Home/Away Assist, returning home always stuck in eco mode

[Dawdie]

So I have 2 nest thermostats which are controlled with Home/Away. Whenever I go out the thermostat goes into eco as expected. Whenever I return home the app shows "Home" and so does the log so it defintatly knows I have returned, but the thermostat however is still stuck in "Eco" mode till I manually turn it off.

I have all the "learning" stuff off (Auto Schedule/True Radiant) so I have no idea what I need to do to fix this aside from just turning home/away off and putting the old thermostats back in.

Potential fix (using google home not the nest app) https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Nest-Thermostats/Home-Away-Assist-returning-home-always-stuck...

[ProTofik]

Same problem here, I have my nest set to activate eco mode based on my phone's location only. Ever since I bought it few months ago I never managed to get it work properly. Sometimes when I arrive a work (40 mins away) I check my app and heating is still running, even though app recognises I'm away. When I arrive home (and the app recognises it), heating doesn't kick back in until I manually toggle it from eco mode.

I once on purpose didn't disable eco mode to see if it will kick it on its own. It eventually did but took over an hour. 

[Medwards3000]

Poor form from Google that the update is not documented. How do we know that the device has not been compromised with dodgy firmware code  and set to not update. Not cool , Nest need to investigate and update release notes. I am also on 5.9.5-2 and am deeply concerned that this code is not documented.

[BrianDarby]

What update are you referring to?

[Medwards3000]

5.9.5-2, only reference I can find to software releases is https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9263516?hl=en-GB#zippy=%2Cnest-thermostat-e-and-nest-le....

Unless there is an updated reference page somewhere else ?

[LifeonMars]

Tonight UK Nest user,  phone showed I was away but eco failed to kick in. Signed out of Nest app . Re started iPhone X on 15.3 and re signed into Nest app . Eco mode kicked in. On arriving home Nest app showed I was home and eco mode knocked out and changed to normal. Nest and Google home both showing always allow location.  Just wish Google would acknowledge the problem with their app. 

[JoyR]

• In my experience, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.  The annoying thing is having to check, every time I go out, whether my boiler is still cheerfully heating an empty house!.  Sometimes it switches to Eco almost immediately, sometimes after half an hour, sometimes never (although it says that my phone is away!).  
  
  
• it’s just not good enough.

[JHL]

I am having the exact same issue as detailed on this thread. Really frustrating.

[DragosC]

Hello everyone! 

I'm sorry for the delay in response. Our responses are a bit slower than usual due to high volumes.

For those who have issues with the Home/Away assist, please fill out the following template:

What are your Home/Away Assist settings?
(Nest App > Settings > Home/Away Assist)
• When Home:
• When Away:
• What decides if you’re home (All People & Products):

Are you using phone location? Check its status to see if it knows when you are “here” or “not here”:
(Nest App > Settings > Home/Away Assist > What decides if you’re home > You > Current status)
• While in the house:
• While away from the house:

• If the status isn’t working as expected, is your Home location (including country) correct? Is the Nest pin on the correct building?
(OWNER ONLY - Nest App > Settings > Home info > Address)

Using Nest Thermostat sensors? Check to see if they’re working:
(NLT Settings > Tech info > Sensors > Activity > Long - Have your hand approx 1 metre from the sensor)
• “0” without movement?
• “1” with movement?

Further information:
• What way does Eco/Away activate? Manually, automatically?

-
• How many people share access to the home (Family Accounts)?
• What is your Eco temperature:
• Are the Nest products online?
• Stable WiFi connection for Nest products (in general)?
• Pets in the home?

Isolating the issue:
If using both phone location & product sensors, disable the sensors for a few days. Does the feature work properly?
If yes, the sensors are likely causing issues. Check the thermostat's environment for anything that may “trick” it into seeing someone.
If no, keep the sensors disabled, and disable all Family Members’ phones except for one at a time. Which phones work correctly and which ones don’t?

Phone location troubleshooting:
(Once you’ve isolated which phones are causing issues, check the following)
• Do you have the correct phone with you when you leave?
• Was everyone's phone out of the house?
• Airplane mode disabled?
• Mobile data & Wi-Fi enabled?
• Good battery level?
• Good mobile signal strength?

• Nest app version?
• Mobile device make & model?
• Mobile OS version?
• Mobile service provider?

iOS only
• (iOS Settings > Nest App) Background App Refresh enabled?
• (iOS Settings > Nest App) Location Services set to “Always”?
• (iOS Settings > Nest App) Mobile Data enabled?
• (iOS Settings > Privacy) Location Services enabled?

