How to connect a Nest Thermostat to Apple Home through Matter

Google’s smart thermostat can finally work directly with Apple Home using the new Matter smart home standard. Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting it up.

by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Oct 30, 2023, 3:30 PM UTC

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Image: Samar Haddad / The Verge

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy is a senior reviewer with over twenty years of experience. She covers smart home, IoT, and connected tech, and has written previously for Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, BBC, and US News.

The Nest Thermostat is one of the only smart thermostats that works with the new smart home standard, Matter (see sidebar). This means you can finally add it to Apple Home natively and control it with voice commands using Siri and Apple Home automations. It is also compatible with any other Matter smart home platform, including Amazon Alexa and Samsung SmartThings, although those platforms were already supported by the device through cloud integrations.

Adding the thermostat to Apple Home through Matter is straightforward. Here, I’ll walk you through the process. All you’ll need is a Nest Thermostat and an Apple Home Matter controller — such as a HomePod or Apple TV.

Note that this guide only applies to the Nest Thermostat 2020, not the Nest Thermostat E or Nest Learning Thermostat. Currently, neither of those works with Matter. If you haven’t set up your thermostat yet, we have a guide on how to install a Nest Thermostat.

The Nest Thermostat is Matter compatible and can be linked to any Matter smart home platform.

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Open the Google Home App on your iPhone or iPad (running iOS 16.4 or higher).
Tap on Devices and navigate to your Nest Thermostat.
Tap on the settings icon.
Tap Linked Matter apps & services.
Tap Link apps & service.
Copy the pairing code that appears, and open the Apple Home app on your phone.
Tap + in the top-right corner and choose Add Accessory from the drop-down menu.
In the Add Accessory dialogue box that appears asking you to scan a code, tap more options.
Tap Google Nest Thermostat in the list of accessories that appear. (If it doesn’t show up, tap My Accessory isn’t Shown Here and then tap Enter code.)
Paste the code you copied into the Setup Code dialogue box that appears.
Tap Continue.
Choose a room to add the thermostat to.
Name the thermostat.

<em>In settings for the Nest Thermostat in the Google Home app, tap on <strong>Linked Matter apps & services</strong> to generate a Matter code.</em>

<em>Tap <strong>Copy pairing code</strong> and open the Apple Home app.</em>

<em>Select the Nest Thermostat or if it’s not showing tap <strong>My Accessory Isn’t Shown Here.</strong></em>

<em>You’ll be prompted to enter your code, and the thermostat will connect. Be patient, as this can take some time.</em>

<em>Name the thermostat and choose which room it will be in.</em>

<em>Then you’re done. You can now control the Nest Thermostat in Apple Home.</em>

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In settings for the Nest Thermostat in the Google Home app, tap on Linked Matter apps & services to generate a Matter code.

You can now control the Nest Thermostat in Apple Home and / or Google Home. You can also add it to Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, or any other Matter-compatible smart home ecosystem by following the same steps. You will need a Matter controller from that platform (such as an Amazon Echo smart speaker or Samsung SmartThings Hub), and you will use the platform’s app rather than Apple Home.

Photography and screenshots by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

What is Matter?

Matter is a smart home interoperability standard designed to provide a common language for connected devices to communicate locally in your home without relying on a cloud connection. It is built to be secure and private, easy to set up, and widely compatible.

Developed by Apple, Amazon, Google, and Samsung (and others), Matter is an open-sourced, IP-based connectivity software layer for smart home devices. It works over Wi-Fi, ethernet, and the low-power mesh networking protocol Thread and currently supports most of the main device types in the home. These include lighting, thermostats, locks, robot vacuums, refrigerators, dishwashers, dryers, ovens, smoke alarms, air quality monitors, EV chargers, and more.

A smart home gadget with the Matter logo can be set up and used with any Matter-compatible ecosystem via a Matter controller and controlled by more than one with a feature called multi-admin.

Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and Apple Home are some major smart home platforms supporting Matter, along with hundreds of device manufacturers.

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