Can the iPhone directly control Xiaomi devices? What do Matter and Thread mean? I tested it on my wife's phone

wife's iPhone 12 lies by the bedside. Dozens of devices at home are all Mijia devices. She has the Mijia app installed on her phone, which she uses to turn on lights and close curtains. One day, she suddenly asked me, "What does Apple have that built-in Home app?" Can I call Siri to turn on the lights?

I said no, she asked why. Just for this one question, I dug into the details of Matter and Thread for two days, and even tested it on her phone. Here's the conclusion: yes, but there are far fewer devices that can connect directly than I expected, and these two terms are completely different.

first break down the relationship: Matter matters what you say, Threads care which path to take

These two words are always linked together, but in reality, one is in heaven, the other is on earth.

Matter is the protocol at the application layer, which governs what devices say between them. Previously, each smart home ecosystem had its own dialect: Mi Home devices spoke Mi Mandarin, Apple HomeKit devices spoke Apple, and Google and Amazon each spoke their own language. A bulb leaves the factory and only knows one dialect; wherever it enters a household, it gets locked down. If the owner of the ecosystem changes, it becomes mute. What Matter aims to do is promote a standard of Mandarin—in October 2022, CSA (Connectivity Standards Alliance, formerly the Zigbee Alliance) officially released Matter 1.0, with Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung all initiating it. After that, it was updated every six months, with version 1.1 improving stability, and version 1.2 bringing in categories like refrigerators and washing machines.

Thread is the network layer protocol, which controls which path the data takes. I wrote in my article about Zigbee (what does Zigbee mean Zigbee and Thread use the same foundation, both running on the IEEE 802.15.4 low-power wireless standard, 2.4G band, power saving, self-organizing networking. The difference lies above: Zigbee is a private protocol stack that does not recognize IPs, so only the device's own gateway can understand what it says; Thread brings IPv6 into the system through an adapter layer called 6LoWPAN. Each Thread device has its own IP address and is logically neighbors on the same network as WiFi devices, speaking directly without the gateway acting as a translator.

in one sentence: Matter is Mandarin, Thread is a new IP path built specifically for small devices. The new route can run Mandarin (Matter over Thread), and the old route WiFi can also run Mandarin (Matter over WiFi). Both legs count as Matter devices. The setup network used Bluetooth for a brief update, and once finished, it was ready to leave.

Why couldn't the iPhone control Xiaomi's lighting before

The answer is quite rustic: the dialect is unintelligible, and no one translated.

the dozens of Mi Home devices in my home, I've counted before ( how can dozens of smart home devices and routers handle ): WiFi direct connections go through Mi Home Cloud, Zigbee and Bluetooth sub-devices are translated into Mi Home via the gateway. The whole system is the Mijia App plus the Xiaoai Speaker Pro in the living room (I've written how to choose speakers, ). On Apple's side, the Home App only recognizes HomeKit-certified devices, while Siri's ears only listen to Apple's ecosystem. The walls on both sides are built with care: manufacturers are hoping you'll buy their own set, from the bulbs to the speakers.

there were ways to climb around the wall before, but they were always awkward. One is installing the Mi Home app on an iPhone, which is fully functional but Siri doesn't recognize it, essentially forcing the daughter-in-law to open another door to the Mi family on Apple's turf. Another is to use HomeAssistant as a translator ( I installed HA in the NAS), bridge Mijia devices to HomeKit, Siri can call now, but this is for tinkering enthusiasts. My phone runs on Feiniu, stable as it is, but no ordinary family wants to own a NAS just to turn on a light.

the standard answer to my wife's question has always been: install the Mijia app, don't even think about Siri. Until Matter chipped a hole in the wall.

the real test route: authentication devices and a border router are both indispensable

have Siri directly turn on Xiaomi's lights, and you need to have both essentials.

