Google Home adds full temperature scheduling for older Nest thermostats

Google Home rolls out temperature scheduling for Gen 3 and E Nest thermostats, reducing reliance on the old Nest app while the rollout encounters early glitches.

Google Home finally adds full temperature scheduling for older Nest thermostats

Google Home is adding full temperature scheduling for 3rd Gen and E Nest thermostats inside the Google Home app. The feature lets users set exact temperatures for different times of day, choose which sensors read temperatures, and specify a minimum hourly fan runtime. It also provides a daily schedule view on the main page, reducing the need to keep the old Nest app for this function.

The rollout started for some users after Google announced in April that it would end support for older Nest thermostats while sparing Gen 3 and E models. The company had promised scheduling would arrive later this year, and some users are now seeing the option live. The release is not flawless; the new scheduling experience can be glitchy at first, with schedules sometimes not transferring from the Nest app and entries disappearing until the Home app cache is cleared.

The update shows Google aiming to unify its smart home experience under a single app, even as a portion of older hardware remains in use. It highlights a tension between expanding features for aging devices and maintaining reliability across a growing platform. The initial glitches underscore how software controls hardware and how a smooth user experience depends on more than feature lists.

If the scheduling proves stable, Gen 3 and E owners could enjoy a longer usable life for their devices and less app churn. The move also signals a broader push toward ecosystem consolidation, where Google hopes users stay within one control hub rather than juggling multiple apps and accounts. How Google handles future updates on older devices will test trust and loyalty among long-time Nest users.

Highlights

The rollout marks a small but meaningful step in keeping aging devices usable within evolving platforms.