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Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

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

#321

Post by reustle »

joshmccormack wrote: post #247
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…

“I’m a Works with Nest developer.” Not anymore you’re not.

Sounds like the perfect time to transition to a "`Works with Nest` to `Works with Google Assistant` Conversion Consultant"

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

#323

Post by telltruth »

Rexxar wrote: post #109
GiorgioG wrote: post #37

Man, Google is the new Microsoft of the 90s. Fuck them. I have 3 Nest thermostats (bought prior to the Nest acquisition.)

No. There is a lot of reasons to criticize Microsoft but they keep their services/apis alive longer than any other company.

Correct. If you had bought Windows Phone, it still works today. It's unbelievable that they have kept the whole thing running for may be 10,000 people out there.

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

#324

Post by IshKebab »

saulrh wrote: post #241
Klathmon wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe the kind of Google Assistant integration you would need to replicate this kind of access is impossible in publicly available APIs currently. Google has much more integration capabilities, but they seem to be this far "invite only", you can't request it.

So... The functionality exists and is currently in testing, it's only just become stable enough that we're hearing about it, and they're notifying developers targeting the current service as far ahead of time as possible? I mean, it won't do anything for stuff that's too crappy to take software updates, but that's an entirely different matter. Edit: Finally went and read the announcement. They're really not giving pe…

No, this isn't a case of moving functionality from Nest to Google. They've removed the Nest API ("set the temperature", "set to away", "what's the temperature?"). They say "move to Google Assistant" but Google Assistant doesn't let you do that.

Also - I could sort of understand it if they provided a proper IFTTT style system in Google Home but they don't. All you can do is trigger actions based on a custom voice command or a time.

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

#325

Post by IshKebab »

KukicAdnan wrote: post #252

Google decides to unify APIs under a single IoT brand, thus shutting down redundant APIs. Google bad. Google maintaining multiple APIs that essentially do the same thing. Google bad. People are going to complain either way. I welcome this change personally and think it makes perfect business sense. I can't think of any Works with Nest that I have integrated in my home that's not already connected to my Google Home, s…

It's not a redundant API. You can't access the Nest at all through Google Assistant's API.

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

#326

Post by headsoup »

panarky wrote: post #271
DivisionSol wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been considering pasting this: https://killedbygoogle.com/ every time the argument comes up. Maybe Google proponents will make one for other companies notorious for killing services, but at least for now, the Google Graveyard grows.

Would love to see a comparison of products "killed by Google" to products "killed by Microsoft" or even "killed by General Electric". I'd bet a week's paycheck that Google's list would be the shorter one.

Seems like a bit of tu quoque fallacy there. It is irrelevant whether other companies 'do worse.'

Let's instead just evaluate Google's behaviour as it is.

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

#328

Post by mcv »

electrograv wrote: post #38

I see Google API/ecosystem fans often defending or dismissing Google’s pattern of behavior here, using arguments like this: “Well, sure, they shut down that API I don’t use — big deal; all things come to an end eventually! But, they’d NEVER do that to this API I rely on — that would be so horrible, Google just would not do it!” I hope we all can acknowledge that this argument is on perpetually eroding ground, at the…

Relying on APIs you can't control is always going to be risky. This is why open standards and open source are vital; when an API that you rely on gets abandoned, you want to be able to set up your own replacement API.

Anything less than that means you're relying on a temporary situation whose end you don't control and can't predict.

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

#329

Post by vinay427 »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #194
palebluedot wrote: post #33

This seems to include all of us using them in open-source "hobbyist" environments, like Home Assistant and Node-Red. I'm quite frustrated by this; I'll never buy another Nest product again, and I now regret my purchase of the Nest Thermostat. All the rest of my IoT stuff is either open-source hardware/software, or at the least local-only with known protocol interfaces. This was the one exception I made for IoT "cloud…

The month Google originally bought Nest, I sold my thermostat to someone else and picked up an Insteon thermostat instead. My Insteon thermostat's been a reliable partner since, and doesn't send my data to anyone. I actually turned a profit on it, since I got rebate credit from my electric company originally for buying it.

I'm really happy with the Ecobee as well. The Alexa integration in the newer model doesn't work well possibly due to inferior microphones, in my experience, but I didn't want that anyway so it fits my needs perfectly.

In a few years, it will also return a profit due to an at-purchase and annual credit that my electricity utility provides.

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

#330

Post by McDev »

bryanrasmussen wrote: post #313

EU law (because the EU seems to be the only one willing to make these big laws inconveniencing tech) - any IOT enabled product that has the IOT capabilities removed by closing of a service without a simple way for those capabilities to be re-enabled (simple being further clarified in law) can be returned for a full purchase refund up to 3 months after closing of the service.

I'm interested in reading more about this, could someone provide more information on this law?
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