. This expands the scope of smart home automation to a more comprehensive smart home ecosystem than we have now. Matter 1.2 goes beyond automating different brands of lights and controlling smart thermostats. Adding smart home appliances to the Matter scope means that you'd get a notification when your dishwasher cycle finishes, complete with an automation to start your laundry cycle immediately after -- all through your preferred platform, no matter if it's Google Home, SmartThings, or HomeKit.