[fjabre]

I detest the fact that Google bought Nest. Now I have the pleasure of logging into a convoluted Google UX instead of the familiar Nest UX.

And here we have another intrusion of Google into our home. It's clear Google has no respect for anyone's privacy and is now a part of the problem.

[cbolton]

Any device like this is an intrusion in the user's home (that the users agrees to), and it seems to me that Google is one of the companies that has the most respect for users' privacy.

Yes they collect a lot of data, but 1) that's exactly what allows them to provide the services that their users want, 2) they are very transparent about it (see My Activity), and 3) they seem to take security more seriously than the competition.

[gnicholas]

I am less likely to buy a Nest-branded device, now that it's owned by Google. Similarly, I won't buy a Ring device, now that it's owned by Amazon. Sadly, I'm sure folks with leanings like these are the tiny minority of customers, so the market probably won't feel the impact of this preference.

I do my best to support the companies that respect privacy, and I make sure my own startup's products give our customers the privacy that I would want for myself.

I wish there was a certification or something, sort of like b-corp, that could indicate that a product doesn't gather any personal data (as opposed to just being GDPR-compliant, which allows collection but imposes various processing/deletion requirements).

[ljcn]

Why did you migrate? I was given the option to but haven't (yet, nor been forced to).

[atonse]

I have stubbornly not migrated. I expressly advise people who value their privacy to not to get NEST now for this reason.

EcoBee is a great HomeKit-aware thermostat and you don't need to sign up to their account to use it (although it'll keep nagging you to, it's not required).

[fjabre]

Was forced to when I wanted to add their cloud monitoring service. The payment system is now Google's.

[toomuchtodo]

I sold all of my Nest thermostats and moved to Ecobee.