Android only
• (Android Settings > Location) Location services enabled?
• (Android Settings > Location) Location set to "High Accuracy"?
• (Android Settings > Location > Menu icon > Scanning) Wi-Fi scanning enabled?
• (Android Settings > Apps > Nest App) Restrict app background data disabled?
• (Android Settings > Apps > Nest App) Location permissions enabled?

Further troubleshooting:
(Once all of the above settings have been checked, try the following)
• Force quit the Nest App and restart it.
• Restart the mobile device.
• Delete and reinstall the Nest App.

[Ugly_Bloke]

Hi Dragos,

Thanks for this but I think I speak for many on here that all these obvious items have been tried to death by ourselves or via Support.   You also sent out things to check on your router which again, is not the issue.

In my case, the iOS app is switching to/from 'ECO' instantly, the phone correctly showing 'here/not here' and correct entry on the 'home/away activity log'.   The problem is the changing state of the app is not reaching the thermostat itself for many hours, if at all, so the thermostat is either heating an empty house hours after I leave or not switching the heating on for hours after my return (I have the movement sensors off).

I have gone through the extreme lengths of deleting my account and factory resetting the thermostat.  Funnily enough it worked perfectly again for two days after doing this but the fault has returned again ever since.  I have also tried a different router.

Anecdotally, the switching of the thermostat takes longer the colder the weather and/or peak hours which leads me to believe maybe your servers are queuing up transactions?

As for your statement about the changing of ECO/Home is supposed to take a few hours, this has never been the case in previous years.   I vividly recall my boiler already being on as I pulled into my drive in previous winters and the house going into 'Away' as I drove out of my estate.

Despite being a warmer winter, my energy usage is up 15% on last year which I directly attribute to the Nest Thermostat heating an empty house for hours after I've left.   This is incredibly frustrating and wish the guys at Nest/Google would take this issue seriously and assign some resources into debugging this issue which appeared around Nov last year. 

Thanks in advance 

[BrianDarby]

This matches my experience.

One of the frustrations I get from trying to get technical support from Big Tech companies is that whenever you raise an issue you’re made to feel as if you’re raising that issue for the very first time. When it transpires that a community of people are suffering the same issue, have tried the same touch troubleshooting tips, and are even trying to diagnose the issue for the engineers themselves, the big tech response is to not recognise that shared feeling and instead treat each issue as if it’s an isolated incident

[sboden2315]

@DragosC  - You are hearing from a passionate and frustrated group of users.  While I am currently resolving another issue, I am staying on this thread as I do believe once I can use the AI features again I too have a good chance of experiencing this and want to try to understand.  You are hearing the following:

This worked prior to November 2021

It works with another app

That should tell you something.  Go back into the code library and look at what updates happened in November of 2021.  You might find the bug there.

Something that was VERY important for all users to understand up front, and frankly a terrible answer but I remember the days where i needed to use different print settings if I was printing from Word or Excel - we need to either use Home or Nest not both to control the thermostats.  Sucks but please put that in documentation and installation and how to get started videos so others don't suffer the same fate.

Now - the problem for most people on this thread does NOT seem to be that the app doesn't sense the Home/Away status, its that the thermostat doesn't take that instruction reliably or consistently from the app.

This is also my problem but with a different instruction set.  But since I was scolded for distracting all of you with my issue (even though I believe I am the one that finally got you to pay attention to this thread...) I will not give specifics of my issue here.

So what happened in the November 2021 app update ?  I also saw something about Google no longer supporting the Nest app and trying to move us all to the Home app - was something broken or was the thermostat taught to take guidance from the Home app over the Nest app so all of us are trying to use the Nest app (which by the way from a UX standpoint is MILES ahead of that awful Home app at least for the thermostat)!!

I run a software company and I am merely trying to ask the same questions I would ask my team if we had customers expressing similar complaints.

Thank you.

[BrianDarby]

I don’t think there is a problem with the nest app per se - are use an app called thermal watch in order to set a more reliable Geo fence around my home and when that communicates the home status to nest, home is set correctly but it still doesn’t come out of eco-mode. So it would seem that the issue that makes eco-mode stick is somehow connected to the API or the nest hardware itself

[sboden2315]

EXACTLY Brian thank you !!!!!  It keys into my issue as well.  Its not the app, its the app communicating with the thermostat.

