Amazon devices will soon support Matter Casting, an open substitute for Chromecast and AirPlay

The two most popular media casting features in the world are AirPlay and Chromecast (Google Cast). Whereas AirPlay is limited to Apple’s platforms, Chromecast is primarily limited to Google’s Android. Casting media from an iPhone to a TV that only supports Chromecast is frequently not possible, which limits the user experience. To address this issue, a new open standard called Matter Casting was created. This new feature has been in the works since at least 2021.

Matter Casting is created by Matter, an open smart home platform

Amazon confirmed Matter Casting is coming to its Fire TV-powered devices and the Prime Video app as part of their CES 2024 announcements. Amazon is the first major corporation to use Matter Casting, a free alternative to AirPlay and Chromecast. This new protocol allows you to wirelessly broadcast films and related material from an app to a suitable display. This new functionality is now accessible in the Prime Video app for Android and iOS; however, you can only cast films from the app to the Echo Show 15 using Matter Casting. Support for other devices will be introduced gradually.

This new media casting protocol will be enabled shortly by smart TVs running Amazon’s Fire TV operating system. Amazon announced a relationship with Panasonic at CES 2024, and the latter has shown OLED TVs powered by Fire TV OS. These TVs will also be compatible with Matter Casting. Only the Prime Video app now supports the new protocol, but it will soon be added to Plex, Pluto, Sling TV, Starz, and ZDF video applications. More app developers and TV manufacturers may include Matter Casting into their products without incurring additional certification or license fees.