Eve Launches First Android App for Matter Devices

Eve Systems, the smart home brand that spent years as an Apple-only affair, has finally released its first Android app. The “Eve for Matter” app arrived on the Google Play Store this week, more than two years after the company first said an Android version was in the works. The launch ends Eve’s era as an iOS exclusive and brings Android users the custom features that set Eve’s Matter devices apart — although only a small slice of its lineup is supported so far.

What the Eve for Matter app does

The app lets Android users add Eve devices to Google Home over Matter and control them from that platform, while simultaneously registering the device in the Eve app itself. That second half is the important part: without Eve’s app, you only get the baseline controls that the Matter standard defines. With it, you unlock the extras Eve builds on top of Matter — such as creating and managing autonomous on-device schedules that keep running even when your home network or internet connection goes down.

For the Eve Thermo, the first supported device, that means Android users can now do more than adjust a target temperature. They can set up heating schedules directly on the valve, tap into Eve’s custom settings, and still share the device with any other Matter-compatible platform from Google Home.

Why the launch is so narrow

At launch, the app’s reach is deliberately limited in two ways:

• One platform: Google Home. Eve built the Android app on top of the Google Home APIs that Google released earlier this year. Eve CEO Jerome Gackel said those APIs enabled the company to “turbo-charge the development of Eve for Android.” Support for additional platforms, including Amazon Alexa and Samsung SmartThings, is planned for future versions.
• One device: the new Eve Thermo. The launch hardware is a Matter-over-Thread smart radiator valve priced at €79.99 and designed for European homes. Owners of the earlier Eve Thermo are not left out: that model can be upgraded to Matter and Thread through a firmware update, while the new version ships with both pre-installed.

The timing is no accident. Eve’s director of PR, Lars Felber, told The Verge that the company wanted the app in the hands of its Eve Thermo customers using Android and Google Home as early as possible in the heating season — which is why the thermostat valve got the exclusive launch slot. The plan, he said, is to keep expanding support to other Eve devices and platforms until the app becomes a comprehensive tool.

Why it took more than two years

Eve’s long absence from Android was a matter of philosophy, not just resources. The company committed early to a privacy-first model: no cloud-to-cloud connections and no mandatory account sign-ups, with device control staying local inside the home. That approach fit naturally with Apple Home, so Eve concentrated all of its development effort on iOS for years.

Matter changed the calculus. Because the standard is built around local control and does not require a vendor cloud, Eve could finally serve other platforms without compromising the values it built its brand on. Add in Google’s new Home APIs as a development shortcut, and the business case for Android finally closed. The result is an app that works the way Eve’s customers expect: local, private, and free of extra accounts.

What Android users already had — and what was missing

Android users have not been entirely locked out of Eve hardware. Any of Eve’s Matter devices — including the Eve Energy smart plug and Eve Motion blinds — can already be added to compatible platforms such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings. The catch is that without Eve’s own app, those devices are limited to whatever capabilities Matter itself supports.

The gap was visible on iOS by comparison. Apple Home users get the full treatment through Eve’s iOS app: in-depth energy consumption data for smart plugs, adaptive shading controls for blinds, and other features that go beyond the Matter baseline. The new Android app starts closing that gap, beginning with the Thermo’s scheduling and custom settings.

What to know before you download

A few practical notes for anyone eager to try it:

• European heating systems: The Eve Thermo is a radiator valve, a form factor that is common in European homes but rare in North America. US and Canadian buyers will find less to get excited about until Eve extends support to more of its lineup.
• You still need a Matter setup: The app works through Google Home, so you will need a Google Home hub that can act as a Matter controller — and, for the Thread radio in the Thermo, a Thread border router such as a recent Nest Hub or Google TV Streamer.
• Patience for the rest of the lineup: Eve Energy, Eve Motion, and other devices remain limited to Matter-level features on Android for now. Eve says broader device and platform support is coming, but has not given a timeline.

Why this matters beyond Eve

For the wider smart home market, Eve’s Android debut is another sign that Matter’s local-control model is doing what it promised. Vendors that once bet everything on a single ecosystem can now justify building for everyone without surrendering their privacy story. If Eve — one of the most Apple-loyal brands in the business — is now investing in Android, the remaining ecosystem holdouts may feel new pressure to follow.

The timing also underscores how quickly the platform landscape is shifting. With Google opening up its Home APIs, Samsung adding Matter 1.6 support to SmartThings, and Amazon pushing Alexa+ deeper into the home, the cost of supporting multiple platforms keeps falling. Eve’s two-year journey from announcement to launch may turn out to be the last of its kind — future cross-platform efforts should move considerably faster.