[Steve59]

Mr Google representative (speak to your engineers) live support absolutely pointless

fact Nest app changes from home to away instantly when phone(s) are home and away

NLT does not,

Cameras change instantly when app is home or away

NLT does not

doni need to spell it out, if your cameras )I have 3) can change with home and away state and NLT does not, then the fault is with the NLT

perhaps take a look at what the November update has broken

[LifeonMars]

@ DragosC      I have done all these things since first reporting the issue last Month.  The App just does not work as it should.      Also tried today just using the Nest App with Google Home location services switched off and only Nest Location services being used.  The Phone Knows I am away but did not switch to eco mode. On returning home some hours later the phone new I was home , but obviously did not need to change as it had failed to change on leaving.

What are your Home/Away Assist settings?
(Nest App > Settings > Home/Away Assist)
• When Home:  Living Room on
• When Away:  Eco
• What decides if you’re home (All People & Products):  You iPhone yes     Living room No

Are you using phone location? Check its status to see if it knows when you are “here” or “not here”:
(Nest App > Settings > Home/Away Assist > What decides if you’re home > You > Current status)
• While in the house:     Shows Home
• While away from the house: Shows Away

• If the status isn’t working as expected, is your Home location (including country) correct? Is the Nest pin on the correct building?     Yes
(OWNER ONLY - Nest App > Settings > Home info > Address)    Yes

Using Nest Thermostat sensors? Check to see if they’re working:
(NLT Settings > Tech info > Sensors > Activity > Long - Have your hand approx 1 metre from the sensor)
• “0” without movement?
• “1” with movement?
Working.
Further information:
• What way does Eco/Away activate? Manually, automatically?
Automatically
-
• How many people share access to the home (Family Accounts)?  One
• What is your Eco temperature:  9
• Are the Nest products online?   yes
• Stable WiFi connection for Nest products (in general)?   yes
• Pets in the home?   no

Isolating the issue:
If using both phone location & product sensors, disable the sensors for a few days. Does the feature work properly?    no
If yes, the sensors are likely causing issues. Check the thermostat's environment for anything that may “trick” it into seeing someone.
If no, keep the sensors disabled, and disable all Family Members’ phones except for one at a time. Which phones work correctly and which ones don’t?

Home /away  shows on phone but does not alter thermostat to Eco or if changes to eco does not return to heat. 

Phone location troubleshooting:
(Once you’ve isolated which phones are causing issues, check the following)
• Do you have the correct phone with you when you leave?  Yes  Only one phone
• Was everyone's phone out of the house?  Yes
• Airplane mode disabled?  Yes
• Mobile data & Wi-Fi enabled?  Yes
• Good battery level?  Yes
• Good mobile signal strength?  Yes

• Nest app version? 5.67.06
• Mobile device make & model? iPhone X pro
• Mobile OS version?  15.3
• Mobile service provider?   ee

iOS only
• (iOS Settings > Nest App) Background App Refresh enabled?  yes
• (iOS Settings > Nest App) Location Services set to “Always”?   yes
• (iOS Settings > Nest App) Mobile Data enabled?   yes
• (iOS Settings > Privacy) Location Services enabled?  yes
All settings including location services to always enabled in the Nest App.        with Google Home app  location services settings set to off
Android only
• (Android Settings > Location) Location services enabled?
• (Android Settings > Location) Location set to "High Accuracy"?
• (Android Settings > Location > Menu icon > Scanning) Wi-Fi scanning enabled?
• (Android Settings > Apps > Nest App) Restrict app background data disabled?
• (Android Settings > Apps > Nest App) Location permissions enabled?

Further troubleshooting:
(Once all of the above settings have been checked, try the following)
• Force quit the Nest App and restart it.    yes
• Restart the mobile device.  yes
• Delete and reinstall the Nest App.  Done

When signing out of nest app and restarting phone , re signing in  it sometimes does make the thermostat show eco but soon fails again.

All this started in November 2021, used to work fine now unreliable For your reference my case number is 0-############2312 reported in January 2022.

[Steve59]

Already done all this with made by google on Twitter messages 

[Iany1954]

It’s nice to see a response from Google. However, a short read of this forum would answer the questions. In essence, when Nest sees an ‘away’ situation it does not reliably switch immediately to ‘Eco’. Similarly, when Nest sees ‘home’ situation it does not reliably switch to ‘heat’. We know that Nest ‘home’/‘away’ is working correctly regardless of android/iOS. To me the switching from ‘home’ to ‘away’ proves correct operation of the related phone locations and they can be discounted. Nest does not follow ‘home’ or ‘away’ with the correct heating requirement. Until November 2021 this worked flawlessly, now it is useless. Am I correct?

