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Tuya and Matter: which Tuya-based devices work with Matter, which hub you need, and how to set them up

Tuya builds the platform behind many brands' devices and the Smart Life app, but only devices with the Matter badge and a Matter pairing code work with Matter. Matter over Wi-Fi devices join Smart Life without a hub, Matter over Thread devices need a Tuya-enabled Matter hub, and older Zigbee devices can be added to the Tuya-enabled app using a Matter hub and then shared with third-party apps. Every other platform still needs its own hub.

Which Tuya and Smart Life devices work with Matter

The reliable way to tell is the hardware itself. Tuya's interoperability doc says Matter products usually have the Matter badge printed on the packaging, and the pairing code is on the device body. If a product does not have a pairing code label, it cannot be added through the standard process. That's the test that matters more than any brand name or app icon: no code label, no standard Matter pairing. You can also check the CSA's certified product database before you buy — see our guide to checking CSA certification.

Tuya's supported device types doc lists the Matter types its SDK covers, including on/off and dimmable lights, color temperature and extended color lights, on/off plug-in units, on/off light switches, contact sensors, occupancy sensors, window coverings, door locks, thermostats, fans, air purifiers, and more. Tuya's newsroom claims are broader and dated: as of October 5, 2023, Tuya said it had obtained 217 Matter certificates covering electronics, lighting, sensors, gateway, and home appliances (Tuya's October 2023 press release). By June 2025, Tuya said it had 366 Matter certifications, a portfolio upgraded to Matter version 1.3, coverage of more than 20 product categories, and over 40 global brand partners that have successfully launched Matter-certified products into mass production (Tuya's June 2025 press release). On January 7, 2025, Tuya announced a smart door lock solution supporting Matter and home key in Apple Wallet, with setup through the Home app by scanning the Matter QR code on the lock after putting it into pairing mode (Tuya's January 2025 door lock release). These are Tuya's own claims, not independent test results.

What doesn't have Matter is everything else in the Tuya ecosystem. Older Tuya Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and Bluetooth devices without the Matter badge reach other platforms through cloud account linking or, for Zigbee devices, through a Tuya Matter hub that is then shared — Tuya's Google Home doc describes the Works with Google route where you link the Smart Life app to Google Assistant. Tuya-enabled Zigbee devices can be added to the Tuya-enabled app using a Matter hub and then shared with third-party apps, but the Zigbee devices themselves are not Matter products. The sources do not describe a firmware update that adds Matter to an older Tuya device, so check for Matter support at purchase time. Browse MatterCheck's product list to see what's tracked by box brand.

Tuya, Smart Life and white-label brands

"Tuya" is rarely printed on the box. Tuya's device setup article explains that a Tuya smart device is any connected product manufactured on the Tuya IoT platform and controlled through a single app such as Smart Life or Tuya Smart — you buy a bulb from a lighting brand, a socket from an electrical brand, and a camera from a security brand, and all three answer to the same app, account, and automation rules. The same hardware can ship under dozens of consumer brands because those manufacturers licensed Tuya's cloud and application layers instead of building their own. Smart Life and Tuya Smart are two front-ends for the same platform, and Tuya's Smart Life article says to pick one and stay with it, since a device lives in a single account.

The white-label model shows up in Tuya's own stories. LIDL's LIVARNOLUX and SILVERCREST smart products were built on Tuya's platform using Zigbee 3.0 — not Matter — according to Tuya's LIDL story. Tuya's October 2023 press release names MOMAX SMART as a brand that developed a Matter Gateway and Matter LED through Tuya's solutions and obtained CSA Matter certification. The practical takeaway: look for the Matter logo and pairing code on the device, not the Tuya name. MatterCheck lists products by the brand on the box, which is why you won't find "Tuya" or "Smart Life" as a brand in its product list.

Wi-Fi, Thread and the Tuya Matter hub

Whether you need a Tuya hub depends on the radio inside the device. Tuya's interoperability doc says the network requirement is a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network with IPv4 and IPv6 supported. For the Tuya Smart app, Matter over Wi-Fi devices need no hub, while Matter over Thread devices need a Tuya-enabled Matter hub. Third-party platforms each need their own hub: Apple Home uses an Apple TV or HomePod, Google Home uses a Nest hub or speaker, Alexa uses an Echo device, and SmartThings uses a SmartThings hub or Aeotec hub. That hub list is from Tuya's doc last updated June 2024, so newer platform hubs may not appear. A Tuya-enabled Matter hub is also needed for remote control and automation of third-party Matter devices added to the Tuya-enabled app, though not for Tuya-enabled Matter over Wi-Fi devices. See our Thread vs Wi-Fi guide and hubs and Thread border routers guide.

