Nest – Earlybirds Invest https://earlybirdsinvest.com Latest Crypto News Tue, 19 Aug 2025 18:35:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.7 https://i0.wp.com/earlybirdsinvest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cropped-New-Project-2024-12-17T235703.455.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Nest – Earlybirds Invest https://earlybirdsinvest.com 32 32 240146708 Hot water control is the next Nest feature coming to Google Home https://earlybirdsinvest.com/hot-water-control-is-the-next-nest-feature-coming-to-google-home/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/hot-water-control-is-the-next-nest-feature-coming-to-google-home/#respond Tue, 19 Aug 2025 18:35:57 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/hot-water-control-is-the-next-nest-feature-coming-to-google-home/
google nest thermostat review google home app temperature dial 1

Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority

TL;DR

  • Google is preparing to add hot water controls to the Home app, as confirmed by the Google Nest and Home Chief Product Officer.
  • The feature is in final testing and will roll out in the near future. It will let you control hot water from the app if your thermostat supports it.
  • It follows last week’s rollout of temperature scheduling for older Nest thermostats, further reducing reliance on the legacy Nest app.

Google has been steadily migrating functions from the old Nest app to the Home app, with full temperature scheduling for older Nest thermostats now rolling out. That update, spotted by Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman last week, was a big deal as it was the last major reason many people still needed the old Nest app.

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But the migration isn’t quite finished. In a reply to Mishaal on X, Anish Kattukaran, the Chief Product Officer for Google Home and Nest, confirmed that hot water control is in “final testing” and will be included in “one of our next few releases.” His remarks came after readers of Mishaal’s article commented that hot water control was still missing, and that the new schedule interface felt like a downgrade compared to the old Nest app.

Google CPO Confirming Hot Water Controls Comonig to Home App X

Hot water control lets you do things like set a schedule for heating water, quickly trigger a boost, or switch it on and off manually. That’s if your thermostat is connected to a compatible hot water system. Until now, that functionality has required the older Nest app.

The move fits into Google’s broader effort to consolidate everything in the Home app, reducing the need for the legacy Nest app and streamlining controls across its smart home ecosystem.

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]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/hot-water-control-is-the-next-nest-feature-coming-to-google-home/feed/ 0 54047 Nest Hub problems strike owners: Is your smart display broken? https://earlybirdsinvest.com/nest-hub-problems-strike-owners-is-your-smart-display-broken/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/nest-hub-problems-strike-owners-is-your-smart-display-broken/#respond Sat, 17 May 2025 08:00:15 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/nest-hub-problems-strike-owners-is-your-smart-display-broken/
Google Nest Hub on a table

TL;DR

  • Owners of the first-gen Nest Hub report recent device failures, freezing up during the boot process.
  • Attempts to factory reset the hardware have not been successful at restoring operation.
  • It’s possible a recent firmware update may play a role, but Google has yet to confirm anything.

Update, May 16, 2025 (09:41 PM ET): We’ve heard back from Google, and the company confirms that it’s aware of these reports, and has a fix rolling out.

Google’s solution is scheduled to hit all Nest Hub units by sometime early next week. If you’re still experiencing an issue like the one we describe here after that, Google asks that you follow up in its support thread to let the company know.

Original article, May 16, 2025 (04:04 PM ET): How long do you expect your devices to last? With something like a phone, you’ve got the threat of physical damage hanging over it basically all the time, need to worry about its battery deciding to go all explosive on you, and had better make sure your manufacturer is keeping up with security updates to keep hackers at bay. But for smart home tech that plugs in, doesn’t leave the safety of your house, and has only limited access to your accounts, is it really that wrong for consumers to expect their devices to largely just keep on working? A growing number of Nest Hub users are grumbling about that just now, as a wave of failures appears to be hitting the smart display, and Google does not seem to be doing much about it.

The Nest Hub debuted as the Google Home Hub all the way back in 2018, and it’s been reasonably well supported over the years, getting a major software refresh as it moved to Fuchsia and continuing to act as an affordable solution for controlling your smart home. But over the course of the past week or so, we’ve been spotting reports of first-gen Nest Hub models getting stuck on their boot screen, and failing to operate. Hub owner Angela Hopkins got a thread running in Google’s Nest Community, and Reddit users like Gabi_Social have been reporting the same issues on the site’s Google Home sub.

