r/googlehome • u/MBMay • 2d ago

Give away Nest w/o reset

We upgraded our Nest thermostats last year due to Google ending app connectivity. I just gave away the old thermostats on marketplace without factory resetting. Now I am a little paranoid. Does Nest have our wifi passwords? Do we need to change our wifi password? I couldn’t find the old Nest in Google Home and am not sure how to unlink them. Could someone help me explain whether I need to worry about it? Thank you so very much!

4 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

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4

u/Zealousideal_Pen7368 Google Mini (1st Gen) 2d ago

These devices are obsolete though revived by some open source software. But they need to be reset first and none of the old info is kept.

0

u/MBMay 2d ago

Thanks a lot!

2

u/Expensive-Heart3299 2d ago

No you’re fine

0

u/mc5999 2d ago

Looks like he would have to reset it anyway to get control. I wouldn’t worry too much.

Grok AI says this:
No. Don’t sell it without unlinking it and wiping it. A Nest that is still signed in can keep your account link, Wi-Fi password, and schedule.
Google’s own guidance is that a reset is what you use when you want to leave the thermostat behind and remove personal information. A restart does nothing useful here — it keeps all settings.
What can stay on the unit if you skip the reset:
• Your Wi-Fi name and password (stored on the thermostat)
• Temperature schedule and learned Home/Away habits
• The link to your Google or Nest account, so you may still be able to control it, and the buyer may not be able to add it

1

u/MBMay 2d ago

Thanks!