Tuya's gateway doc describes what its Matter gateways do: a Matter gateway can connect Thread sub-devices by starting an OpenThread Border Router, and it can bridge Zigbee sub-devices into Matter networks. The CSA's certified product listings show two Tuya Inc. reference gateways. The Smart Wired Gateway Pro is described as the first gateway released by Tuya that supports Matter, with Ethernet uplink and Zigbee plus Thread downlink; it has a Matter 1.0 certificate from November 2022 and a Matter 1.3 certificate from September 2024. The Smart M Gateway is described as the second, supporting Cable+WiFi+Zigbee+Bluetooth+Thread, with a Matter 1.3 certificate from February 2025 and a Matter 1.5 certificate from July 2026. These are Tuya Inc. reference products; the CSA listings don't give retail brand names. For how Zigbee bridging works, see our guide to bridging Zigbee devices into Matter.

Platform hub rules reinforce the same point. Apple's Matter page says Thread-based accessories require a Thread-enabled home hub such as Apple TV 4K, HomePod (2nd generation), HomePod mini, or a compatible third-party Thread border router. Google's Matter page says you need a Matter-enabled hub device, and if your devices mix Thread and Wi-Fi you need a hub that also works as a Thread border router. Amazon's Matter page says to confirm you have a Thread-enabled device online for Thread-based devices. SmartThings' Matter page says Thread devices need a Matter controller that includes a Thread border router.

How to add a Tuya Matter device to Smart Life, Google Home, Apple Home, Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant

Tuya-enabled Matter products enter pairing mode automatically when powered on for the first time. If the indicator isn't blinking, reset manually: for lights, turn the light on and off five times with a 3-second pause between each until it blinks; for other devices, press and hold the power button for five seconds until the indicator blinks quickly. The pairing code is on the device body. Tuya's architecture doc defines the Manual Pairing Code as an 11-digit or 21-digit numeric code. For full step-by-step pairing help, see our guide to adding a Matter device; if you've lost the code, see what to do with a lost setup code.

Smart Life or Tuya Smart

1. Power on the device and connect your phone to an available 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network.
2. Put the device in pairing mode.
3. Open the Tuya-enabled app and tap the + icon in the top right corner, then select Scan.
4. Scan the QR code on the device or enter the 11-digit pairing code.
5. Enter the Wi-Fi password to complete pairing.

Auto discovery pairing (+ > Add Device) applies to Tuya-enabled Matter over Wi-Fi, Matter over Thread, and hub devices, not third-party Matter devices. For a Matter over Thread device, add the Tuya-enabled Matter hub to the app first.

Google Home

Add your Google hub to the Google Home app first, then power on the device. Tap Devices > Add and select New device. The app looks for devices; select your Matter device, tap I agree, and scan the QR code. These steps come from Tuya's interoperability doc. Google's Matter page says you need a Matter-enabled hub device set up on your home wireless network before you can add Matter devices to Google Home. IPv6 must be enabled on your home wireless network. See Google Home's Matter support.

Apple Home

Add your Apple hub to the Home app, then power on the device. Tap the + icon in the top right corner and select Add or Scan Accessory. Scan the QR code or enter the code, then assign a room and rename the device. Apple's Matter page says an iPhone with iOS 18 or later can add Matter accessories without a home hub, but Apple recommends setting up a home hub. Thread-based accessories require a Thread-enabled home hub such as Apple TV 4K, HomePod (2nd generation), or HomePod mini. See Apple Home's Matter support.

Alexa

Add your Alexa hub to the Alexa app, then power on the device. Open Devices, tap the + icon in the top right corner, select Add Device > Other, then select Matter and scan the QR code or enter the code. Amazon's Matter page says to install your Matter device within 30 ft (9 m) of a compatible Alexa hub or device. For Thread-based Matter devices, confirm that you have a Thread-enabled device online. See Alexa's Matter support.

SmartThings

Open the SmartThings app and tap the + icon in the top right corner. Scan the QR code on the device or enter the pairing code. Select the hub and room for the device, then select a Wi-Fi network and enter the password. SmartThings' Matter page says your mobile device with the SmartThings app acts as the Matter commissioner, and the hub is the Matter controller. For Thread devices, you need a Matter controller that includes a Thread border router. See SmartThings' Matter support.

Home Assistant

Home Assistant's Matter docs describe commissioning through the Home Assistant Companion app: go to Settings > Connectivity > Matter, select Add device, choose "No. It's new," and scan the QR code or enter the commission code. Bluetooth is used during commissioning, so keep your phone close to the device. See Home Assistant's Matter support.

If you see an "Uncertified Accessory" prompt in the Home app, Tuya-enabled app, or SmartThings app, the device is not Matter-certified or is using a test certificate. Tuya's doc says you can tap Add Anyway to continue in those apps, but Google Home blocks uncertified devices. Treat the prompt as a sign to check the CSA listing before relying on the device.

