What you need to know
- Google dropped support for the original and second-generation Nest Learning Thermostats last month.
- Now, a free and open-source project that brings back remote control and more is in the testing phase.
- The project involves flashing unsupported thermostats with a custom bootloader, and redirecting cloud activity to a new, fully-supported remote control server.
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Google officially dropped support for the first and second-generation Nest Learning Thermostat models in October 2025, basically killing their most-used features. These thermostats will no longer be supported with software updates, and remote control access has been removed. They'll still function as physical thermostats, but all the Nest cloud features that made them special are gone.
To soften the blow, Google offered owners of affected Nest Learning Thermostats $130 off the price of a new fourth-generation model. For many, that wasn't enough. There's a free and open-source project that aims to keep older Nest Learning Thermostats up and running, and it may be the lifeline fans were hoping for.
It's called the "NoLongerEvil Thermostat" on GitHub, and it's the creation of developer Cody Kociemba (via 9to5Google). The project allows savvy users to flash a modified bootloader and kernel components onto their Nest Learning Thermostat, redirecting network traffic from Google's server to its own NoLongerEvil website. It was developed by reverse-engineering the Nest API.
"By intercepting the communication layer, the thermostat believes it's communicating with the official Nest infrastructure, but instead connects to the NoLongerEvil platform," the GitHub page explains. "This approach ensures full compatibility with the device's existing software while breaking free from Google's cloud dependency."
Notably, this is still an experimental project and is currently in the testing phase. The project's developers warn that users should not try the firmware on any thermostat that is crucial for heating and cooling. "Only proceed if you have a backup thermostat or can afford to have your device non-functional during testing," the page cautions.
What NoLongerEvil Thermostat can do
This project will soon be fully open-sourced, but you can get started testing it now. The website nolongerevil.com brings back support for setting temperatures and modes remotely, plus viewing the status of your thermostat. It's designed to be installed as a progressive web app (PWA) on mobile devices, so it'll work on everything from Android phones to PCs.
While the process requires a bit of know-how, like entering DFU mode on your thermostat and flashing new software, it does restore the functionality Google removed last month. When it's widely available as open-source software, this project will serve as a baseline for tinkerers to regain control of their unsupported Nest thermostats.
"Fork the code, modify it, break it, rebuild it, share it," the project's about page states. "That's the whole point."
