4th Gen Nest Thermostat not following schedule

[DannoF]

i received notfication a few months ago that my 2nd Gen Nest thermostats were no longer going to be supported in October 2025, so I used the discount code they gave me to purchase two brand new 4th Gen Nest thermostats.

since they were installed 2 weeks ago, the schedule I setup is being totally ignored, as if it does not exist. 

FWIW, my old thermostat worked fine since 2014 when I installed it.

I have two thermostats, one for the HVAC and one for the heating system. Right now only using HVAC since it's summertime here. 

I setup my schedule for the AC to go down in temp at night - 10:45pm and up a bit in the morning - 6:45AM, set for every day of the week. Schedule is being totally ignored by the so called smart thermostat.

I have turned off automatic learning and just asking for suggestions but no change in this behavior.

The thermostat does work when I manually change the temperate up or down but won't follow the schedule I set.

Tried some troubleshooting - I did a restart of my thermostat from the unit itself, and added a new time to change the temperature and it still did not follow the proscribed schedule.

I saw that some other people seem to have the same problem but I haven't seen what the resolution or fix is to this issue.

very disappotining that I paid a lot for a brand new thermostat that doesn't work as well as my old one that was 11 years old. Google product quality is not what it used to be.

Any help that someone can provide from Google to fix this? Is this a known issue that requires a SW update? 

SPECS:

Wiring:

the system uses: Y1, Rh, G

Thermostat info:

Model: NEST_LEARNING_THERMOSTAT_4.8

Software version: 2.1-25 (Checked for updates, has the latest version)

[B1indSide]

Also having the same issue with the “sleep” schedule that is supposed to activate at 10:30 PM (with “Early On” activate so it should be reaching the 65 degree target by that time) but it will not cool unless you manually lower the temp down one degree and then move it back to 65, and only then does it kick into gear with the sleep schedule. Completely ignores the sleep schedule otherwise, and has been doing that for the last couple weeks. 

Never had an issue with my old Nest, but being forced to upgrade to the “Google” branded 4th gen Nest has been nothing but a huge disappointment.

[Kfergus999]

This is not good to hear! May search eBay for 3rd Gen unit and base.

[JuanCH]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to the community! I'm sorry to hear your new Nest Learning Thermostat 4th gen, which you purchased using the discount code, is having issues following your set schedule to adjust the temperature. I appreciate all the troubleshooting steps you've already tried. It's definitely disappointing when devices don't work as expected, but I'm here to help!

• When you set the schedule, did you receive any confirmation or error messages?
• Have you tried deleting the current schedule entirely and then re-creating it from scratch? If so, what happened?
• Is your Google Home app updated? Please refer to the following link for instructions: Update the Google Home app

Please let me know if you have any other information that might be helpful.

Best regards,
Juan

[DannoF]

To answer your questions: 

No, didn’t get any errors when setting up my schedule, but I also didn’t get any confirmation emails either. 

yes, I tried removing the schedule and re-adding it back in, same result still not following the schedule.  

One other thing I tried, I deleted the schedule and just set the nest to full leaning mode so it would set the schedule on its own.  Despite doing that, the nest is still not following the schedule. 

I did check the Google home app and it did need to be updated so I did update and will see what it does and report back if that fixes the issue.

If it doesn’t what is my next troubleshooting step to try? 

[B1indSide]

I found another thread with people stating the same issue with the schedule not working using the google “pre-named” options for “Comfort” and “Sleep” and to use the “CUSTOM” option to add them and rename them unique names unlike Googles pre-set ones. The person in that thread confirmed Google support was aware of the issue but no fix has been made at this time (and 8 months have gone by since that reply). 

I can’t 100% confirm that it works yet as I set it up this morning, but will update later if the cooling kicks in. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Nest/comments/1gwcj2o/nest_4th_gen_thermostat_will_not_follow_schedule/

[DannoF]

follow up: I updated my Google home app and nest is still not following the schedule. My next step was to do a factory reset and to see if that will make any changes. Still pretty disappointed with this allegedly state of the art thermostat that won’t function as it was advertised 

[DannoF]

Thanks, I will try it!

[B1indSide]

Just so you can see it, this is what I named them using custom, and the thermostat DID switch this morning to 72 degrees, so really hoping at 8:30 pm it begins cooling to 68 degrees, and then at 10:30 pm switches to 65 degrees. 

Finger crossed. 

[DannoF]

I made my custom schedule with my own names and this morning it followed the schedule for the first time! Hopefully the evening one will do the same tonight. This is good to know because I have a seperate thermostat for my heating system and I won’t be using it until at least October/November so I now know to do the same thing with that one assuming this keeps working. 

[B1indSide]

And nope. The schedule switches, but it doesn’t start cooling.

It’s 11 pm and should have started cooling to 68 at 8:30 pm, and should have switched again to further cool to 65 since 10:30 pm. Two and a half hours, and nothing. It didn’t start cooling until I manually lowered the temp by one degree to 64 at 11:06 pm. And only “then” does it says cooling “2+ hr until cooled to 64” and actually start cooling our house.

Absolute garbage. My prior Nest thermostat BEFORE Google’s forced hardware/software upgrade (and awful Google Home integration) worked flawlessly. They ruined a great product and company.

I’d also done a factory reset as recommended in the Reddit post, and made no difference.

Guess I’ll be switching to Ecobee since there’s no way to undo the “Google Home” integration, and I strongly believe the issue is with their crappy App and programming. 

[B1indSide]

 

 

 

[DannoF]

So my custom schedule worked fine this morning but it totally disregarded my nighttime schedule that was supposed to start at 1030pm. I spent $300 on two thermostats that DO.NOT.WORK. Wtf google engineers??? 

[DannoF · Accepted solution]

I finally had some time to get on an online chat with Google nest customer service. Basically the workaround is to add an automation to turn your thermostat to the desired temperature every day at a specific time. I asked if this is a known issue and when it’s expected to be fixed and was told yes they are aware of it and I will be notified when it’s fixed (I highly doubt I will ever be notified). I added a test automation to change the temp for an hour or so and so far it’s working. So it should work going forward they also gave me the link to leave an online review which I do plan to do. 

[jfrit]

But what if the schedule I entered isn’t being followed at all?

[DannoF]

It seems like the workaround is just to add an automation with your schedule for however many changes you want to make in your temperature during the day. It’s not ideal but at least it seems to be working for me.