Sharing between Smart Life and other Matter apps

Tuya's architecture doc describes two routes: Tuya can act as a Matter full administrator to handle the first-time pairing and activation and then share the device with third-party platforms, or a Matter-enabled app can be used to independently pair a device. Tuya's app SDK doc calls this Multiple Fabrics — a device can be used on a Tuya-enabled app, such as the SmartLife app, and also accessed with Apple Home, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa.

To share from Smart Life, open the device to share on the Tuya-enabled app, tap the meatballs menu (⋯) in the top right corner, and select Share Device. Select Share over Matter to generate a code, or choose Share with QR Code. The receiver opens the third-party app, adds a device, and scans the QR code or pastes the sharing code to add the shared device as instructed. The sharing code is one-time-use and time-limited. After it expires, you need to generate a new one. Once the sharing is complete, the sharing code becomes invalid. Bridged Zigbee devices are not Matter-enabled products, so they do not have a pairing code and therefore cannot generate a sharing code. You can generate a sharing code of the bridge hub to share Zigbee devices with third-party platforms: open the hub connected to the Zigbee device on the Tuya-enabled app, tap the meatballs menu (⋯) in the top right corner, and select Share via Matter Gateway. See our multi-admin sharing guide.

Sharing works in the other direction too. From Apple Home, open the device panel on the Home app, tap the gear icon in the lower right corner and select Turn On Pairing Mode. Copy the generated setup code. From Alexa, open the device panel on the Amazon Alexa app, tap Settings in the top right corner and select Other assistants and apps to generate the sharing code. From Google Home, open the device panel on the Google Home app, tap Settings in the top right corner and select Linked Matter apps & services to generate the QR code or sharing code. After a device is added to the Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or Home app, it can be controlled via the smart speakers without linking voice skills. For firmware, Tuya-enabled Matter over Wi-Fi devices do not support OTA updates through third-party apps and can be updated using the Tuya-enabled app only, while Tuya-enabled Matter over Thread devices and hubs support OTA updates through third-party apps — see our firmware update guide.

Home Assistant: Matter or the Tuya integration

These are two separate routes. The Matter route uses Home Assistant's Matter integration: you commission the device directly into Home Assistant's fabric using the Companion app. Bluetooth is used during commissioning, not to control but to pair a device after unboxing or after factory resetting. Once that is done, the device communicates over its native interface: Wi-Fi or Thread. This is local Matter control, and the device can also be joined to multiple controllers, for example, simultaneously added to Google Home, Apple Home, and Home Assistant.

The Tuya integration is different — it's a cloud integration, not Matter. Home Assistant's Tuya integration page says it integrates all Powered by Tuya devices you have added to the Tuya Smart and Tuya Smart Life apps, with IoT class Cloud Push. Setup requires a User Code from the Smart Life / Tuya Smart app and scanning the QR code, and it supports all Home Assistant platforms except lock and remote. It relies on Tuya's official Python SDK, which Home Assistant's docs say does not expose all functionality available in Smart Life. After adding new devices to your Tuya account, you need to reload the Tuya integration in Home Assistant for them to appear. If Tuya updates its terms and conditions at iot.tuya.com, the integration will require repeated authentication.

What MatterCheck's data says for the device types Tuya makes

MatterCheck's results are per Matter device type and platform, not tests of Tuya-based products — Tuya-based devices carry other brands' names, and MatterCheck lists products by the brand on the box.

Each entry: pairs / usable as an automation trigger (confidence), per Matter device type in MatterCheck's data — not a test of Tuya-based products.

MatterCheck checks 27 Matter device types on 7 platforms and tracks 391 products, none listed under the Tuya or Smart Life brand, so these rows describe the Matter device types Tuya names rather than tests of Tuya-based products. Pairing shows Yes on Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings, Home Assistant and Homey for all 8 types in the table; Hubitat shows Yes only for plug / outlet and door lock, and Unknown for the rest. Where an entry says Unknown or Partial, or the confidence is Med, check the type page and its sources before relying on it — for example, Alexa automation triggers are Unknown for plugs, blinds and thermostats. See the platform comparison for how the platforms differ overall.

