iOS 18.4 expands Matter support with smoke, CO, and water leak sensors

Apple Home now supports Matter-enabled smoke detectors, carbon monoxide (CO) detectors, and water leak sensors with the release of the iOS 18.4 developer beta, further expanding Matter compatibility alongside the addition of robotic vacuum support.  

For Apple users, this update closes a key gap in Matter's support for home security devices, making critical alerts and automation more seamless. As one of the largest smart home platforms, Apple’s adoption of new Matter device types could also push more vendors to bring compatible products to market.

Smoke and CO detectors

With iOS 18.4, users can now add Matter-enabled smoke and CO detectors directly to the Apple Home app. These sensors are categorized under “Alarm” and, once set up, appear prominently at the top of the room page. Additionally, Apple has enabled critical notifications that alert users when these sensors detect an issue.

(Source: MatterAlpha)

Native Matter devices in this category have been scarce since the initial launch of Matter 1.2 in late 2023. Sensor maker Heiman has released some, but its products are more for business clients. We would only expect vendors like Aqara, Switchbot, or IKEA to expose their Zigbee and Bluetooth devices to Matter via a bridge at this time.

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Water leak sensor

Support for Matter-enabled water leak sensors was first spotted by @CyberModStudio on social media. A Zigbee water leak sensor, connected via the Aqara Matter bridge, appeared in the Apple Home app under the “Water” category. When a leak is detected, the app displays a critical notification with a red-tinted icon.

(Source: @CyberModStudio)

Like the smoke and CO detectors, native Matter water leak sensors are rare. Matter Alpha has identified two devices on the Distributed Compliance Ledger (DCL): one from Arre (formerly Tuo) and another from Samsung, though neither has announced availability. Heiman also lists a water leak sensor on its website, but it is still pending certification.

Matter Alpha experimented with other sensors – such as pressure sensors, flow sensors, and pumps – using virtual devices. However, Apple currently does not support these types. From the users’ side, as major smart home platforms broaden their device support, vendors remain the primary bottleneck in expanding the Matter ecosystem.