Nest aware boondoggle (was nest camera can't turn on familiar face detection)

[pweil2]

I am reopening a thread from 3/2024 that got closed. @MplsCustomer , if you're reading this....

My problem is still not resolved. Google did offer us a free year's subscription to Nest Aware, but I haven't even been able to get the camera fully set up yet because of the confusing instructions about using a new account.

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I've consulted this case with my engineering team again.

They mentioned that unfortunately the account you have is a bug, and that we will be unable to connect the Nest Aware you have to the subscription you have.

So, the easiest way to resolve the issue is creating a new account, reset devices to factory default and repair the device to the new account. 
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I managed to get a barebones clarification of sorts on what the want me to do (below) , but then the Google support personality ghosted me after that. It's still not clear to me exactly what steps I need to take.

What we've done so far is completely reset the camera and removed the camera from my Google Home app. But I am still completely confused by the instruction to "add a new account to your Google Home App". I have a second Google account I can use, but if I try to add that account to Google Home, then it wants me to create a brand new home...and so what happens to the old home? And then it asks me whether I have a Nest account to migrate. Well, we migrated that previously to Google Home (under my original Google account). We're not using the Nest app for anything right now, although I'd like to re-add the Nest Protect smoke detectors. I've never experienced such a confusing morass of accounts and apps, all on a foundation of lame support. I suppose I ought to try the clean slate approach, and not worry about whether to migrate the Nest app.

You need to add a new account in your Google Home App, remove the devices and then add them to the new account. 

[MplsCustomer]

@pweil2 

I'm not sure what you're expecting from me; I'm just another Google Nest customer.

It seems that what Google Nest is telling you is that their software has somehow corrupted your Google Account and/or your Google Nest "home/structure", and they are either unwilling or unable to correct the problem.

It also seems that they are asking you to remove all of your Google Nest devices from your existing Google Nest "home/structure" in the Google Nest app or Google Home app, as appropriate, perform a factory reset on all of your Google Nest devices, and then reinstall all of your Google Nest devices in a new Google Nest "home/structure" using your new Google Account (your second Google Account) in the Google Nest app or the Google Home app as appropriate. (The Nest Protects, for example, would have to be reinstalled in the Google Nest app, logging into that app with the "Sign in with Google" option using your new (second) Google Account; no migration would be involved.)

I guess they probably then want you to quit using your previous Google Account, at least for Google Nest purposes.

It also seems Google Nest is telling you that they will refund the full amount of the Nest Aware subscription once you take all of these steps.

This puts the burden of fixing the issue on you. Sometimes there are issues when trying to factory reset Google Nest devices, and when trying to reinstall them. Also, judging from other posts, refunding a Nest Aware subscription is not Google Nest's normal practice, so you'd have the challenge of holding them to that promise, as well as holding them to the promise of a free year's subscription to Nest Aware.

[pweil2]

This might be my final update. Whether to try and get rid of me, or just to take a shot in the dark, Google sent me a replacement Nest Cam. We set it up using a new account as Google had advised, but the Nest Aware subscription still says "no compatible device", which is the same problem we originally reported three months ago, and which Google has been unable to solve. Then I tried doing the same thing on another iOS device. Same thing. My multiple interactions with Nest "premier" support make it clear that Google has no idea what's going on with Nest Aware, or what could be causing this problem. It's also clear that they have little interest in assisting this customer in any substantive way. Every time I've called or chatted and provide case numbers, agents have failed around, asking the same questions, making the same request for screenshots, etc. I've been doing all of the work. Escalation are made, with promises to email a solution in 48 hours. And then nothing happens, and we start all over again. The only thing they can do consistently is apologize and promise to fix the problem ASAP. And al of this is rooted in our our ill-fated decision to but Nest Secure several years ago, only to have Google pull the rug out from under us and offer us this free Nest Cam, which cannot be made to work with Nest Aware, which provides a big chunk of the camera's features. We will never buy another Google product again. What a horrible company.