The material has been in preparation for a long time, long before it even received its current name. Originally titled “Project CHIP,” the Connectivity Standards Alliance announced that its newly renamed protocol would go live later this year in May, finally bringing gadgets like Google, Amazon and Apple together under one interconnected roof. In an unfortunate (and unsurprising) turn of events, we’re going to have to wait a bit longer for the smart home utopia of our dreams.

While the first set of Matter-compliant devices were originally slated for certification by the end of 2021, the latest CSA blog post pushes plans back to next year (via 9to5Google). According to the organization, “several test and forecast events” required an updated schedule to deliver the SDK to developers and manufacturers before launch. In other words, Matter’s is now a “first semester 2022” project:

Our refined plans include the continued development of the SDK and certification program in the second half of 2021, targeting a “pre-vote” version of the technical specification available to members at the end of the year. In the first half of 2022, we expect the release of the SDK, the first certified devices, and the opening of our formal certification program.

There are many reasons that could cause the CSA interoperability standard to slip again. It’s possible that early testing showed the SDK just wasn’t ready for prime time. After all, getting the products of 200 companies to work together is undoubtedly a daunting task. The most recent test event featured over 60 devices from 40 different companies, demonstrating genuine interest from the smart home industry as a whole.

Still, it’s hard not to be disappointed with Matter’s delay. Google showed off its planned support for the protocol during I / O, and it looked particularly promising. We’ll have to wait until next year to actually see it in action.