Can't set up presence sensing - "Couldn't save"

[Benzilla]

Nest is set up and communicating with the Home app, but I can't get presence sensing to work. Whenever I get to the final screen of the process of granting my phone access, I get this error message:

"Couldn't save. Retry or skip this step for now. Presence sensing won't work until it's saved."

I can see in the app settings that Home has full time location access already. Anyone know how to solve this? 

(Pixel 4a)

[Markjosephp]

Hello Benzilla,

I'm sorry to hear about the issue you're having with the presence sensing feature. I'd be happy to take a look into this for you.

Let's try the steps in this guide:

1. Uninstall and reinstall both the Nest app and the Google Home app.
2. Restart your phone for at least a minute.
3. Confirm that the Nest or Google Home app has permissions to use the phone's location.
   1. Settings > Apps > Nest/Home > Permissions.
   2. Set Location to Allow all the time.
4. Sign in to the Nest app and the Google Home app.

Have a look at this article about presence sensing and how to manage your data, then let us know if you need more help.

Thanks,

Mark

[Benzilla]

Hi, thanks for the reply! Before I begin, though, a question: is there some reason I'd want to have both the Home and the Nest app installed? None of the documentation that came with the device (nor stuff I can find online) says to install both--the Home app is supposed to replace the  Nest app, correct?

[Markjosephp]

Hi there,

Thanks for getting back. Good question.

The Nest app won't be removed, but there are options from the Nest app that will prompt you to do it on the Google Home app, such as renaming, removing home structures, inviting home members, presence sensing, etc., but you can use both apps to control and access your Nest thermostat remotely. Lasly, earlier versions or models of Nest devices mainly use the Nest app for installation.

Let me know if that helps, or if you have more questions in mind.

Best regards,

Mark

[Benzilla]

Hi - I have removed Home and reinstalled it. I have installed Nest as well. I have also restarted the phone. I am still unable to turn on presence sensing (screen cap attached). Additionally, now, with both Nest and Home installed, I now get a message in Home about how sensing is associated with a different phone and it prompts me to switch. (I don't have any other phones--I'm guessing this is the result of some conflict now between the Home and Nest apps both trying to use the phone for tracking.) If I try to go through the switch routine, I get the same "can't save" message as before.  Both apps have full-time location permissions. 

[Markjosephp]

Hi there,

I'm sorry for the delayed response. I appreciate that you've tried to find a fix.

I'm sure it's confusing to show two different phones registered with the feature. I wanted to check on how it's going. Is the presence-sensing feature working now?

Please let me know if the issue still persists.

Best regards,

Mark

[Benzilla]

I had kinda given up on it, honestly. But I just now tried it and it asked me if I wanted to "switch" to using my Pixel 4a (again, I don't HAVE any other phones) and I agreed and it now appears to be working. I haven't been home yet to see how well it works, but hopefully that's fixed. Thanks for checking in!

[EdwardT]

Hi Benzilla,

Thanks for the update. I'm glad to hear that it's working fine now. Please observe it for now and let us know if anything comes up.

Thanks,

Edward

[aatienza]

Hey there,

Since this thread hasn't had activity in a while, we're going to close it to keep content fresh. Feel free to submit another post, and provide as many details as possible so that others can lend a hand.

Thanks,

Archie