Message from our GM: Updates for our Nest customers

[GoogleNestTeam]

Nest Community Members, 

Since launch, many of our long-time Nest customers have provided valuable feedback on our new Nest Cam (battery) and Nest Doorbell (battery) devices -- particularly on the transition to the Google Home app experience. We hear you, and we’re taking your feedback to heart. In this post, I want to share more about our commitments to you going forward. 

The transition to the Google Home app

Our new cameras, including the upcoming Nest Cam (indoor, wired) and Nest Cam with floodlight, were made specifically for the Google Home app. Unlike the Nest app, the Google Home app was built to accommodate both battery and wired products, event-based and 24/7 continuous video history, while giving you a whole home view and history of your camera and doorbell feeds across all Nest cameras. You can check out the recent Nest Community blog if you want to read more on Nest cameras and the Home app. 

We chose to transition to the Home app because this app is designed for the future of the smart home — a single place to set up, manage, automate, and control your home. Today, most home devices are controlled across multiple apps, but we’re working on making the Google Home app the central controller across all your home devices, including Google devices and devices from 1,000s of other brands. We continue to make major improvements to the Home app to support this future. 

That being said, this means that existing Nest households with cameras and doorbells prior to Nest Cam (battery) and Nest Doorbell (battery) may have a two app experience. We know this can be frustrating, and we are committed to bringing the experiences and Nest devices you have come to love in the Nest app into the Home app. This will take time to get right, and we will continue to share more details as we have updates.

We are listening to your feedback and will continue to make improvements to advance the camera experience in the Home app. For example, we’ll soon introduce the ability to flip between events quickly and easily, which is helpful for events that are far apart, or if you only want a glimpse of the events versus playing them back fully. And we’ve also been working on rolling out a desktop experience for the Google Home app, so the new Nest cameras and doorbell feeds can be viewed and controlled from there. This will launch in 2022. 

Other updates

We also heard feedback from many on the multi-pack cameras only offering a single charging cable. We recognize that this doesn't work for all users, so we are offering a free additional cable(s) to customers who purchased the two-pack or three-pack. Just contact our support team.

Finally, we commit to being more transparent with you on where we are taking the camera portfolio. We know that those with wired doorbell connections prefer to have a doorbell that can also support 24/7 continuous video history (via the Nest Aware subscription). We are excited to share that we will be launching a 2nd generation of Nest Doorbell (wired) in 2022. 

Hopefully this post gives you more context on where we’re heading together, and we’ll share our upcoming plans here on the Nest Community. I encourage you to share your feedback with us as we continually improve our products and experiences.

-rishi

Rishi Chandra

GM/VP of Google Nest

[Johnsy]

Why keep bothering to post they obviously dont read this thread anymore. Ive forwarded the link to as many email addresses i can find for Google execs to remind them. Maybe we all can do this instead ?

[mattfkho]

@Johnsy I guess asking some Popular Tech YouTuber to look into this will be more effective?
Any idea who could help?

[Guitargyro]

This is a stupid idea. You have basically fooled Google customers into buying more Nest cameras that are completely unusable with the old Nest app WHICH WORKED PERFECTLY. 

I have been paying Google a yearly subscription to view/record all my cameras in one place and now my brand new $200+ “battery” NEST camera is completely redundant. 

Why would anyone want to use a camera on a different home monitoring app than what they have been using without issue for years?  

I am returning this useless camera and seriously considering selling all the old ones to switch over to SimpliSafe. Unfortunate because I prefer the Google cameras. But at least the SimpliSafe ones don’t require me to have different apps to use different generation devices. Seriously dumb idea Google. 

[boatdude]

So, it seems that battery powered cameras are simply not up to the task of providing a NestCam experience.  That should have been obvious to them before they ever went down that dead-end path.  Now they are hoping the enormous mistake will quietly fade away.

[Alainindepth]

Here’s my feedback! Why did you call the new Nest cam floodlights a “Nest Cam” when you can’t even use it with the Nest app? I was in love with the nest cams and now I have to switch between two accounts. Watching history of some cams have to be done in one app and history of other cams have to be done in another app. How stupid is that? At least bring everything in one or the other but make up your mind Google. I don’t give a crap which app to use but **bleep** make it all work on one stupid app for F sake! It’s like people who used Nest for many years are now being penalized since google bought nest. How freaking disappointing especially for the price of the cams…

[Maslam]

Hello Google home support,

We need nest camera back with Nest app support, they are no more in the market.

