Article Summary:
Data that is shared over a Works with Nest connection is secure and limited to the information listed in the permission screen. Personal data, such as your email address, is not shared with developers through Works with Nest connections.
You’re in control of access to your data
With such broad possibilities for innovation, each Works with Nest (WWN) connection will have different reasons for requesting permission to access your data.
You will always be able to see exactly what information the connection is requesting and the developer’s reasons why the connection needs that specific information. When you’re activating a WWN connection, you can review the permission descriptions. If you don’t grant permission, the connection won’t work, but all your Nest products will continue to work just as before.
Your data is shared in a limited way
When you’re setting up or using a WWN connection there’s no personal information – such as your email address – exchanged. We limit the type of information accessed by WWN connections, but a connection will request access to basic data so it can work. Here are some examples of data a WWN connection could ask for:
- Basic home and device data (such as postal code and home type)
- Smoke and carbon monoxide status
- HVAC system specs (if your HVAC system is currently running or not)
- Home and Away states
- Rush Hour Reward events
For example, when you’re setting up a WWN connection, it may ask for access to see your Nest Thermostat’s temperature settings and Home or Away status, so it can anticipate when you’re going to arrive home and set your preferred temperature ahead of time. Other common access requests include the online status of a device and its name (for instance, “Nest Protect - Hallway”).
Some WWN developers will share product information with Nest. We use this information to develop and improve our products, such as your monthly Home Report, and features like Auto-Away. You can read more about how we use this information in our Privacy Statement.
Learn more about our Privacy Statement >
Learn more about the Nest Home Report >
Your data is secure
All WWN developers are also required to follow a list of specific guidelines that limit how they can use the information you’ve agreed to share. We also secure access to data with tokens that use OAuth 2.0 instead of personal information, as well as SSL. These security standards are widely used by many leading technology companies.
You can always change your mind
If you ever change your mind after you grant access to your data, you can also remove a WWN connection easily from directly within the Nest App. After a connection is removed, developers cannot collect any additional data and are required to delete any stored data according to the developer terms of service.
How to remove a Works with Nest connection
Please read our Privacy Statement
For complete details on how we keep your information private and secure, please see our Privacy Statement which describes how we handle personal data, data sharing and access.