Affected units appear to hang on the Google “G” when booting, and attempts to factory reset the hardware seem to be fruitless. In that Reddit account, the owner contacted Google support for help, only to be turned away because their Nest Hub warranty was four years expired.

Google Home Hub logo

There are lots of different ways that old, no-longer-supported products can die. If devices rely on connection to an external server, for instance, the company running it may eventually decide to power things down. And while it sucks when that happens, at least that’s a conscious decision that affects all users equally. What Nest Hub users are experiencing here, however, has more of the hallmarks of a firmware update gone wrong, which while equally ignoble, is a much more frustrating way for a product to die.

On Google’s Nest firmware page, the company shows version 26.20250116.103.2900 as being the most recent release for the Nest Hub, and it appears this software started heading out within the past month.

We’ve reached out to Google in the hopes of learning more about what could possibly be causing these problems, and to see if there’s any way for owners to get their smart displays operational again. We’ll update you with anything we hear back.

Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at news@androidauthority.com. You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it’s your choice.
]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/nest-hub-problems-strike-owners-is-your-smart-display-broken/feed/ 0 36702 Google retires Nest Protect, launches new partner smart home devices https://earlybirdsinvest.com/google-retires-nest-protect-launches-new-partner-smart-home-devices/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/google-retires-nest-protect-launches-new-partner-smart-home-devices/#respond Fri, 28 Mar 2025 16:03:06 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/google-retires-nest-protect-launches-new-partner-smart-home-devices/
Nest protect device on wall

TL;DR

  • Google is officially retiring the 2013 Nest Protect smart smoke and CO2 alarm.
  • A similar product from First Alert is launching in its place, with full support in the Google Home app and interoperability with the Nest Protect.
  • Google is also co-launching a new smart lock from Yale to replace the Nest x Yale Lock from 2018.

Way back in October 2013, a young company called Nest Labs launched the Nest Protect, one of the first smart smoke/CO2 alarms to enter the burgeoning smart home market. Only a few months later, Google had swept in and bought Nest for $3.2 billion. Unbelievably, since then, not much has changed: Google still makes the Nest Protect ($99 at Amazon) and has only moderately increased its price over the past 12 years.

Today, however, the company is finally sending the Nest Protect off to pasture. Starting now, production of the Nest Protect will cease, and Google will sell through all remaining stock.

Instead of producing its own replacement for the Nest Protect, Google is looking to a partner to fill the gap. First Alert — owned by a company called Resideo — is co-launching with Google the new First Alert Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm. Although a different firm makes it, the First Alert device is basically a Nest Protect 2 in that it integrates with existing Nest Protects and fully supports the Google Home app. In other words, if you have multiple Nest Protects throughout your house and one of them fails, you can just swap in one of these new First Alert alarms, and it will perform in pretty much the same fashion.

In fact, this new device even looks a lot like the Nest Protect, as you can see in the official image below:

First Alert Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm

The First Alert Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm will go on sale in the United States and Canada “in the coming months” for a projected price of $129, the same price as the original Nest Protect. You can pre-order it now at First Alert’s site.

If you’re worried that this news means any Nest Protects you own will become paperweights, don’t worry. Google is still committed to offering security updates to all Nest Protect devices through their individual expiration dates.

A similar story for the Nest x Yale Lock, which is also being discontinued

Yale Smart Lock with Matter 2025

It was never an official Made by Google product, but the 2018 Nest x Yale Lock was clearly developed in partnership with Google and Nest. The smart lock integrated smoothly with the Google Home platform and remains, to this day, the only smart lock with the Nest branding.

Unfortunately, this lock is also being retired today. As with the Nest Protect, Google and Yale will sell through the remaining stock of the device and cease to make any additional units.

Like the Nest Protect, Google and Yale will continue to support the Nest x Yale Lock with security updates. Additionally, Google will even integrate passcode management support and other new features with the Google Home app, making it still an excellent investment (or worth holding onto if you already have one).

