Turn your Nest Thermostat into a piece of wall art with Google

• Google has launched new faces for the Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen)
• The highlight is a subtly animated botanical face that changes each month
• The faces are available now through your Nest thermostat’s settings menu

Google has launched a new set of faces for the Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen), with botanical illustrations and subtle animation to make the slim thermostat look more like a piece of wall art.

The new faces are applied to the thermostat’s Farsight screen, which is displayed when there’s activity within 20ft. Once you move within about 3ft, the view will switch to show the current target temperature, time, room temperature, analog or digital time and date, or weather depending on which settings you’ve chosen. Google’s support site gives a full breakdown of how the system works.

The new Farsight screens include a botanical face, which has 12 subtly animated artworks of fruits and flowers that change each month to suit the shifting seasons. The video clip below shows four examples.

The new faces are a collaboration with illustrator, animator, and filmmaker Mathilde Loubes, and are available now through your thermostat’s settings menu.

Let’s get minimal

Google is also adding three simpler-looking options to your thermostat’s Farsight gallery: a classic Nest face, which it says is a throwback to the original Nest Thermostat, an understated minimalist face, and a new temperature controller face.

Although it’s simpler than the botanical faces, the minimalist face still features subtle animation to make one of the best smart thermostats even more appealing, as you can see in the video clip below.

The rollout follows Google’s announcement of a new set of Nest devices, including a video doorbell, an indoor security camera, and an outdoor cam – all with AI-powered image-enhancement.

Google might be phasing out the Nest app in favor of Google Home, but the brand is definitely still alive and kicking. It will be interesting to see where the company takes its Nest hardware next, and how it all ties in with Gemini for Home – particularly when it comes to paid-for features. Will Google Home Premium members get access to even more faces, or even the ability to create their own? We’ll have to wait and see.

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Cat is TechRadar’s Homes Editor specializing in kitchen appliances and smart home technology. She’s been a tech journalist for 15 years, having worked on print magazines including PC Plus and PC Format, and is a Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) certified barista. Whether you want to invest in some smart lights or pick up a new espresso machine, she’s the right person to help.