Google’s Nest suspends sales of faulty smoke alarm, offers refunds

Nest this week halted sales of the Nest Protect, its smart smoke detector, after an issue was found within the product that could cause it to delay ringing an alarm if there were a fire.

The company, which was acquired earlier this year by Google for more than $3 billion, also encouraged users who own the device to disable a feature called Nest Wave, which is the source of the problem.

The feature allows users to turn off the Nest Protect with a wave of their hand, but under certain circumstances, the feature could cause the device to not function properly.

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“We identified this problem ourselves and are not aware of any customers who have experienced this, but the fact that it could even potentially happen is extremely important to me and I want to address it immediately,” Nest Chief Executive Tony Fadell said in a note.

Sales of the Nest Protect will resume after the issue has been resolved and the device has gone through thorough testing and received approval from regulatory agencies in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., Fadell’s note said.

Nest said it will provide users of the device with a full refund if they wish.

“We’re enormously sorry for the inconvenience caused by this issue,” Fadell said in the note. “The team and I are dedicated to ensuring that we can stand behind each Nest product that comes into your home, and your 100% satisfaction and safety are what motivates us.”

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