Thank you,

[Hughescameras]

I loved being able to see all the feeds quickly which gone does not support.  I just bought 6 nest battery camera to expand my existing 6 camera system.  Hopefully, I can return them and find either old nest camera or move to another vendor system allows me to see all my camera views quickly. 

I’m really disappointing in your inability to listen to your existing customers 

[LaoLuo]

I feel really dumb.  I recently purchased the Nest Cam (battery) so it would integrate with all my other Nest devices accessible on the Nest app.  Only now do I learn it isn't accessible on the Nest app and only available on the Google Home app, software with inferior usability.   Should I return the camera (I still can) and purchase a cheaper camera since I have to use 2 different apps anyway or can someone provide a date by which the Nest app functions will be available in the Google Home app?

[pslawing]

Don't feel dumb, lots are in same situation you are.  Yes return and when you other cameras fail, go to another system. It doesn't look like they are going to fix this, get your money back while you can.

[ShawnT]

@LaoLuo  Don't feel dumb. Hell I bought the flood light cam and two other battery ones and waited too long to return them before I went to install them. I'm just having to deal with it.

I put an android emulator on my laptop and computer at work so that at least I can view the cameras from there. 

[BDG007]

@LaoLuo  Don't feel dumb, frustrated with Google YES, but not dumb.  

Interesting read and perspective on this topic - 

https://9to5google.com/2022/07/08/google-home-nest-app-disaster/ 

Much to my displeasure I have started to incorporate other cameras into my ecosystem.  I purchased 5 Blink Outdoor cameras during prime days.  Not at par with ORIGINAL Nest cameras (of which I have 16 - 12 original and 4 of the new Google battery outdoor) and functionality but definitely at par with the newest Google cameras at a significant cost savings.  I proposed a Blink camera ecosystem to some friends who are new to home cameras, they think they are fantastic (again at a considerable cost savings over Google).

[6magyars]

Well this is a bull**bleep** answer for “we wanted everyone using our app platform and not Nest”.   

[Guitargyro]

Just FYI, you can still find the wired Google Nest  cameras on Amazon. I returned the newer “battery” one and didn’t look back. Integrated flawlessly so I’m up to 5 wired Nests still using the Nest app. Works great!  I won’t be switching to any Home app. If they force the issue, that’s when I switch services and forget about ever considering another Google product. 

[JBSD]

Hey we're close to getting a birthday on this post, and people STILL (RIGHTLY!) giving Google the business on this.  Y'all can't get Nest & Google Home unified yet?  WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH ALL THOSE CASH RESERVES??

You must be the company MOST aware of voice of the customer, and LEAST committed to customer success.  Hey, if cash is always increasing, we're doing it right!  

It's always good until it isn't.... no one can predict the tipping point.

Can we go back to the 'Don't Be Evil' days?  Would settle for 'Do the Right Thing'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_be_evil

[KcH89]

Good grief. How has it been almost a year and you still can't set an on/off schedule for Nest Cams in Google Home? How has it been a year and you haven't even published a timeline for when you're going to fix this? 

[Steve1957]

Oh what a disappointment Google Home and current "Nest" Cameras are. 

Having had a doorbell and camera for several years  - which i have been delighted with - I extended my security to a Nest Cam with Floodlight, naively expecting that as it has the same 'NEST' name and the same GOOGLE  brand that it would work in a similar way to the others . . . .but NO

After much head scratching to make it work, I now discover from threads like this that I can't get it to work in Google Nest because (despite being called a "Nest Cam") Google have designed it NOT to work in Google Nest.  Instead newer "Nest Cams" only work within the vastly inferior Google Home App, which also means i need 2 separate apps to manage the 2 cameras I  now have 

Before today i would have regarded myself as a strongly positive Google proponent.  After their deceitful product naming and lack of activity to resolve the situation GOOGLE CHOSE TO CREATE I am a long way from being a proponent.

[DenverDan]

I bought three Google Nest Cams expecting they would work just like the Nest Doorbell and be viewable from my PC. 

I'm glad I tested them before going through the physical installation process.

I tested and discovered that you CAN NOT view live or recorded video from these Cams using a PC.  Whut?!?!

I thought I was doing something wrong with the setup, then I found this post (and many others) of other people complaining about the same thing.

So, two hours after I had opened the box the Cams all went back in the box and were returned for a full refund.  

I like having a truly "integrated" experience that I can use across any device/PC, so I'm now shopping for a new doorbell and camera system and I will be replacing my Nestdoor bell now (and canceling my Nest Aware subscription.)

