Discontinued support for my Nest thermostat! Very Upsetting.

[RubyW]

Dear Nest Support Team,

I am deeply disappointed by Google’s decision to discontinue support for my Nest Learning Thermostat (1st/2nd gen). This device was marketed as a long-term smart home investment, and abruptly rendering core features obsolete-including app control and remote access-undermines trust in your products.

While I appreciate the $130 discount on the 4th-gen model, this does not fully offset the inconvenience of forced obsolescence. Many users, myself included, purchased these thermostats with the expectation of ongoing functionality. The sudden loss of smart features (despite hardware still functioning) feels like a deliberate push to monetize loyal customers.

Key concerns:

• Lack of long-term support commitments at the time of purchase

• No option for third-party app integration post-discontinuation

• Environmental impact of discarding functional devices

I urge Google to reconsider this decision or extend the upgrade offer’s value. At minimum, provide concrete steps for users to retain basic smart functionality through alternative means. Or, Is there anything else you can offer me?  Like a free upgrade and installation. It is no fault of mine that you are choosing to discontinue my service. 

Sincerely,
Ruby Wilder

[ryvarra]

I am also VERY displeased by this announcement. People don't update their thermostats every few years like phones. They are one-time purchases unless something goes wrong. They live in households for years, and there is no technical reason they cannot continue to be supported by the app and infrastructure. I absolutely will NOT upgrade to a Gen4 or buy another device from Google if this is the support I can expect. I'd rather move to a device better supported by Matter or HomeKit that I won't have  to worry about losing support for.

[mrjfutz]

Yes. This is unacceptable.
What thermostat loses core functionality after only 10 years? But thanks to them for the offer to overpay for another one that they will likely stop supporting in another 10 years.

There's no way I will be buying another nest product.

[SHale99]

Upset, but ordered 2 gen 4 thermostats. 

[Romulan]

Good luck with that one.  They'll probably put back you on their obsolescence "treadmill" again in a few years. 

[Dbnest]

Also extremely disappointed by this.

These are basic devices, perfectly functional. 

Just shows the complete disregard GOOGLE has for both its customers and the environment.

I’d also urge GOOGLE to reconsider. 

[thermomania007]

I thought that the Google Nest thermostat was the best product on the market, the flagship of Google products, both for its workmanship and for its elegance and functionality. I would never have expected Google to pull the plug on a product like this just to monetize and increase earnings because that is what it is in the eyes of us users. This action shows how much Google cares about its customers. I will definitely never buy or recommend a Google product again.
It is a real loss of value on the part of Google, which seems to only look at profit and not the satisfaction of its (former) loyal customers.
Until now I had a grat opinion about google company, not anymore! Pitty.
I hope Google can reconsider the application of this reckless planned obsolescence.

[Romulan]

Thank the original Nest team (pre-Google) for the great features in Gen 1/2.  All that was consumed and spit out by Google once they took it over.  They just bought someone else's intellectual property and afterwards looked to enrich themselves off of it (void of their own genius).  Just know that if you ever own a product that gets bought and harvested by Google, especially after this recent experience, just start looking elsewhere for a better alternative.  It won't be long before you'll see your product support dwindle down to nothing with Google at the helm.  With Google, they could care less about making customers happy and generating good will.  It's all about how much they can pull out of your wallet and how little time it will take to do it. 

[AJ27]

As with any consumer facing Google product/service, you have no idea when Google will kill that product/service. That was my position way back in 2014 when I bought two Nest 2nd-gen thermostats. If I had the slightest inkling that Google would buy Nest, I would have never made that purchase in 2014.

Fast forward to 2025 and Google is basically making this "smart" thermostat a dumb one. I really never cared about any of the "smart" features, automation, etc. except being able to control/program it using the app. Once that functionality is gone, the thermostat is basically useless to me.

Let this be a lesson to anyone planning on buying a Nest thermostat (or any Google branded product). There are better products out there from companies that will stand behind that product. A thermostat is not a smart phone - there is really no reason to replace this every 10 years especially when there is nothing wrong with it.

