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Nest 3rd Gen Thermostat - No hot water boost in Google Home... WTF

siena959
Community Member

We have a Nest 3rd Gen thermostat which controls out hot water as well as home heating , with the Nest app it gives us the option to give that hot water a 30 minute boost.. as we're all now being herded into the Google Home app, just like most of the useful security camera features (scheduling) , this boost feature seems to have gone AWOL in the Google Home app. Now this boost function is really useful when you have a large household.... please tell me this function is there somewhere and I just haven't found it!

1 Recommended Answer

mcinnes01
Community Member

Hi @TudorL 
This is not feedback or a feature request, the feature was there in the Nest app, but is not in google home. I know the US market doesn't have hot water or boilers the same as the UK, but at least Nest realised (clearly as an afterthought based on the janky implementation) that the UK market needs to control hot water heating. With nest being sunset later this year what am I meant to do when I need to control my hot water, if the google home app doesn't support it? Will google be issuing refunds for my 3 nest thermostats when they become useless as they don't provide the functionality I bought them to do anymore?

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60 REPLIES 60

GarrettDS
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hey there,

Sorry for the late response, but I wanted to drop in here to help. 

 

I understand that app issues can be confusing but I definitely wanted to stop by and see how I could help. 

 

Just wanted to double check to see if you were still needing help on this? If so, what troubleshooting steps have you tried? 

 

Please let me know. 

 

Best regards, 

Garrett DS

Hi Garrett,

Thanks for the reply.

The problem is..or will be that the Google home app does not support most of the functionality of the current Nest app.

As we’re now all being transitioned from the Nest app to the Google Home equivalent , it seems astonishing that feature set was not ‘mirrored’.

For example (the basis of my original post), we have Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Gen, this controls our heating and hot water. This thermostat is programmed via a schedule to heat the hot water cylinder at certain points during the day and also gives us the option to ‘boost’ the hot water heating at peak usage times….. so where in the Google Home app is any functionality to control your hot stare, turn it on, off or boost it, add a schedule.  So thankfully this is also still available in the current Nest app, so pretty much making the Google Home app which your company (Google) is shouting about… not fit for purpose in it's current iteration.

Come on Google! You've known about this problem for a long time, and it appears that it is common to many European Nest thermostat users. I'm forced to use the your home app to add family members to allow them to control my heating system, but control of hot water in the google home app is totally absent. Thankfully, I can go back to the Nest app, where everything works, but it is ludicrous to have to use two apps  to interact with a heating system. Either let us add family members in the nest app, or give us hot water control in the google home app!!! I've seen workarounds that say to use "system boiler" in Settings>Equipment - but this has not worked for me (I was on system boiler anyway). Oh, and yes, I agree with bighead85's comment on Alexa. 

Well GarrettDS? Do you have anything for us? Or will the silence continue?

Hey!! Exactly this - in Jan 2023 i cannot control my hot water from the google home app - i have to use the nest app or the nest thermostat itself. The nest app is so much nicer also.. has this really still not been fixed?

Exactly the same problem here! Not good enough Google.

Lina24
Community Member

Hi Garrett, I don’t have the app and I don’t have water icon on my thermostat, can you help? 

Hi there

this is not a “troubleshooting” issue but to do with functionality that has been removed in then switch from Nest to Google app. There is absolutely no way to add a family member and allow them to control hot water. The functionality has been removed, people would like an explanation and to hear if Google intend to fix this issue. If not, we can look to find alternative products and return our Google equipment for a refund.

best wihes,

Hi there,

I think you’re barking up the wrong tree if you think Google will offer a refund and cover conversion costs to an alternative system. They can simply point to the fact that you can add family members via the Google home app, and once that’s done, they appear as “family” in the nest app, and are able to control all functions. I have done this successfully several times, and once done, I never go near the Google home app. Of course, I appreciate that this is not how it should be!!

Are you a bot GarrettDS?

bighead85
Community Member

Just wanted to add to this, installed new 3rd Gen Nest thermostat today and exactly as already stated the water control is only available in the Nest App not Google Home. But also not available for voice controls from Google or Alexa, and not available from Nest Developers API for integrations. This seems like a massive oversight on Google's part. Specifically chose Nest for this feature and very disappointed to find after install limited to the Nest App only.

