How do I link Nest protect smoke alarm to Google home?

[Jmckenzie28]

 

I have just installed a Nest Protect smoke alarm. Set up in the Nest app with no issues. I receive updates on my app but I would like to share with family members also? 

When I go to settings>family in the Nest app and click add a home member I am prompted to add family members in the home app only.

I’ve installed the home app and gone through a similar process of creating a home. I had imagined the device would pop up in the devices menu but it hasn’t? I go to add device and click on smoke alarms which then guides me to set it up in the Nest app which shows a spinning loading sign for a minute and then does nothing? 

I’ve tried repeating the process, adding extra homes and deleting (as others have mentioned) and I have tested the alarm to see if family members I have added in google home get any notification but they don’t? 

I’m at a loss with what to do now? Is this due to a new app update that needs fixing? Surely this is not just due to the migration to google home and only some products being fully supported? 

I also have not seen an option to migrate to google home either, however one of the members added to google home does but I assume they are running an older version of google home due to the age of their phone. Well it looks that way anyway as the app looks different? Obviously I can’t link it on the family members phone without going through the whole process with their email, which I guess I will try if I don’t get any further. Pretty annoying though

Any ideas? 

 

 

 

[David_K]

The device itself is setup and managed in the Nest app, however home members are added and managed in the Home app. The device itself currently only shows in the Nest app, and will not appear in the Home app.

Once you've added home members and they've accepted the invite (it must be a Gmail address you invite or they must have a Google account associated with it), the home and your Nest Protect should appear in their Nest app.

[Jmckenzie28]

Hi David,

You clearly have not read my question and properly taken in what I have said. 

Quite a frustrating answer really because I feel like you know what I’m saying is true but you have to answer in a way that makes it out as if there is a way around this issue. 

As I have mentioned already, the members of my family home do not get notifications? Interesting you say that they should see Nest protect and the home in their Google home app? This is not the case, I have attached screenshots of a family members Google home app. It shows the room but no devices.

I actually can’t believe that Google would develop a product, all of that time and effort, hardware manufactured and then fall at the last hurdle of implementing it properly within the apps it should be. Mind blowing!

This should be at the top of the list for developers to fix in the Google home app. You simply cannot sell a product that’s USP is the fact it will remotely notifies you if a fire alarm has gone off but only works for one person, that’s mental?! What if that person is busy or out of signal? 

I’m a very techie guy and I have tried everything I can to get this working (short of writing my own API). This should be really easy but what’s even worse is it actually isn’t possible. Then to be told that it does work but I just haven’t set it up properly really takes the biscuit. 

Google! Come on you are better than this, if this is in the pipeline to be fixed then at least admit to the fact it doesn’t work at the moment! Unbelievable! 

 

 

 

 

[DanCoco]

David, is this process documented in a help article accessible to users? 

The Nest Protect will never be fully supported in Google Home. The "official response" from Google demonstrates this.

If the workaround given by david actually works, then that could possibly be a solution for you. (But please test that all these family members get alerted in the app to alarms.) 

I (not a google employee) would recommend returning these for a full refund while you still can. The marketing info for the protects seems intentionally vague, even with cropped app screenshots, and not naming what app is actually being shown. 

The overall lack of responsiveness or support (or even acknowledgement of common issues) by Google of these LIFE SAFETY devices shows neglect and reckless disregard of its customers. It has eroded my trust in Google, and if you browse around this forum, you'll see plenty of other examples.

[David_K]

@DanCoco Sure, here's where it's documented:

Set up Nest Protect with the app - Google Nest Help
Share a home and devices in the Google Home app - Google Nest Help

[Jmckenzie28]

That’s not a well documented article on sharing a nest protect device with others (because that isn’t actually possible). That’s an article on sharing a Google home with family members, that would be absolutely fine if the nest protect device actually showed up in the app. 

Ticking the box to say you have responded is not sufficient technical support, I would like you to actually acknowledge there is an issue and talk to the developers and come back to me with a time frame for when it will be fixed. 

I am now past the point where I can get a refund from the supplier I bought this from. This means I will be pushing google for a refund under the Consumer Right Act if you cannot come back with a satisfactory reply as this product is not fit for purpose. 

[EdmondB]

Hi Jmckenzie28, 

I'd like to jump in here and check if you've seen davidking's response. Let us know if you need more help by replying to this thread.

Thanks,
Edmond

[DanCoco]

Please do not lock this thread, as the root cause to the creation of this thread has not been resolved, (protects in google home) and only a workaround was offered. 

[EdmondB]

Hi there, 
 

@Jmckenzie28, checking in — have you tried the suggested steps provided by davidking? If so, how did it go? Let me know if you need more help.

@DanCoco, The Nest Protect is not fully synced with the Google Home app. Once a Family member is added to the account, they can only access Nest Protect through the Nest app. Nest Protect is only available in the Google Home app as a motion sensor to determine if you're home or away but cannot integrate with the routines.
I'd suggest you send feedback about this using this form to let the Google Engineering team know about it. While they won't respond directly back to you, this is the best way to let them know about this.

