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Plenty of smart door locks offer hands-free unlocking through Google Assistant, Google’s digital voice assistant available on smartphones and smart speakers. Schlage’s Sense and Connect deadbolts are just two examples. Others include August’s Smart Lock and Smart Lock Pro. But, inexplicably, the Nest x Yale lock — a door lock designed by Google subsidiary Nest — somehow missed the mark at launch, which meant you could lock the door with your voice but not check its status remotely. Thankfully, that changes today.
Nest and Google have announced that starting on Wednesday, the Nest x Yale lock will gain compatibility with the Google Assistant. In more concrete terms, it’ll add voice commands to let users remotely check the status of the lock and lock their doors from any location.
“Smart locks allow you to lock your door from anywhere in the world, making it easy for you to monitor your doorstep while you’re away,” Nest wrote in a blog post. “For example, you can lock the door automatically before going to bed by saying ‘Hey Google, goodnight’.”
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It’s unclear whether the Nest x Yale is leveraging the Google Assistant’s voice match feature, which can recognize up to six people in a household, for added security. Previously, a Nest spokesperson told VentureBeat that the technology hadn’t reached that point, and locks like Schlage’s Sense and Connect — which support Amazon’s Alexa, in addition to the Google Assistant — prompt users to say a PIN code. We’ve reached out for clarification.
Besides the Google Assistant integration, the Nest x Yale boasts a security mode that automatically enables the lock after a certain period of time and a capacitive keypad that locks the door with the tap of a thumb. The lock launched in March for $249, and it’s one of the newer additions to a sprawling product portfolio that includes the Nest Secure alarm system, Nest Thermostat, Nest Protect smoke alarm, Nest Cam IQ outdoor security camera, Nest Hello video doorbell, and Nest Temperature Sensor.
Altogether, they represent a bid for a lucrative market that’s forecast to exceed $53.45 billion by 2022. In a sign of commitment to the sector, Google folded Nest into its hardware division in February.
Most of Nest’s devices, it’s worth noting, are compatible with the Google Assistant. With nothing more than a voice command, customers can view footage from a Nest Cam on televisions with connected Chromecasts, switch on the air conditioning, or arm the security system. The Nest Cam IQ indoor even supports Assistant features, like calendar management and reminders.
