Gentle wake up doesn't work on non-hue bulbs

[wtfhits]

Previously, we were using gentle wake up with Phillips Hue BT bulbs. This worked OK, but recently the reliability of the Phillips Hue bulbs have made them unusable and we are returning them. Gentle Wake up is meant to work with any lights, but it is not for us. The scenario we need is to be able to set an alarm using the built-in routine command "Ask what time the alarm should be set for" (or a similar custom command if one exists).

These are the possible setups we could use, none of which are working:

- Using a Nest Hub (2nd generation), with sunrise alarm. The reason this doesn't work is because it's not possible to set a sunrise alarm using a routine. It would have to be set manually. Also, the sunrise on the hub alone is not bright enough

- Using WiFi enabled smart bulbs with either the Nest Bub or Nest Mini, with Gentle wake up enabled in the room. If I have enabled gentle wake up, nothing happens. If I ask Google to wake up my lights, it sets them to 1%, and then nothing more happens.

Does anyone have a workaround for the bug that actually works?

Work arounds I've seen:

- Set the sunrise alarm manually on the Nest Hub. No - we set the alarm for different times each day - it is ridiculous to not be able to use a routine. What is the point of them otherwise?

- Turn the light on at 1%, then have Google "wake up" the light. Doesn't help, because you can't have the light turn on half an hour before the alarm.

- Reset the devices. This happens with every device and every bulb. So no, I'm not resetting them again. Or uninstalling and reinstalling the app.

I would say it's astounding that this hasn't been fixed. But these days it's not. None of the bugs are being fixed. New features are being introduced and all existing features are just being left alone. I'm sure it's nice for the Google developers to get work on exciting new features, but you really need to spend time fixing the existing ones as well.

On a previous thread, I was asked to fill in a form to get help. I did so, and the thread was closed. But no one has contacted me since, and the issue is still there. So every time the thread is closed, I'm just going to create a new one with the same text until the issue is actually fixed.

[wtfhits]

Yeah, I could easily turn the lights on via a routine or manually (note that if you have sleep sensing active, the morning routines don't trigger automatically, which is a separate issue), but that's not the point. The entire point is the gentle wake up.

And I wouldn't wait patiently - because if we do that it'll never be fixed. I don't know if these threads will help either, but the more people that comment, the more they might actually look into it.

[wtfhits]

Further note: When I ask google to "gently wake up my lights" or do the command for specific lights. It always responds that it is, and says the correct light name or number of lights.

Then does nothing.

[Jake]

Hey there,

Sorry for the trouble. I wanted to follow up and see if I could be of any help. I found an article with more details. Please let me know if you are still having any trouble from here, as I would be happy to take a closer look and assist you further. 

Best regards,
Jake

[wtfhits]

As per the article, "This feature is available for all smart lights, switches and plugs that are set up under the device type "Light" in the Google Home app."

But this simply isn't true, because it doesn't work properly.

Note that "Gentle Sleep" DOES work as expected for all lights, which is why I am sure it's a bug. When you try to wake (non-Hue) bulbs, it seems to set the brightness to 1% at the right time - but just doesn't turn the lights on.

[wtfhits]

Still waiting.

When I ask Google to Wake the light, it responds by saying that it is, and correctly states the name of the bulb.

It sets the bulb to 1% brightness. But it does not turn it on, and does not increase the brightness further.

If the light is on to start with, it seems it does increase the brightness as expected, and even changes it to 1% at the start. But it is not turning the light on after setting it to 1%.

Sleep works correctly - reducing the brightness to 1% and then turning it off.

So it really seems to be just one step missing - turning the light on!

[wtfhits]

Further clarification of current behaviour:

- If the light is ON (any brightness), and I "wake the lights", it works correctly - sets the brightness to 1% and then slowly increases it to 100%

- If the light is OFF, and I "wake the lights", it does NOT work. It sets the brightness to 1%, does NOT turn the light on, and does NOT increase the brightness

- If the light is ON, and I "sleep the lights", it does work

I don't know what happens if the light is OFF and I "sleep the lights"

Also, the tests here were done by manually triggering the process. I assume the same happens when triggered through an alarm or after a delay, but I don't know for sure.

[Muddi]

Hey wtfhits,

Sorry for the delays. Could you tell us the specific make and model of your lights? Have you checked with the manufacturer if the action supports their lights? I understand that you can adjust the brightness but there are bulbs that don't support the gentle wake up feature. It really depends on the integration of the bulbs to the Google Home/Nest devices. 

Cheers,

Muddi

[wtfhits]

If that is the case, then Google's own documentation is still incorrect.

https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9304145?hl=en-GB states that "This feature is available for all smart lights, switches and plugs that are set up under the device type 'Light' in the Google Home app"

It does not refer to whether the manufacture supports it or not.

Also, what you have said is incorrect - because Google Home TRIES to wake the light up. It sets the brightness half an hour before the alarm. It just doesn't turn the light on. It is clear that Google Home attempts to manage the control of the wake-up, it just isn't complete.

We have actually given up on having Google do it, and are using Home Assistant and automations to do it. Part of the reason for this is that gentle wake up would use white only even if it worked, which is far too bright on most bulbs (might as well just turn the light on fully). So we have an automation which starts the light as blue and gradually brightens it and changes it towards white as well as the alarm gets closer.

If anyone wants more information about how we've done that, let me know.

[Muddi]

Hi wtfhits,

I understand that this is not the answer that you are looking for. Our team is working hard to improve all the features of the Google Home/Nest devices - I'll take this as feedback. If you ever change your mind and want to use your speakers to control your smart devices again in the future, we'll be here to help. 

Cheers,

Muddi