Nest x Yale Lock, Detects are being disconnected due to faulty Nest Hub Max update [U]

Ben Schoon | Dec 23 2020 - 8:34 am PT

The Nest x Yale Lock makes it pretty easy to secure your door using Assistant or your phone, but some users encountered an issue recently. In an email going out to some users this week, Google admits that a recent Nest Hub Max update causes some Nest x Yale Locks to disconnect.

While most Nest products connect independently to the internet, the Nest x Yale Lock needs to use another Nest product to make that connection for the sake of battery life. Google’s Nest Hub Max is one product that can be used for this purpose, but that’s caused an issue.

A recent Preview Program update for the Nest Hub Max that rolled out to some users caused the Nest x Yale Lock to connect to the Hub Max instead of other products which, for some reason, would cause the Yale Lock to disconnect entirely, essentially turning it into a “dumb” lock.

The solution? Simply leave the Preview Program and things should go back to normal. Google explains to affected users (via Droid-Life):

We’re reaching out to let you know about a potential issue with your Nest x Yale Lock.
You’re part of the preview program for Nest Hub Max, which gives you early access to new software and features. We’ve discovered an issue in the latest preview program update for Nest Hub Max that may impact your Nest x Yale Lock.
Your Nest Hub Max is designed to connect certain smart home devices to your Wi-Fi network. However, due to an issue in the latest update to the preview program, if your Nest x Yale Lock is using your Nest Hub Max for Wi-Fi connectivity, your device may not be able to connect to the internet.

On a somewhat personal note, this might be the reason why my own Nest x Yale Lock disconnected last week, alongside my Nest Detect sensors. In my case, a simple reset/reconnection patched things up and I’m still in the Preview Program. It’s possible that was an unrelated glitch, but the timing seems to connect the two somehow.

Update 12/23: Turns out my hunch was right. Droid-Life was sent a second email from Google which confirms that Nest Detect sensors are also affected by this faulty Nest Hub Max update. Google explains:

You’re part of the preview program for Nest Hub Max, which gives you early access to new software and features. We’ve discovered an issue in the latest preview program update for Nest Hub Max that may impact your Nest Detect.
Your Nest Hub Max is designed to connect certain smart home devices to your Wi-Fi network. However, due to an issue in the latest update to the preview program, if your Nest Detect is using your Nest Hub Max for Wi-Fi connectivity, your device may not be able to connect to the internet.
How this might affect your devices
Any Nest Detects in your home will continue to function properly as open/close sensors and motion sensors. However, they may appear as offline in your Nest app. To see if you are affected, you can check if devices have been offline by tapping on History from the Nest Guard device view in the Nest App.