I'm otherwise a Google fanboy, so Google's Camera integration failure is pretty surprising to me.  It saddens me to say you are doing it wrong Google.

[GoBananas]

So very glad we stuck with our Ring cameras and alarm as the app and web interfaces are both excellent and feature packed. Our Nest Hub and Mini speakers are ok/good, but still need some work, especially the Google Home App needs a lot of help.

[EmptyNester]

@DenverDan I did the EXACT same thing about 9 months ago and have been purchasing a few of the Gen 1 Cams used on ebay and I'm very happy having everyone on the NEST app and working just as I like it.  Hopefully it won't be to much longer before Google releases new cams and a vastly improved Google Home app. However I am loosing hope since so much time has passed and we have not seen even ONE new feature in all this time.

[RobWriter]

I have numerous NEST Cams and smoke alarms. it is fricken insane marketing to not support new devices on the NEST APP while at same time providing NO support for previous devices on Google Home. No amount of "rationale" is acceptable.

Either fix this or many like myself will be posting on Amazon and Social media to NOT buy your expensive products and why. I'd convert all mine now if I didn't have so much $ invested. But at some point I will. I can't even set up a schedule or zone mapping on your ridiculous Home App.

[NestCamLover]

@GoogleNestTeamIt's been almost a year since your post.  Can you give us ANY updates?

[flug]

@RobWriter don't wait, give them the accurate review they deserve. I said this since the thread started, they blasted out paid reviews and the only way they would pay attention is if people flooded them with accurate reviews. All of the links to the relevant sites are above in the thread, I posted them multiple times. It's become obvious that they do not care about their customers. 

[Seagreen]

Yes. Please give us an update!

[DenverDan]

@GoogleNestTeam

I agree.  Please provide an update.

[Amaximov1]

They are too busy trying to figure out a way to circumvent the patent infringement on Sonos to care about us

[ShawnT]

Have none of you seen the viral tiktok of the google employee working remotely at home and doing absolutely zero work? That's what's going on here. None of them are doing anything

[Irievibesender]

Looking like something is in the works

https://www.xda-developers.com/google-home-app-redesign-recruiting-testers/

[mattfkho]

@ShawnT Not just Engineers. Have we seen their PR staff telling us anything over the past 12 months?
NOTHING! Absolutely zero update whatsoever!
@Irievibesender Don't hold your breath, until we see any real action happening.

If anyone here knows any popular Youtuber, please get in touch with them and expose this matter to the general public.

[Johnsy]

@ShawnT  Nope, i dont so social media especially a Chinese owned one...

[Katieb]

@Johnsy YouTube is owned by Google....

[ShawnT]

@Johnsy  😅 It's all over the internet. It was just created on tiktok. One of the videos shows the guy boarding a plane and getting a last minute notification of a work meeting 😂

[Chwmpls]

Thought I loved my nest products - door bell, 2 cams, thermostat, Nest Aware and most importantly the Nest App. However, like everyone else on this thread, I just purchased a 2-pack outdoor batter cam, and learned it isn’t compatible with the nest app. The google home app doesn’t work the same. I am returning my product today. Google Nest is losing a sale and a customer. 

[redmonchuck]

I am disappointed. I switched from Arlo to Nest because adding products and using the Nest App would be easier. So, I purchased cameras, Nest Temperature sensors, and a doorbell, and all was good. When I went to add more cameras and a Hubb, I thought there was a problem with the cameras and the app. I also took the time to reboot my router, unplug the cameras, etc., etc., etc., still didn't work. After spending hours trying to figure this out, I discovered that the new devices couldn't be added to the Nest App. You wasted my Saturday afternoon, and no, the Home App is not as good as the existing Nest App.  

[BubbaDude]

VERY MUCH looking forward for the ability to use my PC with the HOME APP.  This is a much-needed feature!!

[MplsCustomer]

Google Nest has just added a "Full History" option for our older cameras and doorbells to the Google Home app, accessed by clicking on the 3 dots ("More") option in the upper right corner when viewing the camera.

Is this the first step in what Google Nest has promised in this blog post?  There has been no announcement anywhere.

This view is like the "Full History" option for the newer cameras and doorbells in the Google Home app; it shows only events (but does not [yet] have a "Save clip to device" option), and does not yet provide access to 24/7 history.

[ShawnT]

@MplsCustomer 

This has been available for quite some time. It's not as nice as being able to sort of scroll through the footage like you could in the nest app tho. It's just a series of "events" saved.

