The short answer
Use the platform’s own guest or member roles rather than sharing your account password, because roles can be revoked and limited while a shared password cannot. Give guests a temporary door code rather than app access, and check what each role can actually see, since access to cameras and history varies between platforms.
A visitor, a house-sitter, a cleaner or a family member staying for a week needs to control some things and has no need to see others. Every major platform supports this, and the default when people are in a hurry is to hand over the account password, which gives full access permanently.
The roles the platforms offer
- Apple Home: invite people to the home, with an option for limited access that excludes editing and remote access. Cameras can be shared or withheld per person.
- Google Home: household members with full access, or individual device sharing for more limited cases.
- Amazon Alexa: household profiles and guest connection, with granular sharing varying by device type.
- SmartThings: members and guests with configurable permissions.
- Manufacturer apps: most support sharing a home or a device, and what a shared user can see differs considerably between them.
Read what each role includes before using it. On some platforms a shared member can see camera history and door logs, which may be more than you intended.
Door access specifically
Smart locks are the one area where sharing should almost never mean app access.
Create a separate code for each person
So you can see who entered and revoke one person without affecting others.
Use temporary or scheduled codes
Valid for a date range or particular hours, which suits cleaners, trades and house-sitters exactly.
Never share your own code
Which defeats the logging and cannot be revoked without changing your own.
Delete codes when they are no longer needed
The accumulation of old codes is the most common weakness in a smart lock setup.
Check the log occasionally
To confirm codes are being used as expected and to notice anything unusual.
Temporary codes are the feature that makes a smart lock genuinely useful rather than merely convenient. A code that works for a cleaner on Thursdays between nine and twelve, and at no other time, is something a physical key cannot do, and it is the strongest practical argument for the lock.
Guests who only need the basics
For a visitor staying a few days, app access is often unnecessary. Consider:
- Leaving the wall switches working, which is the most underrated guest feature in any smart home.
- A physical smart button beside the bed or the door for the lights they need.
- A voice assistant, which anyone can use without an account, provided you have configured what guests are allowed to do.
- Guest Wi-Fi, with its own password, which they need anyway.
Solving the guest problem with hardware rather than accounts is usually simpler for everyone.
What to withhold
- Cameras, particularly indoor ones and their history.
- Door lock logs, which reveal the household’s movements.
- Location sharing, which some platforms bundle with home membership.
- Automations and settings, since a guest changing a heating schedule causes confusion later.
- Account and billing access, which full membership sometimes includes.
When someone leaves
The most common failure in this area is not granting access badly but forgetting to remove it. A former housemate, an ex-partner, a previous cleaner or a guest from last summer may still have access.
Review the member list on every platform and manufacturer app periodically, remove anyone who should no longer be there, and delete unused door codes. If someone has left in difficult circumstances, change the account password and revoke every shared session as well as removing them, because a removed member with a saved session can sometimes retain access briefly.
Never share your main account password as a way of giving access. It cannot be limited, it cannot be revoked without changing it everywhere, and on most platforms it also grants access to billing, other homes and the ability to remove you. Every platform has a proper sharing mechanism, and it takes a minute longer.
How do I give a house-sitter access?
A guest or member role in the platform, with cameras withheld, plus a temporary door code valid for the dates they are staying. Remove both when they leave.
Can guests see my camera footage?
On some platforms, yes, if you share the home rather than individual devices. Check what the role includes before inviting someone, since this varies considerably.
What is the simplest way to let a visitor control the lights?
Leave the wall switches working, or put a physical smart button in the room. Hardware solves the guest problem more elegantly than accounts do.
How often should I review who has access?
Every few months, and immediately when someone leaves the household. Forgotten access is more common than badly granted access.
Are temporary door codes secure?
More secure than sharing a permanent code or a key, because they are time-limited, individually logged and revocable. Delete them when the period ends rather than leaving them dormant.
The short version
Use proper guest roles rather than your password, and check what each role can see. Give a separate temporary door code to every person, and delete it afterwards. For short visits, leave the wall switches working and add a button, which needs no accounts at all. Then review the member lists every few months, because forgotten access is the real risk.
