Andrew Heinzman
We love our second-generation Nest Hubs, mainly because they feature unique sleep tracking software that works without a pesky smartwatch. Google just added a bunch of new features to its Nest Hub sleep tracking software, but it also announced something strange—Nest Hub sleep tracking will become a Fitbit Premium exclusive in 2023.
Now, we always knew that Nest Hub sleep tracking would become a paid feature. The change was supposed to happen in 2022, but Google is now pushing it back an extra year, which is nice.
But linking Nest Hub sleep tracking to Fitbit Premium is an odd choice. Yeah, the devices should share sleep data, but what about all the people who want to track their sleep without buying and using a fitness band? Paying $10 a month just to unlock sleep tracking on Nest Hub doesn’t make sense unless you own a Fitbit.
We hope that Google will adjust this decision a bit. Maybe it should offer Nest Hub sleep tracking as a cheap add-on service? Or, it could bundle the feature with things that are useful to all Nest Hub owners, such as Google Photos storage.
Either way, sleep tracking on Nest Hub just got a lot better. The second-gen Nest Hub can now track your individual sleep cycles, like REM and deep sleep. Also, new sound detection features let you adjust the Nest Hub’s “listening” range, which is useful if your partner’s restlessness keeps skewing your sleep results.
Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen)
The second generation Nest Hub has all the options offered in the first gen, along with better audio quality, gesture controls, and sleep tracking.
Source: Google
