What to Do Before Your Hunter Fan Loses Google Home Control

If you linked your Hunter ceiling fan to Google Home or Alexa through HunterSMART, your usual voice command has an expiration date. On January 1, 2027, Hunter will shut down the cloud link that lets those services control HunterSMART fans, including older models sold under the SIMPLEconnect name. If your fan qualifies for a free firmware update or updated hardware, you can keep voice control by upgrading the fan and adding it directly to Google Home or Alexa through Matter.

What Is Changing for Hunter Fans on January 1, 2027

Remember linking your HunterSMART account when you first set up your fan with Google Home or Alexa? That step let Google or Amazon send commands through Hunter’s online service. Hunter calls that arrangement cloud-to-cloud linking, and it’s the service the company said it would retire in its November 5 notice. Sourced from Hunter’s announcement.

The connection lives in the companies’ online services. Your HunterSMART fan itself connects directly to your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. If your manual or app still says SIMPLEconnect, that’s the former name for HunterSMART.

With Matter, you add the upgraded fan itself to your smart home app. Matter is a shared standard that supports local control across platforms such as Google Home, Alexa, and Apple Home. In an email to customers covered by 9to5Google, Hunter explained what you can expect if you use Google Home or Alexa features that depend on the old account link.

“will no longer work for HunterSMART fans”

Which Hunter Fans Are Affected and What Keeps Working

If you have a HunterSMART or SIMPLEconnect Wi-Fi fan and connected it to Google Home or Alexa by linking your account, that setup is affected. The Cavera, Symphony, and Aerodyne are examples of older Hunter Wi-Fi fans, and Matter eligibility for those models is still unconfirmed. What happens on January 1 depends on how you control the fan.

Hunter has yet to confirm whether existing Apple Home control is affected and says local integrations depend on the platform provider.

How to Check If Your Hunter Fan Can Move to Matter

Hunter says eligibility depends on your model and the hardware inside it. As of November 11, 2026, the table on Hunter’s Matter Compatibility page was empty, and the company had yet to announce when the updates would be available. You can get your model number now so you know what to look for when the list goes up. If a Matter gadget ever drops off your network, our guide to fixing a Matter device that shows offline can help.

1. Look for the model number on the label on your fan’s motor housing.
2. If the label is hard to see, check the manual that came with the fan or look up your Hunter product registration if you registered it.
3. If you already have the fan in HunterSMART, check its device information for the model number.
4. Use that number to check Hunter’s Matter Compatibility page. Once Hunter fills in the table, look for your exact model and check whether it qualifies for firmware or needs new hardware.

While you wait, make sure your fan can receive an update when Hunter offers one.

• Keep your fan connected to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. If it’s offline, reconnect it.
• Make sure the fan is linked to your HunterSMART account and update the HunterSMART app to the latest version.
• Watch for a notice in the app or an email sent to the address on your HunterSMART account.

How to Update Your Hunter Fan for Matter

For some fans, the move to Matter will start with a free update in HunterSMART. Others may need new hardware, and the steps will depend on what Hunter offers for your model. Here’s what you can do when your upgrade becomes available.

If Your Fan Gets a Firmware Update

1. Check that your fan is online and open the latest version of HunterSMART.
2. Open the firmware update notification for your fan when it appears in the app.
3. Follow the instructions in the notice to install the free update. Hunter says the steps may vary by model.
4. After the update enables Matter, add the fan as a Matter device in Google Home or Alexa. You may need to recreate the routines and scenes that used the old connection.

If Your Fan Needs New Hardware

Hunter says some fans may need updated parts. The company has yet to name those parts, announce pricing, or explain how owners will get them. If you want to find out what your model might need, contact Hunter support with the model number.

If You Use the Android App

Hunter said in September that adding, viewing, controlling, and syncing Matter devices in the Android version of HunterSMART was temporarily unavailable. Other HunterSMART features still work, and Hunter hasn’t confirmed whether the limitation affects firmware updates. Separately, 9to5Google’s Ben Schoon reported that the Android app crashed while he was trying to reconnect his Cavera to Wi-Fi.

• If HunterSMART crashes during setup, try reconnecting the fan with the iPhone or iPad app, or contact Hunter support. Once your fan supports Matter, you can add it directly in Google Home or Alexa.