Best,
Edmond

[DanCoco]

I can finally access the Protect motion data Google uses about me via Google Home? How will the Protects appear in home as motion sensors? How do I test that the function works? The only Nest devices I have are the Protects.

The given solution to add family members to nest thru home is indeed only a workaround, and suggesting the feedback form is pretty insulting at this point because there is no way Google is unaware of the lack of Protect migration. They know they are not going to import them into Home, and their silence tells the customer base they've abandoned the product. The feedback form is merely a blackhole to send customers to, and as seen by the content on these forums, no action is taken via use of that form. (I've tested it.)

[EdmondB]

Hey there,

@Jmckenzie28,We haven’t heard any updates from you.Please let me know if you have other questions or concerns as I will be locking this down after 24 hours. Feel free to start a new thread and we'll be happy to help.

@DanCoco, Here are the steps to find the Nest Protect in the Google Home app. 

1. Open Google Home app.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Under Home Features select Presence Sensing.
4. Scroll down and you should see the Nest Protect you can toggle it as a motion sensor.

When Nest Protect detects a motion it will adjust if you’re home or away.

Adding a family member thru Google Home App is one of the changes when your Google Nest  account is created after August 19, 2019 or if you migrate your Nest Account to Google. Check out this link to see the changes after you migrate your account.

Best,
Edmond

[DanCoco]

Please do not lock this thread. Root cause is unresolved.

Ive located the "home features" section and presence sensing does not exist as an option. I am on latest version offered in android store. not in preview.

[EdmondB]

Hello there,

@DanCoco, thanks for trying. Can you send us a screenshot of the Google Home app where it doesn’t show the option for presence sensing in your Home structure? Even for a new home structure without any Nest devices connected, presence sensing is available by default. You have the option to set up your device (Nest Protect, Thermostat, Camera, and Assistant Speaker) as a motion sensor.

I look forward to your response.

Thanks,
Edmond

[DanCoco]

Thanos for getting back go me.

App version 3.3.1.4 found under the support option. Searching google home in play atore gives "open" option, not update, so it is latest available.

Screenshot attached

[EdmondB]

Hi there,

@DanCoco, thanks for the screenshot. Can you please try to create a home structure in the Google Home app and check if you still don’t have the option for presence sensing? Here is a link on how to create a home structure in the Google Home app. 

Best,

Edmond

[DanCoco]

 created a new home under settings - add - home.

[DanCoco]

Are you still there? Is there a resolution? Can you provide screenshots of what i should be seeing?

[Jmckenzie28]

@EdmondB @David_K  Are you going to answer me? Presence sensing isn’t in my home app either, there is literally no link between the two apps. This is really infuriating, it would take a software developer no time at all to just allow us to add people to the nest app? This is clearly a disconnect between two teams, one team want to ensure everything is migrated to the home app and have made it impossible to add people through the nest app, the other team still haven’t integrated (or have no intention of integrating) the protect into home. Support team - do your job! I’m not feeling very supported right now? Maybe you could reach out to a developer? If you can’t guide me through fixing this and realise that it is actually a bug, what is wrong with admitting it? It’s so unbelievably infuriating if you just carry on and pretend there’s no issue!!

If you don’t get back to me with some sort of timeline for resolution I will be linking to this thread in reviews to google nest products where ever I can. 

I just can’t believe you are selling a “smart” product that isn’t smart and has just been abandoned. 

[DanCoco]

Oh it's "oN ThE RoaDMap." It took us at least 275 posts in one thread alone to get that response. But no timeline, and it's been silent. And in threads like this one, when i've demonstrated the steps they provide are not working, they stop responding also. 

The Nest Protect may as well be abandoned. Instead of owning the best smart detector on the market, i just own the most expensive dumb alarms. 

I was looking at Kiddie brand and it's possible they might have Google Home support... BEFORE Google's native peoduct...

[ingressmaster]

I would like to see some info on the Google Home app support for Nest Protect smoke alarm 😕 This is just bad.

[DanCoco]

Disclaimer: I'm not a google employee. Just an end user.

The only official answer is yes the nest protect is still supported and sold. And that adding it to google home is "on the roadmap" but will give zero info on timeline, reassurance of progress, or assurance that any work whatsoever is being done or has been done so far on the project. 

To get that information took a lot of teeth pulling, 270+ comment thread,  and possibly even a tech news article. The product support on these forums has long delays as well. 

From being on these forums a while, user confidence in Google is not high. Many of us are not getting our hopes up that the protect will ever be in google home, or if it does, i wouldn't be surprised if many devices pass their 10 year expiration before this happens.

I'm just here hoping to give users the info we do know, so they can make informed decisions to keep or return their devices, or implement another fire detection system.