Selectively restricting communications from third party applications/devices to electronic devices

A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions to:

• receive, from a sending device, a device request message targeted to a target smart home device accessible via a server system running on one or more different electronic devices;
• determine a first battery threshold based at least in part on a charging rate of a battery of the target smart home device, the charging rate being indicative of a current rate at which the battery of the target smart home device is charging;
• compare a battery level of the target smart home device with the first battery threshold;
• determine whether to communicate the device request message to the target smart home device based on the battery level, a determination to communicate the device request message only occurring when the battery level exceeds the first threshold;
• and
• communicate, via the server system, the device request message to the target smart home device when the battery level exceeds the first threshold.

An electronic device that is configured to operate as a smart home device, the electronic device comprising:

• a sensor to sense a property of a smart home environment;
• a processor to vary an operation of the electronic device based at least in part on the property sensed by the sensor;
• and
• a network interface to communicate over a network with a server system, the communication with the server system comprising sending an outgoing message that includes one or more operation status parameters of the electronic device and receiving an incoming control message from the server system at a rate limited that is based at least in part on the one or more operation status parameters, the rate limited control message being at least partially derived from a message from another device connected to the server system and the outgoing message is configured to cause the server system to control access to the electronic device by the other device.

A method comprising:

• receiving in a server system:
• from a first program or first program service associated with the first program of a first requesting device, a first device request message targeted to an electronic smart home device accessible via the server system;
• and
• from a second program or second program service associated with the second program of a second requesting device, a second device request message targeted to the electronic smart home device accessible via the server system;
• determining, in the server system and based at least in part on one or more operation status parameters, whether to communicate an update signal that incorporates the first and second device request messages from the first and second requesting device to the electronic smart home device, the one or more operation status parameters comprising:
• a battery charging rate of the electronic smart home device;
• an age of the electronic smart home device;
• a planned lifespan of the electronic smart home device;
• a recent wireless usage of the electronic smart home device;
• an internal temperature of the electronic smart home device;
• or
• any of the above in relation to an intervening electronic smart home device over which communication to the electronic smart home device travels;
• or
• any combination thereof.

An electronic device that is configured to operate as a smart home device, the electronic device comprising:

• a sensor to sense a property of a smart home environment;
• a processor to vary an operation of the electronic device based at least in part on the property sensed by the sensor and determine when to limit external communication with the electronic device based at least in part on one or more operation status parameters of the electronic device;
• and
• a network interface to communicate over a network with a server system, wherein to communicate with the server system comprises sending an outgoing message that includes an indication of the rate limit configured to at least partially limit update messages derived from a message from another device connected to the server system to cause the server system to control access to the electronic device by the other device.