First, the device itself is Matter certified. Note: I'm talking about certification, not the "Support Matter" slogan on the product detail page. This line is quite exaggerated—some gateway products certify Matter but do not support Thread, only bridging WiFi and Bluetooth devices; If you really want to enjoy the power saving and local responsiveness of Thread's new path, the specs page must clearly state Matter over Thread. If you recognize the logo, look for CSA's "Works with Matter" section, which is the official entry ticket.

second, you need a Thread Border Router at home, which serves as the gateway between the Thread network and your home WiFi. Apple users have actually had it for a long time: HomePod mini, HomePod 2, and Apple TV 4K all have built-in Thread border routers, which can be found in the Home Hub settings within the Home app. On the Mi Home side, Xiaomi's central gateway can bridge sub-devices attached to it into Matter devices for Apple to claim; Third-party Thread gateways like the Aqara M3 are also available. I don't have either at home, so I borrowed a HomePod mini from a friend for testing.

test was a Matter-certified bulb I bought last year, the kind that cost 38 yuan ( have written about how to choose a smart bulb ). The process is simpler than expected: tap to add an accessory in the Apple Home app, scan the pairing code on the manual, and it recognizes it in just over ten seconds. Calling Siri to "Turn on the living room light" instantly lights up—not the kind of one or half seconds that come back after a full circle in the clouds, but true seconds. The reason is that Matter over Thread runs on the local network, and the commands travel from the phone to the HomePod to the light bulb, never leaving the house the entire time.

there's another premise that's easy to miss: the Thread's device address is IPv6, so the router needs IPv6 enabled; otherwise, pairing will work and the control will be out of control. My home router has already been turned on (IPv6 wrote about how to turn it on, ), this is a free opportunity. If you don't turn it on, your home will most likely get stuck at step two.

four pits, I stepped on them for you

the lights turned on instantly, but as you kept playing, one pit after another.

first pitfall is the delay in cross-ecosystem collaboration. Someone conducted a half-year test: when Mijia's sensor triggered the HomeKit device, it sometimes delayed by several seconds or even completely stopped responding. The reasoning is straightforward: the two ecosystems operate independently, and commands must be passed back and forth across walls. So my principle is to try to keep the collaboration within the same ecosystem. My home-coming mode is entirely on Mi Home ( the setup is copied from ), and Matter only ensures my daughter-in-law's Siri can turn on lights and power outlets—the two tasks don't get involved.

second pitfall is uneven product categories. Light bulb sockets are the most mature, and curtain motors have gradually caught up, but door locks, cameras, and sweeping machines are either not supported at all or have much less functionality when plugged in. Door lock manufacturers are the most conservative, since security responsibilities are involved. My Bluetooth lock at home never relied on Matter ( wrote about how to choose a door lock for networking). Check the support list before buying—don't take it for granted.

third pitfall is double-controlled fighting. When the device is installed in Apple Home, the Mi Home app is still there. The two apps have their own names, and their status can be synchronized, but renaming is not. My wife called it the living room light in the Mijia app, but what I saw in the home app was still the factory default name. At first, the two of them called out different names to the same light, which was chaotic for days. Later, the rules were set: the name was based on the Mi family, and Apple used it as a remote control.

The fourth pitfall is the most hidden: the border router is a single point. One day, I unplugged the HomePod mini, and those Thread devices in the Apple Home app instantly lost contact. The Thread network itself is still alive—devices on the network run in sync with each other, which is indeed its capability—but iPhones can't access this network, and Siri calls out but no one listens. Think of it like a home WiFi router and you'll understand: if you don't unplug the cable, if the router cuts off, you'll still be blind.

Who is worth the trouble, and who doesn't even touch it

After all this round, my current situation is: the only ones worth adding to Matter are seven or eight lights and sockets; the rest of the sensors, door locks, speakers, and vacuum cleaners remain in the back. My wife's Siri can turn on lights and turn off outlets, which she's quite satisfied with; I didn't even mention my parents' side; their Mijia app works fine.

buying new equipment in the future, after I made sure to read two lines of text

mastered these two words, my buying habits changed. When buying a light bulb socket, first check the specs page for the "Works with Matter" certification mark. If you want to join Thread, then confirm a line of Matter over Thread. The price difference is only a few yuan, which is like leaving a door open for the future. Don't get your hopes up with old Zigbee devices—their hardware isn't an IP protocol stack, and the official won't upgrade them to Matter. They're better left under the gateway for retirement. Here's a quick

order: if you have an Apple hub at home, pick a certified device and install it directly—it's just ten minutes; If you don't have a central hub, first decide whether to buy a HomePod mini for a door, then decide whether to tinker or not; If you don't get involved in either way, the Mijia App plus Xiao Ai speaker already covers 90% of daily life, so don't pay tuition just for a term of agreement. My wife now occasionally calls out 'Siri turns on the light,' and after she does, she adds, 'Just for novelty'—this reminds me that no matter how new the protocol is, the light is still the same one.