[jsweinst]

Count me in as another angry customer. There is nothing wrong with these early version thermostats and nothing new being offered in the next generation that draws me to it --except for your actions making it necessary if I want to keep the economical home/away assist.

[jsweinst]

 I will also be looking for an alternative product.

[thRob]

Why would I ever buy another Google Smart home product?  My $1500 secure system was bricked, now this?  Just waiting for the day that they brick my home cameras 

[Avakabob]

Whilst I purchased Nest to  have the ability to control whilst away etc, I dispise this move by Google.  They won't get any more from me , forced upgrade can go and get stuffed.  Would  use lot stronger language  but would get some  other crap.  Other people have been more eloquent with their language and put forward  a good case which I support  fully but no forced upgrade for me .. it's  a thermostat ..   it will have to do it's job without support. 

[BrixtonCeltic]

I think this is absolutely disgusting. I have many nest smoke alarms and thermostats. I chose them due to the safety feature that a carbon monoxide alarm would get the thermostat to cut off the boiler.

With this approach Google are removing this critical safety feature from my home and are not giving me a satisfactory alternative.

Thermostats are core home product and should not be considered disposable every few years. Why can’t Google maintain the existing feature set and leave the app running rather than cutting service and forcing people to have their heating systems changed.

[Romulan]

It's obvious that Google is trying to monetize their 4th Gen Nest which, from what I've seen per reviews is NOT nearly as nice and user friendly as the Ecobee thermostats (especially the Premium and Enhanced Ecobee models).  They probably need to stimulate sales and are using their customer base to do it with this imposed obsolescence of Nest Gen1/2.  There's no good reason for this either.  This reminds me when they pulled the plug on support for the Apple Watch app for Nest, probably to give their Google watch at the time an advantage over Apple.  I've been researching a new thermostat based on their recent announcement and find that the Ecobee Premium and Enhanced thermostats not only surpass the Nest in terms of features, but are cheaper in terms of their list price than the near $280 list price on the overpriced Nest Gen4.  Not only that, but I can get my Apple Watch app support back with Ecobee.  Just so Google takes record... I don't want their Nest Gen4 at any discount because you've already lost trust with this customer by pulling support out from underneath me with my Nest Gen1 that I was thinking would still be supported.  Pulling the support to control it by app is a big strike against you.  I could even swallow no more updates to the device, but pulling app support and the ability to control the Nest remotely is pretty rotten!  I don't want your lousy discount offers as I wouldn't buy a product with Google behind it at any price.  This demonstrates just how untrustworthy you are and how little you value your customer base.  As far as I'm concerned you can take your Nest Gen4, Google, and pound sand with it!

[gigajiblet]

I thought they were joking at first, when they offered the discount on a new model.  

Google: "Hey, we're going to ruin a perfectly functioning product that you paid a lot of money for. Would you like to buy another?"

[Romulan]

That’s how a “cannibalistic” business like Google thinks.  Buy the successful product rights of a potential competitor and then chew up the product they first came out with and spit it out trying to coerce their original customer base to pay now for your inferior product you developed trying to copy their original genius.

[LittleVinnie]

I just purchasd  a new central AC/heat pump for my house 2 weeks ago and it came with a 2nd Gen nest thermostat. I'm going to get only 6 months of use out of my thermostat.

How difficult could it possibly be for Google to keep these devices working? There doesn't need to be additional updates, just keep them as is. 

[Romulan]

Having experience as a programmer they could probably maintain the code and support for it without that much overhead.  Especially if they mark it as EOL (End Of Life) in terms of enhancements and updates.  The thing here is that Gen 1 and 2 were developed by the original Nest team so Google has seen no income from those units per se.  They have no financial incentive to support them and actually probably hope with this sunset that they can get some $$$ from previous owners of their predecessors’ technology.  Could be also that in the transition from the original Nest to the now Google Nest, they may have kept some staff from the old on their payroll to provide support.  If so, this gives them the opportunity to save more money by sending any legacy Nest staffers/programmers packing. I’ve seen this happen before in this kind of industry.

