> I’m a Works with Nest developer. Will I be able to access and control Nest devices moving forward?<p>> No. The Actions on Google Smart Home platform does not provide open API access to Nest devices, so it cannot be used to access and control Nest devices. Instead, managing and controlling Google Home, Nest, and thousands of third-party smart home devices is done through the Google Home app and the Google Assistant.<p>Wow, just wow. The entire non-Google Nest ecosystem evaporates overnight.
This seems to include all of us using them in open-source "hobbyist" environments, like Home Assistant and Node-Red. I'm quite frustrated by this; I'll never buy another Nest product again, and I now regret my purchase of the Nest Thermostat.<p>All the rest of my IoT stuff is either open-source hardware/software, or at the least local-only with known protocol interfaces. This was the one exception I made for IoT "cloud", giving Google the benefit of the doubt. I regret deeply giving them that benefit now.
EU law (because the EU seems to be the only one willing to make these big laws inconveniencing tech) - any IOT enabled product that has the IOT capabilities removed by closing of a service without a simple way for those capabilities to be re-enabled (simple being further clarified in law) can be returned for a full purchase refund up to 3 months after closing of the service.
For those who see this as Google turning off an unused service: no, just no. This is Google cutting off a massive interop ecosystem to try to parlay the success of Nest into higher adoption of Google Home. That’s vastly different than shutting down G+, Wave, Orkut, Reader, etc.<p>It would be as if they announced tomorrow that the only way to read GMail is in Chrome browser or on an Android phone.
I used to be a fan of Google. They were the good ones, the open ones. Ha! I’ve feel like they played the long sucker game. How times have changed. Even Android feels like a ruse. And Chrome. And maps.<p>The last thing will be search. At some point it’ll be curated for my own good.<p>To be fair, Everyone has to make a living, but be honest don’t take people for suckers of make them into suckers.
What's the point of creating an ecosystem if you won't support it? Typical Google. I understand shutting down or refocusing services that don't work. But decisions like this or to shut down Inbox make no sense to me. It feels like complete disregard of the user base.
So now all Nest accounts have to go through Google. Can’t wait for the first time some Android developer gets their Google account locked and suddenly can’t change the temperature on their HVAC unit.
So my Nest app[1] that has 1800+ registered users will stop working in August. :'(<p>[1] <a href="https://richev.me/nest" rel="nofollow">https://richev.me/nest</a>
I see Google API/ecosystem fans often defending or dismissing Google’s pattern of behavior here, using arguments like this:<p><i>“Well, sure, they shut down that API I don’t use — big deal; all things come to an end eventually! But, they’d NEVER do that to this API I rely on — that would be so horrible, Google just would not do it!”</i><p>I hope we all can acknowledge that this argument is on perpetually eroding ground, at the very least.
Honestly, I think that IoT manufacturers should be required to provide open APIs. Preventing third-party developers from interfacing with smart devices, especially after they've already been sold to consumers, seems dangerously monopolistic.
> One developer platform. We want to unify our efforts around third-party connected home devices under a single developer platform – a one-stop shop for both our developers and our customers to build a more helpful home. To accomplish this, we’ll be winding down Works with Nest on August 31, 2019, and delivering a single unified experience through the Works with Google Assistant program.<p>> One set of privacy commitments. As Nest redefines technology in the home, there’s an opportunity to explain clearly and simply how our connected home devices and services work, and how we will respect your privacy. Learn more about Google’s commitment to privacy in the home.<p>and at least a preliminary perusal of the google home apps seems to indicate control of nest works:<p><a href="https://assistant.google.com/explore/c/19/?jsmode=du&hl=en_US&utm_campaign=GS102472&utm_source=external&utm_medium=email_service&utm_content=workswithgoogleassistant" rel="nofollow">https://assistant.google.com/explore/c/19/?jsmode=du&hl=en_U...</a><p>so while grumpiness about this consolidation and need to migrate / have a google account (instead of nest account) seems warranted, this doesn't feel like the same thing as "pulling a twitter" or a conspiracy to bait and switch developers.<p>if it turns out you won't be able to actually control the nest in the same way, I'll go get my pitchfork and join y'all, but I'm cautiously waiting to see how this turns out.
