Google Nest app outage spreads

Google’s Nest app stopped working for many users on May 15, disrupting access to cameras, thermostats and smart locks tied to the older Nest platform. Reports began appearing before dawn on Downdetector and spread through the morning as users in the United States and other countries said the app could not connect to Nest’s service. Google Home appeared to keep working for many customers, pointing to a problem centered on Nest’s legacy app and services rather than a broader Google smart-home failure. By late afternoon, outside reports said service had largely returned and Google had begun telling users it was rolling out a fix. ### When did the outage start, and how broad was it? Downdetector reports began around 3:30 a.m. Eastern on May 15, according to PCMag and Android Authority, and rose through the morning as more users woke up and checked their devices. Android Police said reports were nearing 1,000 by late morning, while Android Authority said the count had climbed to nearly 800 earlier in the day. (androidauthority.com) Reddit posts and media reports described complaints from across the United States, with additional reports from Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and other markets. Android Police cited responses from users in Texas, Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. (androidauthority.com) ### What exactly stopped working for Nest users? The Nest app returned an error message saying, “There was a problem connecting to the Nest service. Try again in a few minutes,” according to 9to5Google. PCMag said the outage limited remote control of smart-home devices connected through Nest services. PCMag reported that many thermostats still allowed manual temperature changes on the device itself, even while app access failed. (androidauthority.com) The publication also said Nest x Yale locks would continue to accept passcodes, but previously scheduled access would not work until Nest functionality returned. Google’s own support pages say offline Nest products may need in-person troubleshooting and that a device without a connection “won't have a way to receive a signal.” That guidance applies to product connection failures generally, but it shows the practical limit when app-based access breaks down. (9to5google.com) ### Why were some people saying Google Home still worked? Google Home has taken over support for most Nest devices over the past several years, 9to5Google reported, and Google recently added tools to import older Nest gear into Home. (uk.pcmag.com) That left some customers able to keep using Home while users who still relied on the Nest app ran into failures. (support.google.com) PCMag also reported that Google’s Home app appeared to be working normally for many users during the outage. Android Police said some users were able to fall back to Google Home, though others said not all features they used in Nest were available there. ### Why did the status page add to the confusion? The Nest status page initially showed no outage even as complaints spread online. (9to5google.com) Android Authority, Android Police, 9to5Google and PCMag all reported that the dashboard was still saying “Everything is running smoothly” while users were posting error messages and outage reports. By May 16, the public Nest status page was showing normal service again. (uk.pcmag.com) Android Authority said in a May 15 update that reports had dropped and the status page said “everything is running smoothly” after service appeared to come back. ### What did Google say, and what should users watch now? Google began acknowledging the problem publicly on May 15, according to Android Authority, which quoted the company telling users: “We are aware of an issue impacting the Nest app. (androidauthority.com) We’re working on a fix ASAP.” Engadget later reported that Google said it had rolled out a fix for the Nest app and was still working to resolve an issue affecting some Google Home app services. (status.nest.com) The next concrete checkpoint for users is Google’s own service and support pages. The Nest status page remains the public dashboard for service updates, and Google Nest Help directs customers to support channels for troubleshooting and product-specific guidance. (status.nest.com) (androidauthority.com)