Eve’s Android app is coming later this year and will have a new smart light switch and smart shadow options

After years of being a smart home company only for Apple, Eve is finally turning to the dark other side and launch an Android app. At the IFA tech show, the company announced that its line of smart home products — including smart plugs, smart light strips, smart switches and smart sensors — will get its own Android app by the end of 2022. Most Eve products will also become compatible with other smart home systems, including Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings.

This massive shift (which we did see coming at CES, but still, we’ll have to see it to believe it) is largely due to the upcoming Smart Home standard Matter. The most important thing raison d’être is to allow more devices to work with more platforms, removing the confusion and chaos that dominate today’s smart home.

When Matter arrives this fall, Eve’s products should work with any Matter-compatible ecosystem without the need for a cloud-to-cloud connection. Amazon, Google and Samsung have all committed to making their platforms Matter compatible. The reliance on those platforms on the cloud had previously kept Eve from working with them, with the company favoring a system that handled all device data locally — Apple’s Homekit.

Since Matter’s announcement, Eve has been working to transition all of its relevant smart home products from Bluetooth only to adding Thread radios – Thread is one of Matter’s core protocols. The company says its Thread-enabled devices will receive free wireless firmware updates to the standard, making them compatible with those other platforms.

Image: Eva

This week, Eve also announced the Eve Light Switch with Thread for North America ($49.95), upgrading one of the last remaining Bluetooth products. The portable lamp Eve Flare is the only device still sold that works exclusively via Bluetooth.

The third generation of the Eve Light Switch is a smart light switch (but not a dimmer switch) that can control standard LED lights, allowing you to pair your lights with motion sensors, set them on schedules, or program light scenes. Unlike its predecessor, which was a single-pole switch, the third-generation model is compatible with three-way switches – where two light switches control one light. It does require a neutral wire and should be available in October.

In addition to the light switch, Eve announced new versions of its Eve Motion Blinds smart roller blinds, featuring blind motors (Europe only) and honeycomb blinds that complement the existing roller blind motor. The shades are custom ordered from companies such as: Select Blinds, and come with Eve’s Thread-enabled engines inside. An Eve Shutter Switch will also hit the European market in December. The 99.95 euro switch works over Thread and can replace a built-in roller shutter switch.

Image: Eva

Eve also announced a white model of his Eve Outdoor Camera ($249.95) coming in Dec. The black version is my Apple HomeKit pick for the best smart floodlight camera. Eve’s cameras work over Wi-Fi, and since smart security cameras aren’t part of Matter yet, they’ll likely only continue to work with Apple Home’s HomeKit Secure Video Service.

So while Eve’s cameras will remain on Apple, the rest of her smart home products will soon be partying on Android as well. A smart home company launching an Android app may seem small, but this one is almost like Apple announcing that its Apple Watch will work with Android — that’s how connected Eve has been to Apple. It’s one of those signs we needed to point out the actual happening of matter. With fall fast approaching (yes, it is indeed September now), it’s past time to expect any solid evidence that matter is all we’ve been led to believe it could be.