I bought two Nest thermostats this winter because they worked with only R-W wires. I turned off the learning feature, as it was useless for my house with its combination of passive solar and radiant heat. However, the API is/was quite simple and I was looking forward to writing my own controller.<p>Still, I had this nagging feeling that I shouldn’t have bought them. Thanks for confirming my anxieties, Google! I can’t trust you, but I at least can trust you to be you.
So let's talk alternatives. EcoBee? Honeywell?<p>What's the suggested alternate device and route for those of us that like a little control, like having other services that can integrate, and don't want to be yanked around by shutdowns?
How soon until google gets sued for the bait and switch? This reminds me of the Sony PlayStation Linux lawsuit: <a href="https://segmentnext.com/2016/06/21/sony-linux-lawsuit-ends-sony-will-pay-millions-gamers/" rel="nofollow">https://segmentnext.com/2016/06/21/sony-linux-lawsuit-ends-s...</a>
Hey, so how do I graph the temperature of my house at each temperature sensor over time?<p>I knew how to do that with the Nest API (see e.g. <a href="https://github.com/peterot/nest-graph" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/peterot/nest-graph</a> or <a href="https://github.com/nbrownus/nestflux" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/nbrownus/nestflux</a> ). These data provide some useful information about energy expenditure in the house, a little better than the Nest "schedule" view of daily heating/cooling activity and daily temperature settings.<p>Will this still be possible with the new indirect Google Assistant API integration they are describing? How?
Does any attorney want to speculate whether Google could be forced to accept returns on Nest devices now that they’re materially worse through intentional actions?
It's interesting to see the responses to this article and contrast with the responses to the article regarding Facebook's possible 5B fine. I don't know the motivation behind this decision but I can't help but see the two sides of the same coin.<p>If we decide as a society that third-party apps misusing the platform in a way that hurts the users or otherwise looks bad to the outside world is the platform's fault, even if this was done with the user's consent (which the app that harvested data for Cambridge Analytica had) and furthermore decide that such conduct deserves a disproportionate fine (which 5B is, given that much larger breaches without any consent have generally gone unpunished) because the platform as a whole is owned by a large successful company, we cannot also expect large tech companies to keep supporting open platforms that allow third-parties to thrive. The economic benefits of giving control to the user are fairly marginal and theoretical, while the risks are extremely large and potentially existential.<p>I'm not intimately familiar with this particular API, but it's almost certain that it can be abused by third party apps in a way that makes look Google bad. Platform openness has its advocates and detractors at every company. In light of what's going on, it would be hard for the advocates to win any argument.
If a developer has gone to the effort to integrate their solution with Nest, I'd be very surprised if they don't get their solution integrated with Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit too while they're at it. So I assume that when end-users switch over their Nest devices to the Google Assistant platform, their existing Nest integrations will be available on the Google Assistant platform too. Doesn't appear to be as doom and gloom as most other commenters here are predicting.
If you're even slightly surprised by this you weren't paying attention when Google bought the Revolv smart home ecosystem then took it out back and shot it. All the customers got when their expensive smart home devices shut down was a "Thanks for playing, here's a coupon for saving when you buy a Nest because we just turned off all your shit".<p>Google is a company with severe ADHD. Consumers expect home appliances to operate for decades. That is not a good mixture. If the whole "internet of things" trend dies out and people stop buying, you bet your ass Google will happily shut Nest's servers down and leave every single one of their customers out in the cold. They've already done it.<p>I've got friends with home automation systems from the early 80s. They work flawlessly. You think any service or device Google sells will be functioning in twenty years? Thirty?<p>Call me when IBM is offering a smart hub.
Hey, at least they are going to roll "Nest" accounts into "Google" accounts so hopefully the app can stop asking me to set up sms based 2fa everytime I try to change the temp.<p>All that employee stock from the acquisition must be finished vesting.
