Advertisement

Nest Cams can automatically detect your doors

But only if you're a paying subscriber.

Nest is improving both its apps and its camera smarts. An update to both iOS and Android apps (if your phones and tablets are on the latest versions) focuses on notifications, with Nest Aware subscribers getting the bulk of the benefits. Over the next few weeks, Aware customers will see automatic door detection appear on both their indoor and outdoor Nest Cam feeds. The cameras will attempt to recognize motion patterns over time, feeding the data into deep learning algorithms to make it all automated, automatically creating "activity zones" around doors it picks up. The cameras can then send you notifications when there's movement in that area. You'll also be able to redraw activity zones if your camera detects something different -- or if there's multiple doors.


Subscribers on iOS 10 or Android 7 will also get animated previews from their Nest Cams without having to open the app, while Nest Protect alerts (for carbon monoxide levels and smoke) will pull together live video from all of your Nest Cams.

The company has also updated the app for the most recent features added Android 7, with new app shortcuts to specific Nest cameras. Your Nest Aware video history will also be easier to navigate, with the ability to jump to specific dates — as long as you know which day you're searching for to begin with.