To replace the Nest x Yale Lock, Yale is launching a smart lock called the Yale Smart Lock with Matter, which you can see in the image above. This will be the next-best thing to replace the Nest x Yale Lock.

Yale tells us this new smart lock will seamlessly integrate with the Google Home ecosystem — including Nest doorbells — along with general Matter-certified devices. It supports multiple entry methods, including passcode, app triggering, or even a conventional key. The lock will be available in three finishes (Ash, Matte Black, and Snow) and will cost $170. It will be available “later this summer.”

Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at news@androidauthority.com. You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it’s your choice.
]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/google-retires-nest-protect-launches-new-partner-smart-home-devices/feed/ 0 27712 The switch from Google Assistant to Gemini might kill Nest speakers and displays https://earlybirdsinvest.com/the-switch-from-google-assistant-to-gemini-might-kill-nest-speakers-and-displays/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/the-switch-from-google-assistant-to-gemini-might-kill-nest-speakers-and-displays/#respond Fri, 21 Mar 2025 07:04:36 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/the-switch-from-google-assistant-to-gemini-might-kill-nest-speakers-and-displays/

Google Home and Nest speakers and displays as we know them may be doomed if the company’s recent Google Assistant deprecations are any indication. Google Assistant is rapidly losing features as Google puts more time and effort into Gemini, its AI-based chatbot and assistant. Just this week, Google announced plans to remove seven more features from Google Assistant in the future, following up the 18 features that were lost in early 2024.

As such, it’s not an understatement to call the Google Assistant a shell of its former self. That isn’t as much of an issue on smartphones and tablets, as Gemini serves as a better virtual assistant in many cases. When Gemini falls short, Android phones and tablets can take advantage of Assistant extensions to fill the gap. In fact, rumors point to Gemini replacing the Google Assistant on smartwatches via a future Wear OS update, too.

There’s just one problem — Gemini can’t replace the Google Assistant on the smart home devices that need it most. Google hasn’t refreshed its smart displays, including the second-generation Nest Hub and the Nest Hub Max, since 2021. It hasn’t updated the Google Nest Mini smart speaker since 2019. That reality means that the affordable and aging Nest smart speakers and displays could be left without critical Assistant features and unable to run Gemini effectively.

Google TV Streamer with Nest Cam

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

Google quietly set a precedent for how it plans to get Gemini on smart home products last year, and it’s bad news for fans of Nest hardware. The company completely killed the affordable Chromecast lineup in favor of the $100 Google TV Streamer, which will soon get Gemini Live and other AI features.

With Google seemingly winding down Assistant and putting a greater focus on Gemini, I’m worried that the Nest lineup could share a similar fate. The company could shift toward more expensive (and powerful) smart home controllers, like the Pixel Tablet, which can better handle Gemini. That would be a mistake because Google Assistant is the perfect piece of software to run on affordable and lightweight smart home products.

Google Nest speakers and displays are borderline useless without Assistant features

Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) photo library

(Image credit: Android Central)

Due to the age of Google Nest speakers and displays, they’re starting to slow down, and features are beginning not to work as expected. In some instances, the platform has felt like an afterthought. Earlier this year, a bug caused Nest devices to fail to answer basic requests, and it took weeks for users to get a fix.

On top of that, Google is actively killing key Google Assistant features. Aside from the 18 features axed last year, the company recently updated its support document with seven new deprecations. For instance, you won’t be able to change photo frame settings or ambient screen settings with your voice anymore. While you can still do this manually on your Nest display, that kind of defeats the point of having a voice-equipped smart screen.

Nest Mini

(Image credit: Android Central)

Some of the more egregious removals include the ability to get daily updates from your Google Assistant, such as requests like “Send me the weather every day.” You also won’t be able to favorite, share, or use your voice to ask about photos that were taken. Put simply, Nest hardware doesn’t just lack new features — it’s also consistently losing basic functionality and features.

It’s understandable that Google doesn’t want to spread itself too thin by working on Assistant and Gemini simultaneously, but it should consider all of the products in its portfolio. While Pixel phones and tablets are getting better by the day with new Gemini features, Nest speakers and displays are seemingly getting worse by the day.

Android Central reached out to Google regarding its plans for current and future Nest devices, as well as the state of Google Assistant, but the company did not get back to us in time for publication.

