Google Announces End Date for Original Nest Thermostat Support

[gsmornot]

I join the rest of you with Nest Protects that will need a solution in the future. Also an Apple guy, it's the only thing I own from Nest but I have 9 of them to figure out replacements for in the future. Here we have to have detectors in each bedroom as well as the common area outside of bedrooms and in living spaces not to include the kitchen. So, at $100 each when I bought mine, I have an investment. It's a small price to pay for what was/is the best rated detector.

 

[Robert.Walter]

One does not pay premium prices for a device that will not last decades.

I hope a class action suit develops out of this.

 

[theluggage]

I have installed my Nest thermostats all by myself. In Belgium. No issues whatsoever. This is Vaillant and co trying to protect their market but it all works just great.

The actual connection from the controller/hub to boiler that switches the boiler on/off is usually 240v. Newer installations - typically with a wireless thermostat/timer - have a standardised thermostat/timer base box that you can just plug the receiver in to.

I could really do with a smart, multi-room thermostat system at the mo. But they all seem to depend on proprietary Apps and servers which is a real dealbreaker - and completely unnecessary.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I have an ecobee, and aside from the fact that it isn't owned by Google, if they ever drop support from it I can still use HomeKit to access it. So, it's theoretically viable until Apple drops support for thermostats in Homekit - which is never, I hope.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I have an ecobee, and aside from the fact that it isn't owned by Google, if they ever drop support from it I can still use HomeKit to access it. So, it's theoretically viable until Apple drops support for thermostats in Homekit - which is never, I hope.

We had the 2nd gen Ecobee in our vacation place and it would lock up once every few weeks. Had to pull it off the wall to reset. Contacted Ecobee and it was a known issue with no ETA on a fix.

Maybe it's been fixed since then, but it didn't leave a great taste.

One does not pay premium prices for a device that will not last decades.

I hope a class action suit develops out of this.

They have lasted a decade; 1st gen was released in 2011 and the 2nd gen in 2012, so that's fourteen and thirteen years. The 3rd gen will still be supported, and it was released a decade ago (2015).

All that said, I don't know why they need to disconnect them from the service.

 

[oryan_dunn]

It's massively frustrating when a company (especially large companies that have the resources) dumps support for perfectly functioning products, which renders them mostly useless.

I'm hit with the same sort of thing. Logitech has dropped support for the original Harmony Remotes. Remotes will still function, but I won't be able to reprogram them as I change up components or change how I use them or what buttons I want quick access to. I have several 610, 620, and 670 remotes that I and my family love. At least in the thermostat space, there are other decent alternatives. Universal remotes, there are none that fit what I need (I know about Sofabaton and Unfolded Circle), but none have a full complement of buttons like these older Harmony bean style remotes that we love.

 

[Hajj.david]

Google are just plain awful at hardware.

and software.. why would anyone use their stuff in business.

Killed by Google

Killed by Google is the open source list of dead Google products, services, and devices. It serves as a tribute and memorial of beloved services and products killed by Google.

killedbygoogle.com

Exactly why I moved my company away from Google and to MS for enterprise services. (Say what you want about MS, their enterprise is THE standard). The only piece we are still using from Google is Firebase for our app databases but that should be moved to Parse by the end of the year.

 

[zorinlynx]

This is just a lesson to everyone that when buying any sort of "smart" device, always make sure that it supports a standard LOCAL control protocol, whether it be HomeKit or Matter. If your device supports these, it'll pretty much work forever.

I have my complaints about my Ecobee but at least it supports HomeKit, so it will ALWAYS work. Even if Ecobee the company completely vanishes and their servers vanish, I'll still be able to control my thermostat through the Apple Home app, or even HomeKit integration on Home Assistant if I were to leave the Apple platform.

Remember, local control is the way to go. Don't buy anything that 100% depends on cloud servers.

 

[EugW]

Logitech has dropped support for the original Harmony Remotes. Remotes will still function, but I won't be able to reprogram them as I change up components or change how I use them or what buttons I want quick access to. I have several 610, 620, and 670 remotes that I and my family love. At least in the thermostat space, there are other decent alternatives. Universal remotes, there are none that fit what I need (I know about Sofabaton and Unfolded Circle), but none have a full complement of buttons like these older Harmony bean style remotes that we love.

I could still program my Logitech 650 and 700 remotes as of last year. I haven’t tried this year.

 

[chamkila]

I think I am going to try, to resist the urge to buy a new one, and let the Gen 1 Thermostat work as a standard only style thermostat.

The energy history in the nest app stopped showing up years ago when google pushed people to migrate to google account, which I did not. That is when had a feeling that this will not end well, and that time has come.

Nest Thermostat and Protect are the only google devices in my home, besides the Android OS on the Sony TV. Definitely don't feel buying like anything google.

But then, Apple also does similar things, like kill iCloud support fort old Apple devices, Collaborate feature suddenly stopped working on the older Apple devices after a software update. And when I contacted apple support, they said you can share yoru feedback for how you feel for killing such features.

Sad.

 

[MacLawyer]

I've got Nest cameras all over the exterior of my house. Can't wait for support to terminate. /s

 

[AgeOfSpiracles]

Is there any hope of a community developed replacement for the cloud services?

 

[stocklen]

This is pretty outrageous especially from a company the size of Google.

