Product Library / Thermostats

Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen)

Compiled by SmartHomeWorkflow Research · Google Nest · Thermostats · ~$279.99 (at time of research — never treated as a live price)

Compatibility

Protocols: WIFI · MATTER^[1][14]

What it can do^[12]

Listed capabilities are what we could establish from vendor documentation. An ability missing here is unestablished — not necessarily absent.

Subscription reality^[3]

✓ Works without a subscription: Yes.

Vendor account required: Yes — you must create a vendor account to use it. (established from the maker's own statement that this model can only be set up in its app, which itself requires an account)^[15]

Maintenance reality^[4]

• Works without the internet: Partly — some of it keeps working and some of it does not. See the detail below.^[16]
• Matter-native at launch (unlike gen 3). Power: no C-wire needed on many conventional systems (draws from heating/cooling wires); heating-only, cooling-only, zoned, heat-pump, and heat+cool systems need a C-wire or the Nest Power Connector (~$25 — free from Google if setup's power test fails). Official no-C-wire failure modes: battery drain, WiFi drops, short cycling, HVAC chatter.
• Security updates: Google Nest declares security updates for this model until August 20, 2029 (US-declared — the maker states this commitment for its US market). After that date the product keeps working; the manufacturer simply has no stated obligation to keep issuing security fixes.^[11]

The catch

Learning features shine in Google's app; elsewhere it's a (very good) Matter thermostat.

Who it's for

Set-and-forget households: it learns your schedule so you don't program one.

Sources & method

Numbered sources below back the facts marked with the matching number above. This is a research profile: compiled from manufacturer documentation, certification registries, and published testing — we state facts, not verdicts, and we have not physically tested this unit. How we work →