Nest screwed the pooch with me before Google bought them by changing their UI and temporarily bricking my thermostat with unwanted firmware updates. (My Nest still works as a dumb thermostat but I'll never let it talk to the Internet again.)<p>When Google bought them I knew Nest would only get worse, and here we are.
Can't wait for them to tell me that Google Apps accounts aren't supported so I'll lose all access to my Nest devices... if that happens I'll be removing all of my Nest devices and selling my Google Home.<p>I'm <i>SO SICK</i> of them acting like there needs to be a firewall between google apps accounts and <i>everything else</i>.
If you're looking for a replacement, try starting here...<p><a href="https://www.hackster.io/projects/tags/thermostat" rel="nofollow">https://www.hackster.io/projects/tags/thermostat</a><p>Plenty of people have worked on open source / open hardware thermostat systems. Take your anger at this and apply it to them.
Just yesterday I started to look into building a tiny app that checks if the temperature in my two rooms that have a Nest is too hot or cold in one and OK in the other and just turn the fan on instead of heat/AC. And here we go...I guess I am not making that dumb "smart thermostat" ant smarter.
Does the Nest thermostat product still have an active firmware / hardware / software team?<p>It feels like various features have been kind of frozen in place for the past few years.
This is why we need to be pushing for devices that use open protocols at the very least. (Ideally they'd be fully open devices.)<p>It saddens me to see people buy into IoT and not think about the vendor lock-in or data exfiltration. The thing is, there really aren't any alternatives.
This makes it seem like you would have to use the "Works with Google Assistant" API's instead? i.e. rather than completely not available, there's a new platform?<p>Don't know about either API to know if that's the case, but it's what the page implies?
Honestly, this is so Google. They consistently abandon products and leave their customers hanging. I’ll never buy another product from them.<p>This is a huge win for Amazon. Ring will get more customers and Nest will be abandoned.
headline should be "that $300 doorbell is now a paperweight".<p>in the future it will be "that $8000 trunk car driving computer is now a paperweight".
Google decides to unify APIs under a single IoT brand, thus shutting down redundant APIs. Google bad.<p>Google maintaining multiple APIs that essentially do the same thing. Google bad.<p>People are going to complain either way. I welcome this change personally and think it makes perfect business sense. I can't think of any Works with Nest that I have integrated in my home that's not already connected to my Google Home, so I don't really see this impacting many negatively.
While I'm frustrated at this, I'm wondering if what I'm feeling is a knee-jerk reaction.<p>I wonder how the Actions on Google Smart Homes integration works.<p>Will I still be able to control my Nest thermostats from Google Smart Home Actions? This seems to be mentioned, but it's unclear what I'm able to do and how.
I wonder how big the "Works-with-Nest" ecosystem actually is. With that I don't mean the _potential_ size, but the actual size in terms of usage.<p>Does anyone have a bit of insight in that? Maybe that could give more insight in the reasoning of Google to shut it down.
It seems weird they're announcing this during I/O - you'd think they'd avoid telling developers that their platforms sometimes shut down with 3 months notice and with no replacement provided when everyone's paying attention.
I went through the elaborate motions of setting up HomeBridge to make my pre-HomeKit Nest ecosystem inter operate with my Apple devices. Now they’ve gone and trashed it. I guess I’ll just replace all their devices and Google can go to hell.
I read on The Verge that the Nest cameras will have their operating lights hardcoded to ON.<p>They cite pervy privacy reasons, but bad luck for anyone using it as a baby monitor, through a glass window, etc.
The worst part is that Google Home is a complete shit-show so far. I constantly have to redo device setups for dvices that randomly disappear, recreate groups that lose one or more (and sometimes <i>all</i>) devices, and physically reset devices that randomly disconnect from wifi. It's been a terrible experience so far. I'd get rid of it completely if Alexa would let me like songs on Spotify, but that's another conversation altogether.
I understand everyone wants to dump on Google here, but Nest labs is the company that made the API, not Google, and AFAIK they never turned a profit. So as far as "promises" go, Google didn't really make a promise to anyone w.r.t the API FWICT. Google has shuttered their own products plenty, but when you purchase a loss-making company you're going to want to streamline everything, so you can make your money back.