 

icsurgeon
Community Member

See this thread https://support.google.com/googlenest/thread/16011891/why-is-the-water-icon-missing-from-the-nest-co... for more drivel on the same topic, going back to 2020. And no resolution that I can see! I think the "system boiler" suggestion is a red herring - I reckon these are people trying to control hot water from within the nest world, who have this set to combi boiler, rather than people nonplussed by the deficiencies of the google home app.

Agreed, in fact it works in my Nest app. I would say its quite a good app and well designed. However soon as i set it up i got prompts in app to move to Google Home. This app although bringing all the devices into a single app (good idea at least) lacks the features. I do not feel Nest app should be pushing users to an incomplete replacement, does this mean Nest App is sunset and i will loose hot water controls altogether.
Been trying to replicate the web interface as a cURL command but not had any luck with it yet, I am a Home Assistant user with Alexa all around the home. I can easily control heating without any issues, yet the water is completely missing seems an over sight. I would of expected in the year device has been available the developers would of caught up by now and added this feature. I have paid the sign up for Nest Developer API assuming it was just Google Home App missing the functionality, but there is no API for water in there at all. (I assume Google Home App uses the same Developer API interface i now can)

AlexD
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

I understand it can be frustrating seeing as commands seem to be split between the 2 apps. 

 

Rest assured that we want to offer the best experience with both out products and services and are constantly looking to improve them. We want there to be as many features as possible available.

 

We'll make sure to post on our official channels any updates when available for all to see.

 

Thank you for providing your feedback @siena959 , @bighead85 and @icsurgeon , it is appreciated.

 

Best regards,

AlexD

JonCM
Community Member

Hi, 

Could you please comment about the main topic for this thread? The fact that there isn't a "temperature boost" function in the Nest 3rd gen? It would be very handy, any other intelligent thermostats have it, why not the Google Nest? Ye, I could schedule it, and then delete it, but what a faff! Why not a "30min boost option" or similar? Thanks.

Ifly
Community Member

This is a problem for me to.   Please can you let users know that they will loose hot water remote control when they move to the google app so they don’t waste their time like most of us have.   When you fix the bug then we can move to google home.   

Any updates?

This has been a problem for year and will only get worse if the existing functionality isn't moved across to the home app and if assistant does not have the simple functionality to request hot water boost or just turn it on.  Come on google get it sorted!!

Hi Alex

i think you have missed the point entirely. Nest has been migrated to the Google Home app for many aspects that are absolutely essential (e.g adding family members). This functionality is no longer available on the NEST app - it just says “this functionality has been added to Google Home”. If you want to add a family member this can now only be done in the Google Home app where functionality is very limited (I.e, hot water control). Given that people bought this product with the specification of adding family members who would be able to control hot water it now falls short of that original functionality. This is what people are frustrated and quite annoyed about. Imagine people with holiday lets or visiting family - the only workaround would be to give people your google login details, ask them to call you or use the manual override. Hardly desirable solutions! The fact that Google have said nothing about this situation is, to be honest, a disgrace. They must be well aware of the issue but just say nothing. I would have thought everyone should be entitled for a full refund and compensation for the cost and inconvenience of moving to an alternative supplier.

Best wishes.

icsurgeon
Community Member

And so, Alex, this saga of ineptitude by Google trundles onwards. I’m not holding my breath for resolution.

A comment for Nestuser2020 - you may know this already, but it is possible to add other users to the Google home app and then these will be able to log in to the Nest app and use all features (a much superior app in any case). But of course this is ridiculous and not what we would expect from a major software company?

MateyMax88
Community Member

In 2022 August it's still the same situation, though

fixitgoogle
Community Member

The lack of the hot water boost function is not a bug its an oversight google have ignored for years so dont expect a fix any time soon.    

