Here’s a neat trick you can try if you own a Nest thermostat: Open up Google Now on Android or the Google app on iOS and tell Google to set your Nest thermostat to 70 degrees. If you do that, Google Now will recognize you’re talking about the Nest smart thermostat and will try to adjust the temperature.
Months after Google acquired Nest, the popular smart home company is finally joining forces with its parent to harness the power of Google Now and the Nest thermostat. To get the feature to actually work, however, you must first authorize the Google app to integrate with Nest. Once that’s done controlling the temperature at home is as easy as saying, “Ok Google.”
Oops. Don’t forget to authorize Google to work with your Nest account.
The impact on you at home: We’ve been expecting Google Now integration with Nest since June when the Google-owned company announced the “Works with Nest” program. Nest integration with Google Now will no doubt kick-up controversy over user privacy. But deep integration between the various smartphone platforms and smart home products also promises to make these tools more effective. If Google Now can detect when you’re close to home, for example, Nest can more accurately adjust its schedule to suit you. Relying on Google Now, or Cortana, or Siri is a far better solution than a jumble of third-party apps for your toaster, coffee maker, thermostat, and lighting system.
Are you in?
Google Now enables two different kinds of interactions to start. The first is the kind of behind-the-scenes operation that Google Now is famous for. As you head home, Google Now will ping your thermostat and get your home prepared for your arrival. When this happens a Google Now card will show up on your devices to alert you to what’s going on.
The second feature allows you to adjust your temperature remotely using the “Ok Google” voice command feature of Google Now.
A screenshot of Google’s ‘Works with Nest’ page showing Google Now functionality.
Google currently has a web page set-up showing off these two features and a “Yes, I’m In” link to opt-in to integrating Google Now with your Nest thermostat. When you click that link you’ll be directed to Nest’s sign-in page where you can complete the integration.
Updated 12/16 at 7:19 a.m. Pacific: Shortly after this article was originally published, detailing hidden hints of Nest integration found within Google Now, Nest offically announced integration with the Google App. We have updated the article to reflect that.