When a Tuya Matter device won't pair or stops responding

• Confirm you're on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, not 5 GHz — many routers broadcast both under the same name, which confuses pairing.
• Make sure your phone is on the same 2.4 GHz network where the device will operate.
• Check that IPv6 is enabled on your home network; Google's Matter page says control and other functionalities can fail without it even if setup appears to succeed.
• Confirm the device is actually in pairing mode — the indicator should blink fast; if not, reset it manually: turn lights on and off five times with a 3-second pause between each, or press and hold the power button for five seconds until the indicator blinks quickly.
• For a Thread device in Smart Life, add the Tuya-enabled Matter hub first; for other platforms, confirm the platform's own hub (Google, Alexa, Apple, or SmartThings) is online.
• Check that the QR code is fully visible and the camera can read it, or type the setup code instead.
• If you see an uncertified accessory prompt, the device is not Matter-certified or is a test device — check the CSA listing.
• If the product has no pairing code label at all, it can't be added through the standard Matter process.
• For offline devices, restart the router first — Tuya's device setup article says broadband outages and router reboots are the most frequent cause.
• If you linked a device through a cloud account rather than Matter, re-link the account in the assistant's app; Tuya's Smart Life article says these links can expire.

For deeper fixes, see our guides on a device that won't pair, a device that's offline, removing and factory-resetting, and IPv6 and VLAN network setup.

Frequently asked questions

Does Tuya work with Matter?

Yes, but only for devices built with Matter support. Tuya's development kit doc lists Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Matter device development, Matter over Thread device development, Matter gateway development, and Matter bridge development as separate tracks. A Tuya-based device without the Matter badge and pairing code doesn't work with Matter, regardless of the app it uses.

Do all Smart Life devices support Matter?

No. Smart Life also runs older Wi-Fi, Zigbee and Bluetooth products without Matter, and those reach other platforms through cloud account linking instead. Tuya's interoperability doc says a product without a pairing code label cannot be added through the standard process.

Do I need a Tuya Matter hub?

It depends on the radio. Matter over Wi-Fi devices don't need a hub to join the Tuya Smart app. Matter over Thread devices need a Tuya-enabled Matter hub. Tuya Zigbee devices reach Matter apps only through a Tuya-enabled Matter hub that you then share. Third-party platforms each need their own hub.

Do Tuya Matter devices use Wi-Fi or Thread?

Both exist: Tuya's development kits cover Wi-Fi Matter devices and Matter over Thread devices. SmartThings' Matter page says the Matter badge on the device's packaging will indicate if the device needs a Matter controller with a Thread border router.

Can a Tuya Zigbee device work with Matter?

Only through a bridge. Tuya's interoperability doc says Tuya-enabled Zigbee devices cannot be directly added to third-party Matter-enabled apps. You add them to the Tuya-enabled app through a Matter hub, then share the hub with third-party apps.

How do I share a Smart Life device with Apple Home or Google Home?

Open the device in the Smart Life app, tap the meatballs menu (⋯), select Share Device, then choose Share over Matter or Share with QR Code. The sharing code is one-time-use and time-limited. In the other app, add a device and scan the QR code or paste the sharing code.

Does Tuya work with Home Assistant through Matter?

Yes, through Home Assistant's Matter integration, which adds devices directly to the fabric of your Home Assistant instance. That's separate from Home Assistant's Tuya integration, which is a cloud integration using your Smart Life or Tuya Smart account and is not Matter.

Where is the Matter pairing code on a Tuya device?

On the device body. Tuya's interoperability doc says the pairing code is on the device body, and the Matter badge is usually on the packaging. If there's no pairing code label, the device can't be added through the standard Matter process.

More MatterCheck guides

• Bridging Zigbee devices into Matter — how bridges bring non-Matter devices into Matter.
• SONOFF and Matter — which SONOFF devices support Matter and how they pair.
• Meross and Matter — Meross's Matter lineup and setup steps.
• Govee and Matter — Govee's Matter devices and platform support.
• Aqara and Matter — Aqara hubs, bridges, and Matter pairing.
• Matter hubs and Thread border routers — what each platform needs.
• Sharing a Matter device across apps — multi-admin and sharing codes explained.
• Matter platform comparison — Apple Home vs Google Home vs Alexa vs SmartThings vs Home Assistant.
• Leviton and Matter — which Decora Smart switches, dimmers and plugs work with Matter, when you need a hub, and how to set them up.
• GE Cync and Matter — which Cync bulbs, plugs and switches work with Matter, when you need a hub, and how to set them up.

How we checked

This guide draws on nine Tuya developer docs, three Tuya press releases, two Tuya Smart Life / device setup articles, Tuya's LIDL story, four CSA listings for Tuya gateways, and Home Assistant's Tuya integration page, all fetched 2026-10-26. Apple's, Google's, Amazon's, SmartThings' and Home Assistant's Matter pages were fetched 2026-10-20. Tuya's certification figures are its own claims, dated where they appear. MatterCheck's results are per Matter device type and platform, and were not measured on Tuya-based products. See our methodology for how we collect and check data.

Last reviewed 2026-10-26. If your device's manual or your platform's own instructions say something different, follow them.

This guide was drafted by AI from the dated sources linked above and checked against them by automated fact-check passes before publishing. How our content is made.