Last year, you couldn't mention CES without mentioning Matter. It was a pivotal year for the smart home standard, as big names like Samsung, GE and Amazon promised better interoperability between their devices and a world of sensors, appliances and accessories. But that promise largely began and ended with smart home technology.
This year, things were a little different at CES: the idea of making products work well across ecosystems was extended to other areas of the showcase and extended to a variety of different devices, even putting rivals on the same page. page to better serve users.
Google, for example, revealed several Android updates that show a clear push toward interoperability. One of Google's biggest updates was Nearby Share, the Android equivalent of AirDrop that allows users to share files with other nearby devices. Instead of going it alone, Google announced that it is combining Nearby Share with Samsung's version of the feature, called Quick Share. The newly merged sharing system will adopt Samsung's Quick Share label and bring together the “best” of both companies' “sharing solutions into a singular solution for Android,” according to Google. That should make it easier to share files between Samsung and Pixel devices.
That's not all for big tech brands. Samsung is expanding its partnership with Microsoft, allowing Galaxy owners to use their phones as a webcam in Microsoft Teams apps. LG is bringing Quick Share from Android to Windows PC as a pre-installed app. And LG TVs come with Chromecast, allowing users to cast content from their mobile devices and use their phones as remote controls. These are all small steps, but they are examples of companies working with competitors sometimes to create experiences that are simply better for users.
Amazon is moving forward with an even bolder attempt to make apps and devices interoperable. It adopted the open Matter Casting protocol, a standard that aims to make video streaming available from all devices. Rather than making the feature dependent on specific hardware, it only requires that the app that users cast from and that the app on the device they want to cast to support Matter Casting. For now, the move only allows users to stream Prime Video content from their phone to the Echo Show 15, but it will soon support Fire TVs, including those made by Panasonic. Other streaming apps like Plex, Pluto TV, Sling TV, Starz, and ZDF are also working on adding support.
Perhaps the most significant shift toward interoperability at CES was widespread support for Qi2.
But perhaps the most significant shift toward interoperability at CES was widespread support for Qi2: the charging standard that could finally allow both Android phones and iPhones to charge wirelessly with the same chargers at the same 15W speed. Things are still early days: so far, only the iPhone 13, 14, and 15 support the standard. However, Qi2-compatible Android devices are likely to appear soon, and many Android phone cases already come with magnetic charging support. Qi2 will allow iPhone and (eventually) Android users to take advantage of more powerful wireless charging capabilities without paying Apple for a MagSafe charger, the technology on which the Qi2 standard is based. The first Qi2 chargers from Belkin, Anker, and Satechi have already appeared at CES, giving users plenty of options to get started.
Although the topic of interoperability extended beyond the smart home this year, that doesn't mean there aren't significant updates to home technology. The Home Connectivity Alliance, which is backed by companies such as LG and Samsung, released a new power management interface specification. It is supposed to make it easier for users to connect their devices to the energy-saving smart grid, regardless of the brand.
All of these small steps toward interoperability are promising, but many still leave room where other companies need to step in to help. It's hard to see Apple implementing Matter Casting in its native apps, for example, and you could even argue that the new standard simply complicates things, since we already have two widespread (albeit proprietary) options, Chromecast and AirPlay. That reality always lingers behind the utopian façade that CES exudes, but it was still nice to finally see more tech rivals gather under one roof, and not just on the same show floor.