[DragosC]

Hi there, @Iany1954

Usually when the Home/Away assist feature changes the Home state, it shouldn't change it immediately. The geofence or the sensors can take up to 1 hour of detecting if someone's home or away. Also, if you're using a phone, you have to use only one app to decide whether you're home or away. Phones use only one geofence to determine that. Using both Google Home app and the Nest app will result in the feature not working correctly. If you want more accurate changing and using both apps, please change the home state manually from the app. Let me know if you have more questions. 

[steve99uk]

As has been stated by many contributors this used to work within seconds of the phone(s) either going away from home and NLT switching to ECO or returning to home and switching to HEAT. To say it might take an hour is not how it has ever worked or we would find acceptable. The app in the phone does show home/away status but the NLT either never switches or takes much longer (hours) than it used to.     

This was not a problem until November 2021 (perhaps related to a software update?). Samsung Smart Things sets home/away status in their app and then IMMEDIATELY switches the NLT to ECO/HEAT. 

We just want the Nest app to work like it always used to. 

[DragosC]

It takes up to 1 hour usually. It may take seconds, but it's normal up to 1 hour. Also, if you want to take the matter more seriously and detailed, please contact our live support center. Here's the link for that: Contact Us 

[fkyougoogle]

Please don't insult our intelligence and pretend that an hour delay (in reality over 3 hours) between arriving home and the heating switching on is some kind of wonderful new feature that Google have given us.

We've all tried reporting this via the support centre and have all gotten nowhere. It's quite bizarre to watch Google ignore and deny that there's a problem with the Nest thermostat when it's very clear to all of us that they've pushed an update that's caused this problem

[Nontechmike]

As every reply you have had states, it never used to take this long and had it done so we would not have bought it.  More often than not recognising your are Home (or Away) is instant - the delay is the Nest reacting to the change of Home/Away status.  It used to be smart - we need it repairing to be smart once again.

I really take exception to you saying " if you want to take the matter more seriously...."  We have have individually and collectively given Google loads of feedback, spend hours on calls with Support and answered time and time again the same old diagnosis questions.  What we want is for Google to take this matter more seriously and stop trying to justify a recent loss of performance, stop blaming our mobiles/routers, etc and admit you have a problem that you need to fix urgently.

[LifeonMars]

@DragosC  you state

 Using both Google Home app and the Nest app will result in the feature not working correctly.

I have Google Mini which installs  Google Home app  Automatically and nest app installs for Thermostat.

In Google Home app Do I therefore switch off  Bluetooth/Local network/mobile data and set location to never .. Because on just using the Nest app it automatically switches the tabs on in Google Home  app. ?

My phone knows I am away or Home .

Problem is  Eco fails to kick in or out when away and home most of the time. This only happened since November 2021

[Midjet76]

Sorry @DragosC, but that's mostly a load of codswallop. As many of my peers on here are commenting, it worked fine for ages, then suddenly we're all experiencing the delays in switching from heat to eco and vice versa. It used to be pretty much instantaneous but not any more. I have had Google reps tell me it can take up to 3 hours for the switch to happen, both ways. So that's 3 hours heating an empty house which isn't very smart at all, à none smart stat could do the same for a lot less money. Then we could wait another 3 hours in a cold house, potentially waiting for the heat to come back on. This is quite frankly unacceptable.

Plus if you've read this thread extensively you should also have noted that using a third party app, namely, Samsung Smart Things, then many of us get the level of control that we believe should be standard with just the Nest app. That is what we are demanding from Google not some **bleep** and bull mantra to wait so many hours. If Samsung can program an app to work why can't Google, plus it works with geofencing on 2 phones.

And lastly the whole point of buying Nest thermostat is that we have total control with very little need to be checking it several times a day once schedule is enabled and tweaked to each users desired preferences. So please stop insulting us with the Google spiel, we've all heard it before and are sick and tired of not having our concerns addressed to how we wish for this to be resolved and not keep being told what Google thinks we should just shut up and put up with.

[Iany1954]

Thanks for the comment. I don’t use Google Home it’s not installed. Surely the device should come out of eco immediately it recognises someone is home! An hours wait for the heating to come on is not acceptable. I’m sure that before November 2021 my Nest operated heat/eco in tandem with home/away (or very closely, certainly no where near an hour later ever). My Nest changes home/away reliably when I’m about 600ft to 100ft from home but heat/eco fails to follow. If I change home state manually to away eco is not activated.

