Google has announced that it will officially suspend support for first- and second-generation nest learning thermostats. This means that from the end of October these smart thermostats will not be that smart.
These devices date back to 2011 and 2012 (and the second generation model of the European version of 2014), and helped kickstart the smart home boom, but are left behind after more than a decade.
After the cutoff, you won’t be able to control the old thermostat via Google Home or the Nest app, and voice commands using Google Assistant will no longer work.
The good news is that you can walk to the thermostat and manually change the temperature, settings and schedule, like in the 1990s.
To ease the blow, Google says it will send an email to eligible users with discounts on new models. In the US, customers can win $130 from the fourth-generation Nest Learning Thermostat, which is usually sold for $279.99. Canadians will see an even steeper cut of $160 from the same model.
In Europe, where Google is getting even more difficult, the company offers 50% off its Tado Smart Thermostat X, a new option that can be integrated with Google Home.
Google does not sugar paint the situation for European users. It says there are no plans for new nest thermostats in the area.
In a blog post announcing the move, the Google Nest team said that European systems are “unique and have a variety of hardware and software requirements that make it difficult to build a diverse set of homes,” but third generation nest learning thermostats and nest nest thermostats E continue to be sold in Europe, supply continues and security updates continue.
This announcement is another reminder that reminds us of the drawbacks of connected gadgets that rely on the cloud to fully work. Even iconic products have expiration dates and when cloud connections get dark, the smart part of a smart home quickly becomes rather stupid.
14 is a decent ride for Tech Gear, but whether it feels like enough time for something basic like a thermostat is another question.