You purchase a product in good faith and reasonably expect it to last years. However in this day and age with connected devices they are only good as long as the company still supports the back end and when they decide to cease support it becomes a glorified paperweight

This is not good for ANY device.... but the thermostat is particularly unforgivable. In many cases it's integral to the home and an essential device to pair with the boiler. It is not something someone will change on a whim as it needs professional installation. You don't tend to change from one to another for fun.

That said, I had a nest 2nd gen learning thermostat and was waiting for Matter compatibility. They upgraded the newer budget model but not the old one. I gave them a year then decided to change to a Hive (in the UK) which is cheaper and Matter compatible.

 

[azentropy]

As others have mentioned it is frustrating with smart devices that end up not being supported after a certain amount of time. It takes things that usually last 20+ years and significantly increased the cost and decreased the lifespan. I have moved on from my original Nest products to EcoBee in the last year anyway. Just this past month I replaced my last Belkin Wemo switch with a HomeKit compatible one (have 9 all together). Also switched my myQ garage door opener to one that supports Homekit and even just received a new Eufy lock for my front door to replace my Kwikset one since they dropped support for Homekit as well (haven't installed yet). See how long these last...

 

[HowEver]

Fortunately for some, it's just the 1st and 2nd generation Next Learning Thermostats that will lose functionality on October 25, 2025. So, 2011 to 2013 release dates? Yes, they should keep working, and yes, that means 2014 models and later are next, but many people will have the later models.

Nest Thermostat - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[StuBeck]

From a company valued at over $800 billion, this is outrageous.

There is no reasonable reason for this. Their servers are still active for the newer models. They are a company still in-profit. Remotely killing a devices key selling point is not on!

I will NEVER buy a Google product again - Ever. It is just not worth the short turn investment.

I will keep my Nest thermostats installed and use them manually as a constant reminder to never buy form them again.

Why are you keeping the thermostat installed rather than simply replace them with something with local support? The fact its a new thermostat would be a reminder too and not require you to lose features.

 

[PsykX]

They're not investing much money in Nest anymore.
When are thew new Doorbells coming out ?

 

[csnwbd2251]

We got an email from Google about it, and as I understand, they will be dropped from the Nest app as well. Google is also deprecating the Nest app "soon".

I prefer the Google Home app over the Nest app, personally, but to each their own.

That is where my problem lies. Depreciating old hardware (mine is 12yrs old) is not necessarily a bad idea as new technologies come along. Mine still works fine and the fact that I cannot have remote access to it is just not right. Google has plenty of resources available to keep some servers going for the app to keep working for those who do not want to upgrade.

 

[FoxyKaye]

Google are just plain awful at hardware.

and software.. why would anyone use their stuff in business.

Killed by Google

Killed by Google is the open source list of dead Google products, services, and devices. It serves as a tribute and memorial of beloved services and products killed by Google.

killedbygoogle.com

The thing I miss most is Google Domains. They were sold to Squarespace, which has turned the entire service into hot garbage.

Regarding Nest, I did buy a Starling Home Hub about 18 months ago, and it has continuously expanded in functionality - they might come up with some kind of solution <shrug>.

Though, to echo what others have said, no more Google products for this household.

 

[August West]

I have an ecobee, and aside from the fact that it isn't owned by Google, if they ever drop support from it I can still use HomeKit to access it. So, it's theoretically viable until Apple drops support for thermostats in Homekit - which is never, I hope.

I bought a Nest in 2018 and initially thought it was great but the limitations of the software of the fixed hours for periods of the day and lack of flexibility in using the remotes were annoying. And I found programming it was more cumbersome than it should have been. My hope was these would be rectified with updates but they never were. Then Google purchased them at which point I dumped Next and went with Ecobee.

Overall, I'm much happier with the Ecobee flexibility and programming freedom. Once programmed, I pretty much let it do its thing but it is nice to be able to override it remotely when needed. And as you say it can be controlled with Homekit or through the Homekit Bridge on Home Assistant. It it ever losses support I'll by something else since having the convenience of a remotely controlled thermostat is worth the money to me even if it doesn't last for decades.

 

[slvrscoobie]

As an Apple guy, I don’t have any Google products. Except 2 thermostats and 5 protects.

This is simply unacceptable. The hardware is still fine. Unplugging the service is a disgusting move, only triggering more landfills and causing distrust.

Never Google again!
Nest is dead.

same here - 2 nest thermostats, and 5-6 protects? I only got the thermostat cause I picked one up at a garage sale for $50 at the time when they were (and I guess until recently were) $200. The protects are the best smoke CO detectors out there, glad I have 7-8 more years with those.

 

[macduke]

Everyone should just switch to Ecobee. The hardware isn’t quite as pretty but it still looks good and has been rock solid for me since switching from Nest in 2016. Touchscreen is easier to use as well. Plus it integrates nicely with HomeKit. Probably one of the most reliable HomeKit devices I’ve owned.

 

[Enlightened Doggo]

It probably only requires part-time labor from one guy to keep these things running. A smaller company would just continue supporting them, but these huge corporations just can't resist screwing their customers.

 

[LazyMonkIE]

Personally I'm pleased to read this post. It's given me the nudge I needed to ditch my Nest system and switch it for Hive like I've been wanting to do for a while. That's ridiculous only having a 5 year lifespan but I can honestly say I'll be pleased to see it go. Setting up users was a gawd awful mess of creating Nest accounts and Google accounts. Don't even get me started on the scheduling...

 

[MistrSynistr]

Ecobee 4 life.