[AJ27]

I think, its fair enough to say that Google has ticked off enough of the Gen1/2 thermostat owners that they'll probably make very little money from folks purchasing newer Nest thermostats. I for one will not be giving a single penny to Google (either for Nest or any of their products). I'm strongly considering the Ecobee Premium thermostat.

A few things other folks can contribute to:

1. Provide a link to this thread from multiple other sources (Reddit, Facebook?)

2. Suggest alternatives (Ecobee?) here to educate people.

3. Make sure anyone thinking of getting a Nest (or another Google product) knows about what happened with Gen1/2 Nest.

4. I will be posting a review of the Gen1/2 Nest thermostat on Amazon with a link to this thread and the announcement by Google bricking these thermostats (bricking => making it a dumb thermostat).

[db176]

I’m pretty p’d off here too. Rather than buy another product from you Google you’ve just put me off full stop. I’m just one person but I’d like to think you’ve hurt yourself a little with this decision. There was no need at all for this.

[DavidMcR]

I am in the UK and even if I wanted a 4th Gen product I can't get. I have the option of ordering a third party thermostat that works with Google Home, but where is the guarantee that won't break when Gemini inevitably gets rolled into every aspect of the Google ecosystem. 

The cost to maintain the existing functionality of the Gen 1 and 2 must tiny for any company never mind one the size of Google. Just hopeless. 

[db176]

UK here too. Properly annoyed, and don’t want Tado X thank you very much!

[BrixtonCeltic]

I contacted Google customer services about my concern. The issue was escalated and I received a curt response today pointing me back to the original offer and they closed my case. They did not answer any of my concerns on removing the safety features of my home set up or the fact the product they are proposing I buy does not support them either.

I have reopened the case and asked for a specific response to my  issues. As I am in the UK have also contacted Citizens Advice and Trading Standards.

[Fejesd]

hey google, what about the “dont be evil” slogan? I can imagine how much computing power and network bandwidth is required for turning on/off heat remotely. I’m surely will not buy new google product anymore.

[stevesturn]

I’m not sure words alone can express how disappointed I am in Google for this decision to once again abandon loyal customers for products that are NOT broken. First things first,  Google Home still sucks!  The Nest app was a decade ahead of its time and instead of investing and integrating there, you screwed everything up by forcing users to Google Home. You killed the security ecosystem, dropped support of older (BETTER) cameras, you tossed out the smoke detectors, and now you’re saying good bye to the OG thermostats!!!  It’s obvious you want everyone on Google Home, but how about invest more in fixing it to be better than (or even comparable to) the Nest app!  At this point we’re far beyond a ‘shame on you, Google’ this is definitely a ‘shame on me’ for buying in and continuing to invest in a company that shows zero respect for its loyal customers. At least Google maps is still awesome, in my opinion (don’t you dare mess with google maps!!!!). There, I ended on a high note…just kidding, I can’t stop there. Seriously I can’t continue to throw my money at a company that offers a worse solution for so-called deprecated (great products, in legacy Nest).  Frustrated to say the least. 

[Um6ra]

I'm extremely disappointed by Google's decision to discontinue essential functionality for my Nest thermostat. This device was marketed as a smart thermostat, but step by step it has been stripped of what made it smart in the first place.

First, it lost the ability to integrate with third-party systems, being locked down exclusively to the Google Home and Nest apps. Now, it’s going to lose even its remote access and automation features – some of the most important capabilities for any smart thermostat.

As a European customer, I’ve been offered a 50% discount on replacement products, but these replacements still require a subscription to unlock energy-saving features. And even that might not be enough — there are already signs that future features may be hidden behind paywalls, which the community previously had to push back against.

In the end, I’ll be left with a dumb thermostat that won’t save energy. In fact, it will consume energy running hardware and a screen just to do what a basic €30–€40 thermostat can do: turn heating on when the temperature drops and off when it gets too warm.

At the very least, you should unlock local network access so users can connect their Nest devices to platforms like Home Assistant, Hubitat, or other local smart home solutions. If Google no longer wants to support these devices, then hand back some control to the users who paid for them.

[BrixtonCeltic]

Agree with this 100%. I have asked Google the same for access to support it myself. I am not hopeful about the answer given the quality of the replies I have had so far.