Google's Nest smoke alarm returning to sale amid reports of a full recall

Google's Nest smoke alarm returning to sale amid reports of a full recall

Google's smart-homes firm, Nest, is to return its Protect-branded smoke alarm to the market in a few weeks.

The alarm was pulled from sale in April following reports that it could be accidentally deactivated, which would prevent it from sounding in the event of a fire.
Nest advised users to install a software update which deactivates the "Nest Wave" feature, which was the cause of the bug. Once that update is installed, the smoke alarm is safe to use.
On Wednesday, a press release from the US consumer product safety commission (CPSC) sparked a flurry of reports that the company was initiating a full recall of all 440,000 Nest Protects on the market.

But Nest confirmed to the Guardian that the CPSC release referred to the initial warning that Nest put out in April, and that no further recall was planned.

"Nothing has changed since our initial announcement last month," a spokesman said, "and in fact, we'll be bringing Nest Protect back on the market in a few weeks."
"Current customers can continue to use their Nest Protects once the Nest Wave feature has been disabled via software update. Even with the Wave feature disabled, the Nest Protect Alarm will continue to perform its essential safety functions, monitoring for increased levels of smoke and [carbon monoxide], and alerting users via voice alerts and Nest app alerts (if set up) as soon as there is a potential issue."

Although the CPSC release describes Nest's decision as a "recall", the body of the document refers to the same software update. "Consumers who have not connected their Nest Protect devices to their wireless network and linked them  to a Nest account should immediately do so," it instructs.
"The devices will automatically receive the update that disables the Nest Wave feature … No further action is required and consumers can continue to use their devices."

The CPSC's rigorous process means that the organisation often announces recalls long after initial press reports of faults.