How to Add Your Hunter Fan to Google Home With Matter

Once your Hunter fan supports Matter, you can add it directly in the Google Home app. Remove the old fan entry or unlink the HunterSMART account connection first so you don’t end up with two tiles for the same fan. Then check that you have what Google Home needs to pair it. If your speaker or display won’t get online first, see how to fix Google Home when it won’t connect to Wi-Fi.

What You Need First

• A Google Home hub that supports Matter, such as a compatible Nest speaker, display, or streamer.
• A Wi-Fi router with IPv6 enabled.
• A phone or tablet with Bluetooth LE 4.2 or later, running Android 8.1 or later, iOS 16.5 or later, or iPadOS 16.5 or later.
• The latest Google Home app and a Google Account.
• Your Hunter fan’s Matter QR code.

Steps in the Google Home App

1. Turn on your Hunter fan and put it in Matter pairing mode.
2. Open Google Home. If a setup prompt appears, tap it. Otherwise, tap Add, then Device.
3. Choose Scan QR code and scan your fan’s Matter code. You can also choose Add a different way and follow the prompts to select the brand.
4. Finish pairing, choose a room, and give the fan a name you’ll remember when you use a voice command.

Rebuild Your Routines

Any routine that used the old HunterSMART entry needs to point to the new Matter entry. If a bedtime routine used to switch off the fan light, for example, open the routine and add that action back using the new fan tile. Run the routine once to check that the light responds, then do the same for any scenes or schedules you still use.

How to Add Your Hunter Fan to Alexa With Matter

Check that your Echo model supports Matter, then disable the old HunterSMART skill in the Alexa app. The way you add your fan depends on whether Alexa is your first Matter setup or you’ve already added the fan to Google Home. And if Alexa ignores you after setup, here’s what to do when Alexa isn’t responding.

New Setup

1. Put your Matter-enabled Hunter fan in pairing mode.
2. In the Alexa app, open Devices, tap +, and choose Add Device.
3. Select Matter under Shortcuts and confirm that you’re adding a Matter device.
4. Scan the fan’s Matter QR code and follow the prompts to finish.

Already in Google Home

1. Open your Hunter fan in Google Home and go to Linked Matter apps & services.
2. Choose Link apps & services and generate an 11-digit pairing code.
3. In the Alexa app, open Devices, tap +, choose Add Device, and select Matter under Shortcuts.
4. Choose the option to use a numeric code, enter the 11 digits from Google Home, and finish pairing.

Matter’s multi-admin feature lets you keep the same fan in Google Home and Alexa. When you share a fan that’s already paired, use the code generated in Google Home.

What to Do If Your Hunter Fan Isn’t Eligible

If your Hunter fan can’t move to Matter, you can still run the fan and light after January 1, 2027. Want to keep voice control? Your options depend on the fan you own, and Hunter has yet to announce a trade-in or discount.

• Keep using the controls you have. Use the included remote, your installed wall control, or the HunterSMART app where supported. You can keep using the fan this way without buying an upgrade.
• Check Hunter’s Matter accessories. The Smart Wall Panel 99982 and Smart Fan Upgrade Kit 99981 are options to ask Hunter about. The $89.99 kit fits most AC pull-chain fans, excludes DC motors, and was out of stock on November 11, 2026. Hunter has yet to confirm either accessory as an official part for this migration.
• Ask Hunter about your model. Have the model number handy when you call 1-888-830-1326 or use Hunter’s support request form. Ask which hardware, if any, can bring Matter to your fan.
• Check for Matter if you’re replacing the fan. Matter Alpha reported support for the Hunter ZenTech Bladeless. Check the exact model you’re buying so you know whether you can add it to Google Home or Alexa through Matter.
• Avoid plug-in smart plugs for hardwired ceiling fans. If you want to change how you control a hardwired fan, ask Hunter about a compatible wall control or upgrade kit.

What Hunter Fan Owners Should Do Now

Start by finding your model number and making sure your fan is online. That gives you a head start while Hunter finishes the compatibility list, and you’ll still have your remote or wall control if you need more time. We’ll update this post when Hunter publishes the model list. For more on recent platform changes, read what the latest Google Home update changes for you.

• Find your model number and check Hunter’s Matter Compatibility page.
• Keep your fan on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, linked to your HunterSMART account, and update the app.
• Watch for Hunter’s email or app notice and install the firmware update if your fan qualifies.
• Once your fan supports Matter, remove the old Google Home connection or disable the HunterSMART Alexa skill.
• Add the fan directly through Matter in Google Home or Alexa.
• Rebuild the routines, scenes, and schedules you use, then check that the fan responds.

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