Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#81

Post by Gibbon1 » Wed, May 08, 2019, 1:22 AM UTC

itsaidpens wrote: post #65

dotBen wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup, they just did a Twitter. I lived through the Twitter ecosystem collapse and now I'm a VC I worry about investing in startups that are built on any large ecosystem where there isn't an alignment of clear economic interest. Google of all people doing this just made it tougher for everyone else to maintain confidence in large vendor platforms.

No one should have expected Google to maintain focus on anything.

Microsoft: embrace extend extinguish

Google: Hold my Kombucha!

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#82

Post by pugworthy » Wed, May 08, 2019, 1:22 AM UTC

joenathanone wrote: post #26

Can I return my Nest for a refund? This is so stupid.

How does this impact you personally?

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#83

Post by nitrogen » Wed, May 08, 2019, 1:22 AM UTC

pugworthy wrote: post #63

hello_asdf wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do. I have a command line nest app that I use to control my temperature.

So a personal project then, not a commercial one. My guess is they just lost a new customer with you. The root of my question though is this: Is most API use a hobby thing, or a professional thing businesses are build around? My assumption here is that the financial impact is trivial for them. They aren't Valve ending Half-Life modding for example. If that's not a clear analogy, Valve's enabling of modding for Half-L…

I haven't been involved in the home automation industry for a while, but if there were any integrations that used this API from DIY or commercial platforms like Homeseer, Control4, Crestron, AMX, or dozens of others, those will no longer work.

There are lots of mostly invisible companies selling high-end automation that don't need to advertise so you'll never have heard of them. It's not just hobbyists that build this stuff.

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#84

Post by pugworthy » Wed, May 08, 2019, 1:23 AM UTC

systemBuilder wrote: post #23

I am turning off my future purchases of Google Nest products.

Why exactly? How does this decision impact you personally?

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#85

Post by [deleted] » Wed, May 08, 2019, 1:23 AM UTC

gergles wrote: post #22

> I’m a Works with Nest developer. Will I be able to access and control Nest devices moving forward? > No. The Actions on Google Smart Home platform does not provide open API access to Nest devices, so it cannot be used to access and control Nest devices. Instead, managing and controlling Google Home, Nest, and thousands of third-party smart home devices is done through the Google Home app and the Google Assistant. W…

[deleted]

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#86

Post by rkochman » Wed, May 08, 2019, 1:24 AM UTC

“Alexa, tell Google to turn up the heat”

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#87

Post by pgt » Wed, May 08, 2019, 1:24 AM UTC

I don’t want to work at a place where my projects will get shut down.

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#88

Post by awestley » Wed, May 08, 2019, 1:25 AM UTC

pugworthy wrote: post #78

awestley wrote: post #41

I guess all my nest stuff is going ebay... Too bad.

Why? What have you lost?

Integrations. Loss of IFTTT would be enough. No doubt Alexa will follow.

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#89

Post by [deleted] » Wed, May 08, 2019, 1:25 AM UTC

HillRat wrote: post #48

So now all Nest accounts have to go through Google. Can’t wait for the first time some Android developer gets their Google account locked and suddenly can’t change the temperature on their HVAC unit.

[deleted]

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#90

Post by sdinsn » Wed, May 08, 2019, 1:25 AM UTC

pugworthy wrote: post #68

richev wrote: post #21

So my Nest app[1] that has 1800+ registered users will stop working in August. :'( [1] https://richev.me/nest

Look not to be blunt, but 1800 users? Why should they care? I'm being a devils advocate, but ... if you were at Google and a person making large business decisions, why would you care about 1800 users?

Because having an open API fosters a community of applications that is free marketing and free development for your product.

Nest products are expensive, those 1800 users may equate to a few hundred thousand in revenue for Google, who may instead buy a competitor for their next purchase.