Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google has confirmed that scheduling functions for older Nest thermostats are finally coming to the Google Home app this year.
- This will apply to the Google Nest Learning Thermostat (Gen 3) and Nest Thermostat E.
- For many, this means they will no longer need to use the Nest app.
It’s been over 10 years since Google bought the smart home company Nest. One would think that, over those 10 years, Google would have fully absorbed Nest. However, that’s not the case. There are still a few devices out there that require the old Nest app for specific functions. Notably, this includes older Nest thermostats, which rely on the Nest app for a core feature: scheduling.
Today, Google made sweeping changes to the Nest ecosystem, including the “dumbification” of older thermostats. While this might have come as a shock to folks who invested in Nest in its early days, it also came with some good news: older Nest thermostats will see scheduling functions move to the Google Home app at some point in 2025.
This is, without a doubt, one of the most significant pain points for folks within the Nest ecosystem. Although we’ve heard Google say that it’s working on this, today’s announcement that a fix is coming this year is the first concrete promise the company has made about it.
To be clear, the Nest Thermostat (launched in 2020) and the newest Nest Learning Thermostat (Gen 4), launched in 2024, can both be scheduled in the Google Home app. The thermostat that’s the most ubiquitous, though, is the Nest Learning Thermostat (Gen 3), which launched in 2015. Likewise, the Nest Thermostat E was also really popular. Both of these thermostats require the Nest app for scheduling functions.
Once Google does roll out this change, it will spell the end of the Nest app for many — likely millions of people. For most, scheduling thermostat functions is the only reason they have the Nest app on their phones. At some point this year, all they’ll need is the Google Home app.
Unfortunately, we don’t have a more specific time frame than “later this year.” Over the coming weeks and months, though, Google will probably be more specific. It will also probably roll this out in a public beta first. If you’re excited to get this as soon as possible, it might be worth joining the Google Home early access program.