Gemini won’t solve the problem, it’ll make it worse

Nest Hub Max next to Pixel Tablet on countertop

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

If the option to switch to Gemini was available today for Nest hardware, Google’s recent Assistant feature removals would be defensible. However, it isn’t, and I’m skeptical that Gemini is the solution to this problem. It’s unlikely that a Gemini-based assistant could run on older Nest speakers and displays, leaving them stuck with a Google Assistant bleeding basic features.

The transition to Gemini might kill Nest smart home products as we know them. Existing hardware would almost certainly become less useful, as the Google Assistant has lost 25 features since the start of 2024. New hardware, if released, would probably be priced higher than current Nest speakers and displays to accommodate AI processing demands.

Historically, the great thing about the Google Nest family of products was that you could outfit your entire home with speakers, cameras, and displays without breaking the bank. A Nest Mini speaker costs $50 at retail, and a Nest Hub display costs $100 at retail.

The shiny Google Nest Learning Thermostat (Gen 4)

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

Google needs to upgrade Nest smart speakers and displays, like it upgraded the Nest Learning Thermostat and created the Google TV Streamer. Many of the devices in the Nest lineup are half a decade old, or older.

With that being said, it should be careful about creating new Nest speakers and displays that are more premium, more powerful, and more pricey. If the future of Nest hardware is Gemini-powered products sold at a premium price, the brand’s identity would be drastically changed.

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/the-switch-from-google-assistant-to-gemini-might-kill-nest-speakers-and-displays/feed/ 0 26358 Google is dialing back more Assistant features on Android and Nest devices https://earlybirdsinvest.com/google-is-dialing-back-more-assistant-features-on-android-and-nest-devices/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/google-is-dialing-back-more-assistant-features-on-android-and-nest-devices/#respond Tue, 18 Mar 2025 09:15:55 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/google-is-dialing-back-more-assistant-features-on-android-and-nest-devices/

What you need to know

  • Seven more Google Assistant features are getting axed, continuing the trend that started in late 2024.
  • Google is not giving a heads-up on when these features will vanish. Instead, you’ll get a notification while using them, letting you know they’re about to disappear.
  • To soften the blow, Google suggests setting up custom Routines to replicate some of the lost features.

Google Assistant’s time is ticking as Gemini takes over mobile and eventually smart devices, so the tech giant announced the new batch of features on the chopping block.

With Gemini set to fully take over by the end of 2025, Google is now axing seven more Assistant features, as spotted by 9to5Google. This move isn’t exactly surprising, though. Google has been slowly chipping away at Assistant’s capabilities since late 2024, making it clear that the transition is well underway.

Turns out, the Gemini transition isn’t just happening to Android phones. Google’s smart home lineup, including premium smart speakers and smart displays, is also in for some changes.

After phasing out several Assistant features, Google has now confirmed that more “underutilized features” are getting the axe as part of this transition.

What’s getting cut?

First off, Google is pulling the plug on the ability to manage photo metadata by voice. That means you won’t be able to favorite, share, or ask about the time and location of photos using voice commands anymore. However, you can still do all of this manually in the Google Photos app, and photo metadata will still be viewable on Smart Displays and tablets.

Similarly, voice commands for tweaking photo frame and ambient display settings are going away, but you can still adjust them directly through the Smart Display settings.

Interpreter mode, which provides real-time multilingual translation during conversations, is also getting cut. You’ll still be able to translate single words and phrases, but the live conversation feature is disappearing.

Google is also removing automatic birthday reminders in Routines, though you can still set them up manually with Assistant commands. Family Bell announcements—scheduled or requested reminders for family broadcasts—are also on the chopping block.

Additionally, Google is shutting down automatic daily updates like weather reports, but you can still set up custom Routines to get scheduled updates. Lastly, Google Assistant will no longer work with car accessories connected via Bluetooth or an aux cable.

No clear timeline, just warnings

To make things even more frustrating, Google hasn’t laid out a clear timeline for when these features will disappear. Instead, users will get notifications while using affected features, giving them a heads-up before they’re shut down.

To make up for the loss of features you’ve come to love, Google suggests setting up custom Routines as a workaround.

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