1. [1] store.google.com/product/nest_learning_thermostat_4th_gen_specs (read 2026-08-08): Connectivity 'Wi-Fi 802.11n (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz)'; zero occurrences of 'Thread' or 'Bluetooth' against 25 of 'Matter'. Plus CSA certificate CSA25B51MAT47779-24 (csa-iot.org/csa_product/nest-learning-thermostat-4th-gen, certified 10/14/2025, Google LLC, VID 0x6006, PID 0x000D, firmware 2.3, hardware 6.8, Specification Version 1.4): Transport Interface 'Wi-Fi' — registry-and-vendor-spec research, verified 2026-08-08
   Backs: Protocols
2. [2] store.google.com/us/product/nest_learning_thermostat_4th_gen (read 2026-08-08): $279.99, with $23.33/mo financing over 12 months as an arithmetic control. store.google.com/product/nest_learning_thermostat_4th_gen_specs: works with most 24V systems including gas, electric, oil, forced air, heat pump and radiant — vendor-page research, verified 2026-08-08
   Backs: Price, Product identity, Market availability, Power source, Installation
3. [3] store.google.com product and specs pages (read 2026-08-08): no plan, subscription or Nest Aware requirement stated for thermostat function. CSA certificate CSA25B51MAT47779-24 certified 10/14/2025 against Matter Specification Version 1.4 — vendor-and-registry research, verified 2026-08-08
   Backs: Subscription, Service status, Research status
4. [4] Google Nest Help official pages: 'Learn about the common or C wire' (9251212), compatibility table (9246656), Nest Power Connector (10523126) incl. the free-on-failed-power-test offer; Power Connector price retailer-confirmed only — vendor-page research, verified 2026-07-15
   Backs: Maintenance
5. [5] Google official tech-spec article (support.google.com/googlehome/answer/9230098: 4th gen works with 'Google Home and Matter', controllable by 'Google Home and other Matter-enabled apps and voice assistants') + Amazon Alexa Matter docs (developer.amazon.com supported-matter-device-categories: thermostats supported, 'Set temperature, query current temperature' via Alexa.ThermostatController) — vendor-and-ecosystem-page research, verified 2026-07-21
   Backs: Amazon Alexa compatibility
6. [6] Google official tech-spec article (support.google.com/googlehome/answer/9230098: works with Matter and 'other Matter-enabled apps and voice assistants'; third-party Matter hub needed for third-party control). Previous catch said 'first Nest thermostat to work with Apple Home' — overstated: the 2020 Nest Thermostat gained Apple Home via its April 2023 Matter update; reworded to 'first Nest Learning Thermostat' — vendor-and-ecosystem-page research, verified 2026-07-21
   Backs: Apple Home compatibility
7. [7] Google official docs: 4th gen 'Works with Google Home' (support.google.com/googlehome/answer/9230098), and setup can ONLY be done in the Google Home app (support.google.com/googlehome/answer/10125150) — Google Home is the native, deepest integration including learning/scheduling — vendor-and-ecosystem-page research, verified 2026-07-21
   Backs: Google Home compatibility
8. [8] Home Assistant official Matter integration docs (home-assistant.io/integrations/matter: Climate a supported device type, Matter server add-on required) + the 4th gen is a Matter-certified thermostat per Google's specs — full/matter holds. HA's official Nest (SDM) integration docs separately state 'All Google Nest Thermostat models are exposed as a climate entity' with a US$5 Device Access fee, surfaced in the catch as the alternative path — vendor-and-ecosystem-page research, verified 2026-07-21
   Backs: Home Assistant compatibility
9. [9] Samsung official SmartThings Matter page (partners.smartthings.com/matter: 'Thermostat' a supported Matter device type; 'Matter devices must connect to a compatible hub') + Google's spec article (4th gen controllable by 'other Matter-enabled apps'). Samsung never names the 4th gen specifically — the catch discloses the generic-Matter basis rather than downgrading — vendor-and-ecosystem-page research, verified 2026-07-21
   Backs: SmartThings compatibility
10. [10] store.google.com Nest Learning Thermostat 4th gen specification page plus the cited CSA, Home Assistant Matter and SmartThings Matter sources, re-read 2026-08-18 — vendor-page research, verified 2026-08-18
11. [11] Google, “Security updates & security validation results for Google's connected home devices” (support.google.com product-documentation answer 10231940), read 2026-08-19. Table row, verbatim across its four columns (Device | Release date | Release date + 5 year minimum | Currently receiving critical security updates): “Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) | 8/20/2024 | 8/20/2029 | Yes”. Page-level commitment: “Google Nest connected home devices will receive automatic security updates for at least 5 years from the date we start selling them on the US Google Store.” Cross-read against Google's UK PSTI Statement of Compliance at https://support.google.com/product-documentation/answer/14869041 (signed Louise Bohmann, April 8, 2024), whose Group 2 UK Defined Support Period is “At least five years from when the device first became available on the Google Store in the US” — the same rule the table applies. — first-party read (BQ-192 security-support sweep, method note 69 source precedence), verified 2026-08-19
    Backs: Security-update support period
12. [12] csa-iot.org certification record for the Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen), read 2026-08-20: certificate CSA25B51MAT47779-24, Matter spec 1.4, transport Wi-Fi, vendor id 0x6006, product id 0x000D, certified 2025-10-14, and **primary device type 0x0301 — Thermostat**. — registry research (Matter certification), verified 2026-08-20
    Backs: Capabilities
13. [13] The CSA certified-product record for the Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen), read 2026-08-20: certificate CSA25B51MAT47779-24, Matter specification version 1.4, Transport Interface "Wi-Fi", Primary Device Type ID 0x0301 (Thermostat), Vendor ID 0x6006 / Product ID 0x000D. Google's own requirements page for its Nest line names the "Google Home app", a "Google Account" and a "Wi-Fi internet connection", with no Nest Hub or display among them. — vendor-page research (BQ-191 provider backfill, population (b): the `hubs` axis), verified 2026-08-20
    Backs: Required hub or bridge
14. [14] This record's existing per-model Matter evidence, re-read 2026-08-20 against the ruled definition of `protocols`: certificate CSA25B51MAT47779. No new external source was fetched — the evidence already on this record was re-examined and this entry states what it establishes. — protocols-definition sweep (BQ-222 batch 2; ruling §1 of docs/decisions/2026-08-20-RULINGS-SITTING.md), verified 2026-08-20
    Backs: Protocols
15. [15] support.google.com, 'Get started with your Nest Thermostat & Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen)' (read 2026-08-21), which scopes itself verbatim: 'This article only applies to the Nest Thermostat and Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen).' The exclusivity statement, verbatim: 'The Google Nest Thermostat and Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) can only be set up in the Google Home app.' Step 2, verbatim: 'Download the Home app from Google Play or from the Apple App Store. Sign in to the app with your existing Google account or create one.' CORROBORATED ON GOOGLE'S OWN MODEL-NAMED SPEC PAGE, https://store.google.com/us/product/nest_learning_thermostat_4th_gen_specs, under 'Smart home and voice assistant compatibility': 'Installation and setup requires the Google Home app.' Cross-read on the same day, Google's own 'Requirements for Google Nest and Chromecast devices' (https://support.google.com/googlehome/answer/7035987), which states under 'Google Home app requirements': 'A Google Account' — and adds 'Note: You can't set up devices or use the Google Home app on a computer.' RE-VERIFIED AT BUILD ON 2026-08-27 (robots.txt read first, declared bot user-agent, one request per URL): the support article still scopes itself verbatim — 'This article only applies to the Nest Thermostat and Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen).' — still states 'The Google Nest Thermostat and Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) can only be set up in the Google Home app.', and step 2 still reads 'Sign in to the app with your existing Google account or create one.' Google's own requirements page still lists 'A Google Account' under 'Google Home app requirements'. — vendor-page research, verified 2026-08-27
    Backs: Vendor account required
16. [16] support.google.com, 'Troubleshoot your Nest thermostat is offline' (read 2026-08-21). Verbatim: 'When your thermostat is offline, it cannot connect to your home Wi-Fi. This means you can't use the app to control it. Some features might also be unavailable. However, you can still use the thermostat itself to set the temperature in your home.' The article's opening conditions include 'You can use the thermostat to change your home's temperature, but not with the app'. The article then says 'Before you troubleshoot an offline thermostat, check which thermostat you have. The steps are different for each model. Pick your thermostat below to start troubleshooting', and the first model section is headed 'Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen)' — this generation, named outright. — vendor-page research, verified 2026-08-21
    Backs: Works without the internet
17. [17] SmartHomeWorkflow record maintenance (BQ-250 securitySupport.region backfill) — internal-review of the document this record already cites, verified 2026-08-27
18. [18] CSA certified-product entry csa-iot.org/csa_product/nest-learning-thermostat-4th-gen/, certificate CSA25B51MAT47779-24 (certified 10/14/2025, Google LLC), printing VID 0x6006 and PID 0x000D. Read into this record on 2026-08-08 by the entry claiming `protocols`; this entry lifts the identifiers into their own typed fields. — BQ-189 identifier extraction from evidence this record already holds — no page fetched, verified 2026-09-02
    Backs: Certification and product IDs

Compatibility and lifecycle information reflects the last-verified date above and can change without notice (firmware updates, cloud-service changes, discontinuations). It is provided as-is, for information — verify with the manufacturer before purchasing. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it. Full terms: Terms of Service.

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