I wish I could customize my Nest speaker lights

I really like my Google Nest good house merchandise. I’ve no disgrace in admitting that I’m all in on the ecosystem. I’ve two good shows, the Nest Doorbell (battery), two Nest safety cameras, the Nest Wifi with two nodes, a number of Nest Audio audio system, and even a Google Nest Mini. Actually, there are only a few Nest merchandise I haven’t on the very least given a strive.

However out of my entire assortment, my Nest Audio audio system are my favourite. These small-but-mighty good audio system create wealthy and full multi-room sound all through my house. I can merely say “Hey Google, play Oasis” at any second in any a part of the home, and growth: Liam and Noel refill each room sounding “biblical,” as they wish to say.

See additionally: The most effective good house gadgets you should purchase

All that love, nevertheless, will get tainted by an enormous grievance, which is that Nest speaker lights are an actual ache. This is applicable to each the Nest Audio and the Nest Mini, but additionally to older merchandise just like the Google Dwelling and Dwelling Max. I perceive the necessity for lights on these merchandise, however I actually want Google would let me management them.

If you happen to don’t personal a contemporary Nest speaker, you’ll in all probability be questioning how the lights work. On every speaker, there are 4 lights (Trekkies can go forward and giggle at that one). Every tiny LED dot can change to numerous colours. When the speaker powers on and connects to Wi-Fi, the colours are blue, pink, yellow, and inexperienced to match up with Google’s model colours.

As soon as the speaker is on and able to work, the lights flip off. If you happen to situation an Assistant command utilizing the “Hey Google” hotword, all 4 lights illuminate in white. The lights will then blink in succession as Google “thinks” concerning the reply. When it responds, the 4 white lights pulse in unison. When it’s finished, the lights exit once more. And if there’s a pending reminder or notification, the primary gentle will stay white till you ask about it.

On each Nest speaker, there’s a microphone swap. This lets you manually deactivate the microphone, which you would possibly need to do for privateness causes or just since you aren’t desirous about having the speaker act as an Assistant interface. While you flip this swap on, the 4 lights flip orange (or pink; it appears to be like a bit completely different on each speaker). This helps you understand, simply by it, that the speaker just isn’t listening to you.

There are different issues the lights do, however these are the core components. Sadly, you could have little or no management over this method. The one factor you are able to do associated to the lights is dim them at evening utilizing the Night time Mode settings within the Google Dwelling app. That’s probably the most management Google provides you.

Though Google clearly put a variety of thought into what the Nest speaker lights do, I actually want it will hand the reins over to the person. There have been so many instances that I’ve wished I may management the lights for a couple of completely different causes, and it’s at all times been irritating to know that that’s not on the desk.

For instance, as soon as the Nest speaker is on and the microphone is activated, the lights are at all times white. Why? I should buy a Nest speaker in numerous colours — why can’t I’ve the lights match or complement that shade? Why can’t I’ve the colours be pink and inexperienced on a regular basis when it’s the Christmas season? It certain could be enjoyable for them to be pink, white, and blue for numerous patriotic holidays, so why can’t I try this? Why can’t they at all times be teal, which is my companion’s favourite shade? And why can’t I exploit the lights as visible indicators for the climate, completely different upcoming occasions, or my favourite sports activities’ crew newest scores? There are such a lot of conditions by which controlling the colours could be a terrific function.

See additionally: What’s the most effective good speaker you should purchase?

It’s additionally annoying that the lights are at all times on and at all times orange or pink if you happen to flip the mic off. What if I wished them to be a rainbow of colours whereas music is enjoying? It wouldn’t be that troublesome to make the rainbow pulse with the beat of the music, would it not? That’d be superior for home events! However nope, in case your mic is off, the 4 lights are one stable shade that’s on on a regular basis.

That, after all, brings me to what I actually need to do.

I’ve been speaking a bunch about Nest speaker lights, however I need to level out one thing fascinating. My Nest Wifi nodes double as good audio system. Basically, they’re like a Nest Mini however with mesh Wi-Fi capabilities. Within the Google Dwelling app, I can management numerous components of the lights on the node.

For instance, I can utterly flip off the orange gentle that signifies the microphone is off. It’s one easy toggle. I may management the sunshine which lets me know there’s one thing flawed with my community connection. It’s a easy three-tiered choice: Excessive, Low, and Off. In different phrases, I can simply flip off virtually all of the lights on the Nest Wifi node (there are small lights on prime that I nonetheless don’t have any management over).

Why can’t this management land on the Nest Audio and Nest Mini? Google clearly has no drawback permitting me to close off the mic gentle on its Wifi node, so why gained’t it let me try this on a speaker?

In the end, what I actually need is to show all of the lights off. It could be enjoyable to have the ability to management them in nice element as I described within the earlier part, however even then, I’d nonetheless need the flexibility to simply flip all of them off at the least generally. More often than not, the lights are of no curiosity to me they usually’re extra of a nuisance than the rest. Watching a film or attempting to sleep with the lights on may be distracting.

I’m nonetheless all in on Nest for my good house. Nevertheless, I’ll at all times be slightly mad that Google retains this management away from me.