I wonder if it's time to re-evaluate the concept of "not invented here". Services that exist at another company's pleasure aren't a platform to build a business on. This is effectively a type a single sourcing. There are no contractual obligations to you on the part of the service provider, and tremendous leverage to undermine you if you ever get big enough to get noticed.
So "Works with Nest" is the G version of "Plays For Sure"?<p>Funny how the more assertive the name the more likely it is to be dumped
I thought about buying a thermostat for my district heating radiators. But for the time being I just manage with a cheap thermometer and regulating the radiator manually, because they already have a crude thermostat. It works quite good, because weather is not changing as fast day to day and heating season is not very long.<p>Many times more technology equals more nuisance.
It really feels like Google is starting to be forced to actually make money on things or get rid of them. With Nest that means sell more of their products and ecosystem instead of supporting everybody else...given last quarter's numbers etc. it looks like they may need to begin to focus on that, especially if the ad revenues continue to go down.
Just bought a home this year and I am so glad I went with Ecobee and Ubiquiti Unifi cameras.<p>If your model is a subscription service I don’t want your product. Especially if they are acquired by Google. Google has acquired and killed (or killed their own products) more products than almost any company I use.<p>I don’t even want Alexa so I just turn it off.
And there went my love for Nest. I’ve been one of the earliest adopters...love the product. After they got acquired by Google I’ve been expecting this, however, not so soon.<p>Time to start looking into an alternative - suggestions anyone?
I was just about to upgrade my home with Nest products. The other alternative I was looking into looks much more attractive now.<p>I wonder if this was about money, control, or developer resources? What's the upshot for them?
This sort of thing by Google (along with dropping many beloved consumer products) has become such a regular occurrence that I wonder how much it has impacted the tepid adoption of Google Cloud by developers.
It will be interesting to see if some open source firmware comes out of this. I wonder if we will see people "jailbreaking" their IoT devices to work with more open/collaborative marketplaces.
:clap: :clap: Don't make breaking changes in public things :clap: :clap:<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyLBGkS5ICk" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyLBGkS5ICk</a>
Does anyone know of a good replacement for the Nest Protect Smoke Alarms? Lots of recs for ecobee and insteon for thermostats, but I'd love a smoke detector recommendation.
Disclaimer: I own no Smart Home devices.<p>Under the FAQ, I was not able to find an entry like "Will I be able to reach a human about my Nest devices / services?". That's a bit scary. Not sure if that was possible before though. But, considering the occasional horror story of what happens when you get locked out of a Google account, I wonder what the impact will be having a Nest integrated with that.
So what you're saying is Google is giving another red flag that any work done with them should only be considered a privilege that can be revoked at any time? It's funny I found this article and I'd literally just been thinking about how I need to avoid Google products because I can't afford to have my workflow just up and disappear when someone at Google gets promoted to a higher level management.
Questions I won't get answers to, but about which I'm curious anyway:<p>1. How many <i>end-users</i> are affected?<p>2. How many <i>devs</i> are affected?<p>3. What is the annual <i>transaction volume</i> that is affected?<p>Depending on the magnitude of the answers to these questions, I can see turning this API off being either a good thing or a bad thing. If hundreds of users are affected, well. Sad, but sometimes unpopular things get turned off. If hundreds of thousands of users are affected, this is an eyebrow-raising decision.<p>Developers are also important, but less so than users. It would be nice to keep the lights on just to let people tinker, but that same openness creates security risks and costs money. Many on this site praise Apple when they make restrictive decisions that harm devs, as long as those decisions are justified in terms of end-user privacy and security.<p>I think the transaction volume question gets at the heart of the issue, at least for me. If there is a lot of economic activity here, that's a signal that user needs might not be accounted for in this decision, or at least are not its primary driver. On the other hand, if only $1M or $2M per year is changing hands in the affected part of the ecosystem, well . . . again, nothing lasts forever.