What you need to know
- Family Account feature now available through ecobee app.
- Feature gives home owner ability to share access to ecobee thermostat.
- Up to 15 family members can be added.
ecobee is giving owners of its smart thermostat a way to easily share controls with the launch of its Family Accounts (opens in new tab) feature today. Available in the latest version (7.26.1) of the ecobee app (opens in new tab) home owners can now invite up to 15 family members to view home information, invite others, and of course, adjust the temperature of a connected thermostat.
Family Accounts lets up to 15 family members to join and control a Home without sharing credentials. ecobee Home Owners can choose to invite Family Members to share access to their Home's ecobee devices.
Administrative privileges are only available for the home owner, which keeps account changes, removing devices, and access to other features such as eco+ out of everyone's hands. Accessing the new feature requires just 5 steps within the ecobee app, and on iOS, the invitation process utilizes the share sheet which gives the home owner the ability to invite others through messages, email, and a whole lot more:
- Open the ecobee app and select "Account"
- Select "Manage Homes"
- Select the Home you want to invite someone to
- Select "Home Members"
- Select "Invite New Member"
Users can also find the new feature highlighted directly on the Home control screen within the app, with a small "Invite new members" banner appearing at the top.
Christopher spends most of his time writing and dreaming about all things HomeKit. If you wish to join him on his quest to automate everything, you can follow him on Twitter at @itschrisclose.