McNultyJA
Community Member

Just got Google Doorbell it only works on the Google home App so its pushed me to migrate all my nest products from the next app which i find is much more intuitive. Really rubbish that having made me migrate to the Google Home app I still have to use the next app to control hot water. I cannot control the hot water at all from the Google home app or via assistant. How can google just leave out one of the core functions of one of its products. 

Lets hope the Next Protect still can detect smoke when they eventually migrate that across to the Google App.

Really disappointed...

GeeI
Community Member

Has there been any comment or suggestion if/when this will be available from any official Google channels?

No I have not seen anything on the web. I wonder if the migration path is so hard/error prone they just won't take the risk. Imagine if they knocked out 000s of users' hot water with a bodged upgrade. But I agree with others in its gaping hole in their home automation offering for heat/water control. The Nest app works just fine (for now).

siena959
Community Member

You must be joking, they've assigned all their resources to making seasonal door chimes for the doorbell... God forbid they'd do anything actually of use for anybody

icsurgeon
Community Member

It’s a pity that a company which sells us a learning thermostat can not itself, learn…

Nestuser2020
Community Member

The inability to control hot water correctly within the Google Home app surely means the product is now inferior to what people originally bought. How many of us would have bought a different product if we had known Nest would switch to Google Home and remove functionality? I would have thought Google either fix the issue or pay refunds and the cost of moving to an alternative system which meets our original specification. Google’s lack of response on this issue is a disgrace. Maybe a class action would move things along. Little.

ShaziaShah
Community Member

Please help I have almost exactly the same issue.  A large household that frequently requires the hot water “boost” function - have just replaced the thermostat that used to have this function as it was on its last legs for a year, and the new nest thermostat doesn’t have this functionality and it can’t find it anywhere!

icsurgeon
Community Member

You need the nest app. It’s available on iOS App Store, so I imagine also for android. It will do what you want to do, but if you want to allow other household members to control the system, you must first add them to Google home app, and then they can be set up in nest. Hope that helps.

JonCM
Community Member

Hi, unfortunately the "boost" option for the heating/radiators is not available in the app, o ley the boost for the hot water for the taps and showers 

Scotty101
Community Member

Hi - I would also like to know what the plan is to resolve the boost for the hot water via Alexa please. Crazy that functionality isn’t there.

Markmark1
Community Member

Oh thankfully I was in the process of setting up my new camera and looking at the process to move to the new app! Thankfully I seen the hot water part plus I’d prefer to have cameras on the first screen! 
so new camera is packed up and ready to be sent back to Amazon! For a full refund! Looking ebay now for an older version that will work with my app that I like. 

JimScharff1955
Community Member

As at January 2023, the Home App still cannot boost hot water, using their Learning Thermostat.  The Nest App seems ideal, but we are forced towards the Home App if the newer cameras are required.  The goal of a single App seems a long way off still.

ogo
Community Member

Please, Google!

It's a half man-day job to implement this in your API, and a 5 minute job to give us a status. Please at least give us a status! You've been ignoring us for a couple of years now. So unprofessional!

 

Pbuddy
Community Member

An update on this topic would be great. It's a real shame this is missing. Come on Google

EamonnBoyle
Community Member

July 2023 and still no control.

Google, could you comment on likely support please. In the process of setting up multi zone and wondering whether to get another nest or cut my losses and switch to a different system.

bighead85
Community Member

 So far what I intended to be the start of a Google based smart home has been a failure. The thermostat was my first part of solution and it's poor performance made me stop there. Only bit of my smart home setup I regret, but not in a position to change it yet.

JimScharff1955
Community Member

The new range of Google Cameras (still marketed as Nest) requires the Google Home App.   It now has integrated the Thermometer and Gas Central Heating option.    Just the Water Management and Boost facility is still missing.     They are getting there gradually.   It seems a good idea to keep the Nest App for the Water Heating - but of course, you do not get to see the newer Cameras on this App.

TudorL
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hey, all. We appreciate the feedback and the interest. We don't have news about the features you are requesting, but any such news would be posted on our public pages and resources. In the meantime, we're here for any technical questions or issues, and we're here to help you get the most of your devices.

icsurgeon
Community Member

Useless!