Automatic Light/Dark Theme Switching Issue on Nest Hub 2nd Gen

[mihau]

Hi,

I've encountered an issue with my Nest Hub 2nd Gen related to the automatic switching between light and dark themes. Despite having the theme setting set to "Auto", the theme doesn't change automatically or changes at the wrong times. This issue seemed to occur after the most recent update. Previously, this function was working properly.

I have attempted to restore factory settings by holding down the volume up and down buttons, but this hasn't resolved the issue.

[bigbad614]

Same issue here. I am now waking in the needle of the night to my display being bright, instead of dim. 

[ACABoom]

Same issue here too! I have set my display settings to do Auto Theme but that is not working at all and most of the time, the display is Light when it should be Dark at night.

Not only that, but the Ambient EQ settings also do not work anymore.  I have set auto brightness on and most nights when the brightness should be low, it is VERY bright indeed!

Could Google please fix these issues?

And before recommending me to check things, I have reset the device, turned off and on again, the screen and sensors are clean, there are no obstructions, the wifi is very good.

Thanks

[JillG]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for reporting this and I am also experience an issue with my display staying bright when it should go into ambient dark mode. Unplugging helps for a while but the next night same issue.  My usual command to fix of "Okay Google, Ambient" is also not working. 

Please send in Google Home app feedback and I will also let our support team know.

Jill

[Dan_A]

Hi folks,

@mihau, @bigbad614, @ACABoom, this is not the experience we want you to have; let me help you. A few questions: is this happening when your device is in low-light mode? What country are you located in? How often does the switch happen? Did this start happening after an update? If so, could you give us the new firmware version of your Nest Hub (2nd Gen)? See the steps below:

1. Open the Google Home app .
2. Touch and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap Settings Device information.
4. Under "Technical information," check for Cast firmware: "X.XXX.XXXXX." If the device is on Fuchsia, check for System firmware version: "X.XXXXXXXX.X.XXXXXXX"

It would help a lot if you can check the scheduled Night Mode. Here’s how:

1. Tap Downtime begins choose the time Ok.
2. Tap Downtime ends choose the time Ok.
3. Tap the day(s) of the week Night mode will be on. If the circle is blue, Night mode is on for that day.

You can also check the settings about “Dark Theme”. See this link.

Thanks for helping, JillG!

Best,

Dan

[RachelFreeman]

I’m having the same issue with my ambient light settings since the update - it’s very frustrating to have my bedroom lit up all night. 
also my alarm snooze settings keep resetting from 5 minutes to 10 minutes which makes mornings feel too rushed. 
Here is my device info-
System firmware version: 11.20230306.3.112014
Cast firmware: 1.69.362882


I have turned on my reporting and sent a feedback form to google. 

thanks!

[JillG]

Hi all, I'm still having this issue and will keep looking out for any workarounds and updates from our support team.

I had to stop using my Hub as the bright light made it unusable for a bedside device. There is definitely a glitch with ambient lighting.  Things I tried, reboot: worked as expected until after invoking an Assistant request. Then bright light would stay on. Asking for "ambient" as in the past returned a definition of the word "ambient" rather than dimming the clock face.

Total FDR with large update. Didn't help. Checked and rechecked all display options.

Swapped Hub for another Hub. That one had the same behavior. 

So. I've unplugged both and am using my phone as a night stand device until it's resolved.

[ACABoom]

Hi all, any news on this? It is so frustrating to use the Hub like this! I would imagine this is a widespread issue but for some reason not many people reported it. @Dan_A thanks for your message but unfortunately whatever changes I apply to the hub, next time I use it it is back to not doing automatic dark/light mode, ambient light goes wrong too. It is a real mess!

[Patoman]

This is now an issue with my max hub. Every few days it changes on its own from dark mode to light, like this morning I woke up to light mode. I love my max hub but these issues are starting to get annoying.

[EP14]

Same issue here. I have dark mode set and can guarantee it will go back to light mode within 12 hours. Very annoying. system firmware 11.20230306.3.112014 Cast Firmware 1.69.362882. Please fix Google

[woolite]

Having the same issue here. @Google Please update with a fix

[Muddi · Accepted solution]

Hey folks,

Sorry for the delays here. It seems like we've been seeing quite an increase in reports around the Nest Hub (2nd generation) that keeps on going back to light mode. We shared this with the team and need some help to further investigate the issue.

