Google's Nest has announced two new features for its smart thermostat that will make the Internet of Things (IoT) devices more intelligent and convenient. The Family Accounts feature allows multiple users in a household to access and control a Nest product, while Home/Away Assist can adjust the thermostat or turn the device on/off by using artificial intelligence to detect if anyone is home.

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Family Accounts allows the dad, mom, or kids to access Nest products without the need to share accounts or passwords. The household members can also view streams, receive notifications, and see  monthly reports. A maximum of 10 family members can control Nest products, according to Android Authority.

Meanwhile, Home/Away Assist can recognize whether or not a person is at home, and then make changes to the thermostat or switch the Nest product on/off.

The updated IoT devices are powered by family accounts, activity sensors, and machine learning, according to Tech Crunch. For example, if a smart thermostat detects that no registered members of a Nest account are home the system will then switch off or power down. However, the products can also sense if someone is home.

For example, Nest products now use algorithms and sensors to pick up if an account is inside the house and geo-fence. It can then determine whether or not a household member is at home and switch to Away when it detects that all household members are outside the house.     

This feature solves a common problem among many IoT products for smart homes. For example, if a smartphone's location is not accurate it could result in mistakes such as the device unlocking a home's front door when the family is away. Nest explains the smart thermostat just has to learn if household members are home or not, instead of where they have gone.

Finally, the Nest app's Play Store description notes that Android Wear devices can now control a Nest Thermostat. All of the new Nest product features are available for both owners and developers.

Google bought Nest for $3.2 billion two years ago. Nest Labs introduced its first smart thermostat in 2011 and manufactures products including Wi-Fi thermostats, smoke detectors, and home security systems.