So…. I’m at home using the Nest app

force set to AWAY

1.5 hours later still HEATING

force set to ECO

10 minutes later force set to HOME

15 minutes later still in ECO

House now cold so force set to HEAT.

[BrianDarby]

Same as mine. Nest is meant to come out of Eco temperatures when at home - whether set manually, vis a geofence or via a third party app. Currently it doesn’t - it correctly marks you as ‘Home’ but Eco mode is still enabled.

And there’s nothing ‘smart’ about that.

[islandniles]

The incredibly frustrating thing about all these replies from Google is that they just are not willing to listen to the nature of the problem.

It isn’t that the thermostat sensor is picking up movement and mistakenly thinking someone is home, or anything like that. Most of us have those sensors switched off anyway. For the most part, the app switches from Home to Away status, and back again, correctly. It’s that this change in status is then not communicated to the thermostat (which I guess must work by the app telling Google’s servers about the change in status, and that message being sent to the thermostat), and so despite the app knowing whether we’re Home or Away, the thermostat doesn’t change state.

Because this is an issue with how the app communicates and how the thermostat responds, it seems there’s nothing we can do, no setting we can tweak, to fix it. And Google are still telling everyone to go through the very basic steps that we’ve all tried without success months ago.

[sboden2315]

Yes.  And why I stay in this thread is that because my issue is different but the root cause that is the same.  Something about the connection between the thermostat and the state it is in is not working consistently and none of us can resolve it, its in the API and or software.  And my issue also happened after November 2021.

[BrianDarby]

I think this issue would’ve become more obvious, sooner, if there weren’t so many people working from home and various COVID restrictions. They’re not leaving the house to notice it’s broken

[islandniles]

Another issue is that I don’t get to test the Home/Heat issue as much, because it hasn’t gone into Eco automatically and so I’ve overridden it.

What I mean is that I’ll be out somewhere and see that the state has changed to Away, but the thermostat is still in Heat mode. I therefore change it to Eco manually. (And I’m not jumping the gun - sometimes it’s been hours and hours, and the Nest is heating an empty house.)  So now, by design, it won’t switch to Heat automatically when I come home - it’ll stay in Eco until I change out of it. But I only had to manually select Eco in the first place because it didn’t work as it was supposed to. SIGH.

[Midjet76]

So it's effectively an expensive dumb thermostat. SIGH.....

[Patrick3]

I have been having exactly the same issue. Nest support told me to buy a new thermostat. 

This seems to be a result of the November software update. Has Google not bothered to try to implement a fix for this?

[Steve59]

Typical stupid response from Google Support

[sboden2315]

I have a Nest Learning thermostat.  Its on version 6.2.2 of the software.  Is there a way to roll back our devices to earlier versions of the software ?  My guess is not.

[Biggbrother]

It's possible the APK of the older version is on APK Mirror or somewhere.  However, not sure if it would continue to work.  I assume it would.

[DragosC]

Thanks for your case numbers @Nontechmike and @Ugly_Bloke

I've checked on both case numbers you've provided me. On @Nontechmike 's case, there is an email from one of our agents, have you got a chance to check on it? 

On your case, @@Ugly_Bloke, I've left a note for our senior support team letting them know that you've requested an update. Once we got word from them, I'll let you know. 

[Nontechmike]

I received the email from the agent 1 hour ago after I chased an update from them earlier today.  I had not heard anything back from them for 2 weeks prior to this.  

This email from the agent just asked me again for things I had told them previously eg am I using Apple or Android (Android), am I on latest mobile build (yes Android 10), am I having problems with Nest only when leaving (no, both leaving and coming home).  

What is the point in us answering Googles questions if they simply ask the same old questions again a couple of weeks later!!   There is more than enough information on this forum for them to understand the problem.   So stop diverting effort away from getting a solution by wasting time asking the same questions time and time again.  Or is the issue, they understand the problem all too well but are not interested or willing in providing a solution??

[Midjet76]

Been there, tried that tried several versions of the Android apk's going further back than my install date of 18 months ago. All failed to fix the problem.

[jrawle]

Thanks, I won't waste my time trying that then! I guess we'll just have to wait for Google to issue a new update to the Thermostat software.

[Iany1954]

I think you’ll find the problem is the app or it’s interface to Google servers. My Nest is second generation with software unchanged since 25th September 2019 (software 5.9.4-5). This problem only began in November 2021 when the app was last updated. Roll back would be great but given that Google seem set on integrating Nest into their home app (or ending it all together) this seems unlikely!