Please immediately send feedback once you experience the issue on your Nest display. Just say, "Hey Google, send feedback," followed by keywords: GHT3 Nest Hub randomly illuminates at night.  Learn more about how to send feedback on our Help Center.

Once you've submitted feedback, please let us know in the comments what the current firmware version of your device is.

Cheers,

Muddi

[Mrblee2023]

Hi Nest Community,

One of my Nest Hubs (2nd Gen) keeps resetting from adaptive brightness (which I want) to a default dim preset brightness. Community member, dglim00, previously posted this issue on 11.09.2022.

I'm very tech inclined and tried all the reset steps and made sure my brightness settings in the Home app set. But it still keeps resetting to non adaptive brightness at least once a day or overnight. 

I use a Nest Doorbell with a Nest Hub at the front door, so my parents can see who is there. But now they can't when adaptive brightness is reset. Unfortunately, they are not able to understand how to manually set the brightness due to their age and lack of English comprehension.

Please help!

[Dan_A]

Hi Mrblee2023,

This is not the experience we want you to have, and we appreciate you taking some troubleshooting steps before posting. Just to confirm, when you did the reset, were they the same steps as what you see in this link?

Also, it would help us narrow things down if you could send here the current firmware version of your Nest Hub (2nd Gen). Follow the steps below:

1. Open the Google Home app Google Home app.
2. Touch and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap Settings  and then Device information.
4. Under "Technical information," check for Cast firmware: "X.XXX.XXXXX." If the device is on Fuchsia, check for System firmware version: "X.XXXXXXXX.X.XXXXXXX"

Check the version on your Nest display:

1.  Swipe up from the bottom of the display screen.
2. Tap Settings  and then About device. You should find your "Cast firmware version.

Keep us posted.

Best,

Dan

[Mrblee2023]

Thanks for the reply, Dan.

The cast firmware on my Nest Hub 2nd Gen is: 1.69.362882.

Warmest regards,

Alan

[Juni]

Hi Mrblee2023,

Thanks for the details you’ve shared. Could you confirm the reset process you did, is it the same as instructed in this link? Also, when was the last time you did it? 

I look forward to your response.

Regards,

Juni 

[Mrblee2023]

Hey Juni,

Thanks for your message! I've factory resetter both of my nest Hubs to see if it will help. I remember doing that only with one of them before, so hopefully doing again will keep the adaptive brightness set to on. I will keep you posted, as AB tends to reset overnight.

Warmest regards,

Alan 

[Mrblee2023]

Hey, one of my nest Hubs turned off AB on it own this morning. Despite the factory reset. 🥲

[Muddi]

Hello Mrblee2023,

Chiming in, could you tell us the system firmware version of your device? 

Cheers,

Muddi

[Mrblee2023]

Hi Muddi,

System firmware is: 11.20230306.3.11201

Warmest regards,

Alan

[Muddi]

Hi there,

It appears that your device has not yet received the latest update. Could you please let us know which country you are located in?

Please make sure that your device is getting enough signal from your network by placing it within 15-20 ft. away from the router. Let's wait for a few days to allow your device to receive the update.

Cheers,

Muddi

[Mrblee2023]

Hi Muddi,

Oh, my! Didn't know this. I'm based in the England, UK. My Nest Hub is within 6ft of my router, too. Is there anyway to force an update?

Many thanks,

Alan

[Mrblee2023]

Hey Muddi,

I just checked the firmware list provided by Google. And my Nest Hub's firmware is listed as the latest 'preview firmware'. Is this not the latest? Please note my nest hub is the 2nd gen.

Warmest regards,

Alan

[Muddi]

Hello Mrblee2023,

My bad! I didn't notice that the firmware version you provided was missing a digit. Moving forward, I agree that your device has the updated version: 11.20230306.3.112015.

Also, I found another thread that has the same issue on the Nest display. To ensure that all users facing this problem receive an update, I will duplicate this thread with the main one. Please make sure to follow the steps mentioned in the "Recommended Answer" to provide feedback that will assist our team in further investigating the issue.

