There’s lastly some excellent news for anybody battling a number of Thread networks whereas utilizing Matter units of their good dwelling — so long as you’re the affected person sort. According to Matter Alpha, the tvOS 26 beta introduced at WWDC this week provides Thread 1.4 to Apple TVs. And, as Apple’s good audio system use a fork of tvOS, it’s possible that the upcoming HomePod OS 26 will embody 1.4 as effectively.
Thread 1.4 brings a normal method for Thread border routers, corresponding to Apple TVs and HomePods, to affix an current Thread community, fixing the issue the place border routers from completely different producers arrange separate networks once they be part of your good dwelling. “We’re seeing an ideal shift towards Thread 1.4 amongst some main machine, platform, and border router distributors,” Thread Group VP of selling Ann Olivo instructed The Verge.
But, with tvOS 26 not arriving till the autumn, and Google and Amazon’s adoption of Thread 1.4 coming subsequent yr on the earliest, these of us who like to combine and match our good dwelling {hardware} — perhaps you could have an Apple TV, an Eero router, and a Google Nest Hub — must wait till at the very least 2026 for a extra secure and speedier good dwelling.
Released in September 2024, Thread 1.4 is the most recent specification of the good dwelling protocol that Matter runs on. Thread gives a low-power, low-bandwidth mesh networking protocol designed particularly for Connected Devices units like lights, locks, sensors, and extra. The 1.4 spec dictates that when a border router is added, it would be part of the present Thread community versus creating a brand new one — no matter model or platform. So, for instance, your new Echo Show 8 would be part of the community already created by your Apple TV.
Thread-powered units require a Thread border router to connect with the web. Today, there are a number of choices for border routers, together with the latest Apple TVs and HomePods, higher-end Echo and Google Nest good audio system, and a few Wi-Fi routers, together with Eeros. If you could have a number of of those units, they might arrange separate Thread networks, which might trigger points. The largest being that you simply lose the prolonged vary and reliability advantages of a unified mesh community.
I at the moment have 9 Thread networks operating in my dwelling. Samsung SmartThings has created three. My Nest community consists of most of my HomePods and my Google TV streamer; my Apple community has a more recent Apple TV and a Nanoleaf border router in it. I’ve three separate Eero networks, one with Eero units in it and the opposite two with Echo units in them. While my setup just isn’t typical (I take a look at good dwelling units for a residing), it does reveal what a large number this will create.
Older variations of Thread are being sunsetted to hurry up the transition. “Thread 1.3 certification functions for Thread Border Routers will shut December 31, 2025,” Olivo confirmed. “As of Jan. 1, 2026, Thread 1.4 would be the solely specification out there for Thread Border Router certification.”
With Apple poised to implement Thread 1.4 this fall with tvOS 26, I checked in with Google, Amazon, and Samsung to see the place they had been at. All are nonetheless on 1.3. However, Mark Benson, head of SmartThings US, stated Samsung’s border routers can be on 1.4 “later this yr.” Amazon spokesperson Melanie Garvey stated they are going to carry assist for 1.4 “throughout appropriate units subsequent yr.” Alex Sakhartchouk, a software program engineer at Google Home, confirmed that they’re actively working towards including assist for Thread 1.4 “sooner or later.”
“As of Jan. 1, 2026, Thread 1.4 would be the solely specification out there for Thread Border Router certification.”
Sakhartchouk added that Google Nest Thread border routers already “do our greatest” to affix current networks by integrating with cell Thread credential storage APIs on Android and iOS. Meaning, if you set them up along with your smartphone, they need to share credentials with an current border router utilizing the cellphone. “We share our credentials through these identical cell APIs to permit others to affix our networks,” he stated. This labored for me — once I arrange the Google TV streamer, it joined my current Apple Thread community.
While cell credential sharing helps at present, and the Wi-Fi router-based answer put in place by the Connectivity Standards Alliance in Matter 1.4 may assist in some unspecified time in the future, probably the most simple repair is border routers speaking with one another. This ought to have been the strategy from day one — nevertheless it appears like we’ll must be affected person some time longer.