[MplsCustomer]

@ShawnT 

In the Sept. 29, 2021 post above, Google Nest Vice President Rishi Chandra said: "we commit to being more transparent with you on where we are taking the camera portfolio." But in the intervening 11 months we have heard nothing whatsoever on where Google Nest is "taking the camera portfolio".

So when I discovered the "Full History" option in the Google Home app earlier this week, I jumped to the conclusion--irrationally--that it might be an undisclosed step towards Mr. Chandra's Sept. 29, 2021 commitment "to bringing the experiences and Nest devices you have come to love in the Nest app into the Home app."

In fact, it may have no significance at all.  Sigh.

[theogiannopoulo]

BULL**bleep** THIS SUCKS

[theogiannopoulo]

Looks like I need to find a new security system. Google just keeps getting worse.

[Ptboat]

We’ll, it’s August of 2022. Do you have any intention at all of honoring your word?

[tockki]

Wow... I thought I was the only one who had the sentiment of Google Home is TERRIBLE and bring back the NEST compatibility to all nest devices. I have been waiting for several months since my original nest doorbell died due to battery expansion problems... and figured Google will come out with doorbell 2. Maybe Ring might be the better option now... but I just don't like their boxy design... and the push button non click action. Google I hope you are listening out there... somewhere.

[RDA]

Guess I’m returning the new cameras I bought today that match my other half dozen, or so I thought they did. I will not be forced to use an inferior app. If I have to migrate to two apps, I will migrate to a company that cares about their customers and their products experience. Should have just left it alone. 

[urlybird]

https://chromeunboxed.com/google-nest-150-million-second-invenstment

Gonna get worse not better for us classic Nest users.

[MplsCustomer]

None of the incessant ADT/Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) ads I see on television point out that the doorbell cannot charge at temperatures below freezing, cannot record 24/7 even when wired, cannot work in the Google Nest app or on the home.nest.com website, has customers reporting poor battery life, has customers reporting that because it is "Idle" all the time, events are truncated, and has customers reporting that the doorbell either falls off its mount by itself or cannot be removed to charge it. That's why we instead bought another Google Nest Hello Doorbell for our unwired third entrance and wired it with an OhmKat Video Doorbell Power Supply and Ohmkat Wireless Video Doorbell Chime.

[eisenb11]

@urlybird Ugh. I had ADT before I got the Secure... ADT was terrible. Overpriced and they didn't even bother to tell me when the system stopped reporting in due to telephone line issues. False alarms galore when the batteries started getting low - they didn't bother to tell me I had low batteries either. Every year, they'd try to raise my rates for doing basically nothing. The Secure was so much better. Then Google messed that up to dump more money into the ADT dumpster fire. The point is to disrupt the industry with newer and better, not to keep going with the old and bad...

[mattfkho]

Google doesn't need to care about hardware

https://www.androidcentral.com/phones/google-doesnt-need-to-care-about-hardware

[John261]

How in the world did I miss all this when I went and bought some new "Nest Cam" battery outdoor cameras to go with my other Nest cams, presumably to add the new ones to the existing ones on my Nest app????   I can't believe I didn't find this issue before I bought the cameras.  I hope I can get Amazon to take them back.

Astonishing that the "GM/VP" posts his blah blah blah here a year ago and hasn't had the nerve to come back with any updates, a full year later.

[dajawa]

I feel pretty stupid for not doing my research! So bummed I didn't read all of your feedback. I bought a two-pack, installed them, and then realized that NEST doesn't mean what I thought it meant. Why wouldn't Google call it something completely different if they decided to come out with a new platform? Unfortunately, I missed my return window. Google did suggest that maybe I could sell them on eBay, which felt like a gut punch. 

I am removing all of my google cams and will be incredibly reluctant to purchase any products from Google in the future. 

[TheWee]

I’ve read a lot of these comments and agree to all of them. What I can’t figure out is how to schedule the battery outdoor/indoor camera in google home app. I’ve tried routine w start time, but it does not allow me to select any of my 3 cameras that I bought after loading them in the app. It’s 9/24/2022….where’s the promised fixes?!

I have several thousand dollars wrapped up in Original Nest devices: cameras, protects, secure, lock, and doorbell and it all worked. Contemplating on returning my 3 battery cameras. Maybe I should port over to SimplySafe. 

What really gets me is I can’t purchase what once cost $20 for a window/door sensor.

For a company with deep pockets and supposedly the brightest developers, you would think they would have the brains to get this resolved quickly. 

[MplsCustomer]

@TheWee 

Unfortunately, the "Schedule" capability that is in the Google Nest app was not ported over into the Google Home app, so we cannot schedule the newer cameras.