Google Is Finally Killing This Maligned Product
Google is discontinuing its Nest Secure alarm system after three years and tons of controversy.
Visitors to the Google Store this week hoping to update their home alarm system will be disappointed—Google has just discontinued its Google Nest Secure alarm system. The Google Store now lists the product as "no longer available" and the company confirmed the alarm system has been discontinued to the Android Police website on Oct. 19. However, it will still work for existing customers.
"Google Nest will no longer be producing Nest Secure, however we will continue to support our security users in all the same ways," a Google spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge. Read on to find out more about the end of the Google Nest Secure, and for a much more beloved product going away, check out The Popular iPhone Apple Just Discontinued.
The Google Nest Secure has only been around for three years.
Nest was a standalone company that was acquired by Google in Feb. 2014 for a reported $3.2 billion, with Nest Guard first launching in 2017 as an integrated home security system. Comprising of the Nest Guard, Nest Detect, and Nest Tag, the $499 Google Nest Secure starter kit was built around the Guard's central hub with the Detect sensors arranged around your home to pick up movement and doors and windows opening. The system also connected to the Nest app so that you could be alerted to any changes in status or turn off the system remotely if necessary. And if you're worried about the safety of more than just your home, check out Amazing Personal Safety Tips That Will Change Your Life.
And it was kind of a bust from the jump.
Within a year of launching, the price of the Google Nest Secure had dropped $100 to $399—and soon, controversy followed. And for other items being pulled off the shelves, check out This Common Household Item Has Been Recalled Over Fire Risk.
The Google Nest Secure faced plenty of controversy.
The product received negative publicity in Feb. 2019 when Google admitted that the Nest Guard contained an undisclosed microphone, which was only revealed when a software update made Nest Guard able to be voice controlled. The lack of disclosure led to complaints from users and privacy campaigners. "The on-device microphone was never intended to be a secret and should have been listed in the tech specs. That was an error on our part," Google said in a statement at the time, adding that the microphone had never been switched on previously.
Further news of poor sales, company in-fighting, and ongoing glitches in the technology ultimately make Google's decision to discontinue the Nest Secure system not particularly surprising. And if you're worried about your privacy, here's How You're Making Yourself a Target for Scammers Without Knowing It.
But Google is still in the home security game.
Despite Nest Secure's termination, Google remains involved in home security, still selling Nest video doorbells, security cameras, and smoke alarms. In August, the company announced a $450 million investment in security company ADT with the plan that "Nest's devices, powered by Google's machine learning capabilities will enhance ADT's security monitoring and become the cornerstone of ADT's smart home offering." So Nest Secure may be a thing of the past, but Google is not leaving your home any time soon. And for more helpful information on keeping your home safe, check out 20 Shocking Things Burglars Already Know About Your Home.
