The Nest app is bringing even more helpful mobile notifications and cutting down on unwanted alerts. In short, the notification system just got better — especially for the Nest Cam.
Automatic Door Detection
Thanks to the latest app update and with help from Nest Aware, one of the most interesting features in the Nest Cam now is automatic door detection. The cam can now auto-detect doors in its line of sight and set an Activity Zone over the specific area.
"As we roll out this feature over the next few weeks, Nest Aware will learn to recognize the doors in your home," writes Maxime Veron, Nest's director of product marketing.
The automatic door detection capability is available in both Nest Cam Outdoor and Indoor, but the Nest Aware subscription is sold as a separate service for an additional fee of $10 a month.
Nest Aware allows for setting up notifications for specific doors. This is more convenient compared to the previously available manual drawing of Activity Zones around a specific area.
By relying on deep learning technology and sensors from hardware, the camera is able to detect motion near the doors and create Activity Zones around them, and the system would send notifications to users when there is any activity.
Animated Preview Screen
Like the latest additions to the Google Play Store, the upcoming update also adds a new technique for receiving important push notifications — but with the help of an animated preview screen, that is.
The preview provides all the happenings in a quick glance and would simultaneously work with Nest Protect for pushing live video from all the Nest Cams to the smartphones of homeowners, especially when there are indications of high smoke or carbon monoxide levels.
The alert from Nest Cam would provide a thumbnail image. This special feature is available on devices running iOS 10 or Android Nougat.
Another helpful aspect is that users need not open the app to see the animated preview of the Nest Cam video clip.
Other New Additions
The new features complement Google Home. Launcher shortcuts are added to the Android version of the app with the new update. This allows for faster access to live feeds from the different Nest Cams provided one is using Android 7.1 or above.
The new update also provides better history tracking capabilities.
With the latest enhancements, Android is looking to strengthen its position in the market for smart home devices by paying attention to homeowners' needs even more. These new and improved products capture the imagination of users.
