Google has finally updated its smart home community with a new look. But longtime Nest users will notice that there’s more to this than a visual revamp. The company just shut down its third-party forums and moved the entire Google Home & Nest Community to its own internal support domain. While this promises a fresh look, there’s a bigger catch.
For context, in recent years, Google has outsourced its smart home forums to third-party services. They’re the same ones that used to run Stadia during the time it was alive. The company has now officially moved the Home & Nest Community from its third-party platform onto its own internal support system.
The promise of a fresh look aside, it wipes years of your community posts and profile data. You can’t take your old account with you. Google is not bringing over your login credentials for security and privacy reasons. This means you have no choice but to create a new profile. You may have to say goodbye to your hard-earned ranks, status levels, and badges.
Additionally, Google will permanently delete all old account info and posts on June 30th. So if you have any old posts/helpful guides on the previous site that you want to save, act fast.
Google will permanently delete all old account info
The new layout is split into 10 product-specific sections to help you navigate more easily. Discussions on core hardware like cameras, thermostats, doorbells, speakers, and displays now follow a logical organization on the interface. Reportedly, there are dedicated spaces for connectivity and security (Wi-Fi, locks, streamers, alarms), along with a new focus on Gemini for Home, apps, automations, accounts, subscriptions, and smart home for developers.
The company also hinted that this transition is just the first step towards deeper integration with the Google Home app. Soon, you can access community discussions directly in the app. Meanwhile, Google is reportedly doing something similar with the Fitbit community on May 19th.