Cheers,

Muddi

[Patoman]

Both my hub max and nest hub 2nd gen light up in the early morning very dimmed, sometime between 12am and 3am and staying on until I command them and they turn the screens back off. The displays are set to turn off in dimmed light. I purchased the nest hub 2nd gen in Dec. 2022, used it in my kitchen and never had a problem with lighting up in the early morning. I purchased the hub max 2 weeks ago. I replaced the nest hub 2nd gen in the kitchen with the max and moved the nest hub to my bedroom. The problem started after I got the hub max. I have tried everything soft reset, factory reset on both, turned off gestures, turned off ultra sound sensing, and tried so many different display settings. Nothing has worked so far. Is this a hardware or software problem? I'm about to return the Hub max, which is a shame because i really like it.

I have attached a picture of what the hub max looks like Hub Max dimly litdimly lit in the morning.

[JillG]

Hi @Patoman 

I have experienced the same and we have another thread with user's having this glitch and escalated here:  Automatic Light/Dark Theme Switching Issue on Nest... - Google Nest Community  

[Patoman]

Hi JillG

I don't have a problem with the theme switching on their own. I have them both set to dark, but now that I think about it there has been a few times they switched to light on their own. My main problem is them turning on in the early morning and staying on albeit very dim. Doesn't really disturb my sleep, just rather annoying. From the looks of that thread customers are having worse problems then me. I'm thinking this is a software problem as you swapped out yours and you're still having issues.

[JillG]

Just sounds related but I could be wrong but I do think it is a software side issue. Either way there is definitely a glitch surrounding the Hub's displays.

You've already done the troubleshooting I would have suggested. Please send feedback if you can! You can do this via the Google Home app or by telling your device to share feedback.

Appreciate it!

[Muddi]

Hi there,

I hope we were able to answer your question with the info provided by @JillG. If you have additional questions, feel free to respond to this thread and we'd be happy to further assist you.
 

Cheers,

Muddi

[Patoman]

No I'm still having the same issue. Only now my hub max has changed from dark theme to light theme on its own the other night, seems now I'm having that issue in that other thread JillG  linked me too.

[Patoman]

Quick update. I returned the max hub and exchanged it for a new one yesterday. So far the problem seems gone, the screens on both hubs were off when I woke up this morning. They didn't turn on until I turned on my lights or commanded them. Funny thing is my new max did not update to new firmware upon set up, its still has old firmware. I suspect that once it does update, my problems will return.

[Alex_S]

Hi Patoman,

Thanks for keeping us posted. Let's monitor your Google Nest Hub Max device's behavior. We'll keep this thread open for 3 more days so you can update us.

Best,
Alex

[Patoman]

One last update. My max updated a few nights ago and the problems have returned. So the hardware is fine, its the firmware that is causing the issues.

[Muddi]

Hello Patoman,

Oh no! Let's continue to monitor your device and observe any changes in the coming days, as the update has just been recently rolled out.

Cheers,

Muddi

[Juni]

Hi there,

I just wanted to follow up to see if you still need our help. Please let us know, as we would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
 

Thanks,

Juni

[Patoman]

I'm still having the same issues with both the hubs. Plus now my max hub keeps changing from dark to light mode over night, I have it set to dark and not auto. It has happened two nights in a row now.

[Muddi]

Hey Patoman,

Chiming in, could you tell us the current firmware version of your device? Follow the steps below to know-how:

1. Open the Google Home app.
2. Touch and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap Settings > Device information.
4. Under 'Technical information', check for system firmware version: 'X.XXXXXXXX.X.XXXXXXX'

Cheers,

Muddi

[Patoman]

Hi my firmware version is 11.20230306.3.135 on the nest max hub and 11.20230306.3.112016 on the nest hub 2nd gen.

There has been no change, they both turn on every morning. I have just been living with it.

[Muddi]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for providing the information. I duplicated this thread to a similar trending issue. Please make sure to follow the steps mentioned in the "Recommended Answer" to provide feedback that will assist our team in further investigating the issue.

Cheers,

Muddi

[Mrblee2023]

This is happening to one of my Nest Hubs also. Sorry to hear. Looks like a lot of Nest Hub users are experiencing similar issues for so long now, eek. I'm hoping for bug fixes otherwise I'm going to switch to Ring and Alexa displays.