back to article What's for Christmas, Google? Oh, you're taking away free phone calls from our Nest speakers

A handy feature in Google's Nest speakers allows users to place calls to mobiles and landlines free of charge without a subscription or dedicated handset. Sadly, that particular benefit is coming to an end in the UK. On its official Nest support pages, Google wrote: "Starting in mid-December 2020, if you're in the UK, you won' …

  1. Tom Chiverton 1

    Which TLA wanted access, "or else" and this is the else?

  2. tip pc Silver badge

    No such thing as free

    Someone somewhere pays for these free calls, and it’s most likely the consumer of said free calls. .

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Yet Another Blighty Tax

    Seems Google et al are determined to make their money from overcharging and under delivering to the UK again to support the US consumer.

  4. Andy Non Silver badge

    Sounds like another reason

    not to buy a nest speaker.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Sounds like another reason

      sadly, the general public buy them, as they bought and will buy into every new piece of useless junk.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Killer app?

    Well, it kinda kills the nest hubs off for anyone thinking of buying it as an xmas present for an eldwrly parent.

    Plus The echo products can already handle both incoming and outgoing calls (on vodafone anyway) not just outgoing like Google. .

  6. Markinapub

    Does anybody actually use this?

    I used this feature once, just to test it out, and have never used it since so it won't be missed.

    My "elderly" relatives don't find this kind of communication more comfortable so have never used it either; they prefer either video calling or just picking up the phone...

  7. deadlockvictim

    Calling

    Article: place calls to mobiles and landlines

    Landlines are, like, a retro form of Whatsapp, but, like, you can only talk on them, and to, like, only one person and from only one place. They are, like, VHS, or like, desktop computers (remember those haha).

    Calling mobiles? Who calls mobiles? That's, like, a live form of leaving a message. Eww.

    1. Alan Bourke

      Re: Calling

      Desktop computers? All over the place mate. Not going anywhere.

  8. Sunrise Omen

    Hang on, what about that robot calling for reservations feature?

    Google showcased that feature a while back where the assistant could call a business, say a restaurant, and make a booking/reservation for you.

    It hasn't launched in the UK yet, but if they are removing phone calls does that mean it will never launch?

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    the removal of this feature feels ill-timed.

    there's NEVER ill-time for a business to reduce its costs and / or externalize them in the direction of their "valued business partners" and "valued customers" :)

    Every little helps, as their recent books balance shows.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    >> It's not clear why Mountain View is withdrawing this feature in the UK alone.

    The reason is simple - the US is RPP and the UK is CPP.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Receiving_party_pays

    In the US, the receiving party pays for calls, in the UK and most other countries, the calling party pays. So it is free to make calls from the speaker for Google.

    This is also why you eat your plan minutes when you answer a call in the US. And why spam call bots are very US friendly.

    "Yet Another Blighty Tax"

    lol.. Before you put on your tin foil hats, just give facts a chance eh?

    1. GuildenNL

      I literally don’t know a single person here in the USA who has a mobile plan that charges for minutes. Even $19/month plans are unlimited minutes and SMS.

      You are correct about CPP vs RPP, but the concept is outdated in reality.

  11. Hareti

    The UK has termination fees, the US doesn't

    Its pretty normal for what is advertised in the US as a free call to not make it across the pond. In the US the recieving person pays a part of the call cost. So its free for the person initiating the call, but the receiver picks up the tab for the call to travel over the network they're attached to.

    In the UK all the costs are paid by the person making the call. Google presumeably has got fed up paying 02, 3 et al for calls they are carrying but its not getting paid for itself.

  12. Mmm interesting

    Down down down

    First google music now this. Speakers and features are supposed to get better not worse. Piss poor performance from Google again and charging for you tube premium and you tube music. Wouldn't mind but uploaded my mp3 collection 30k cd single tracks many of which are not available on line.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Down down down

      I think the business model is for you to gift everyone Nest speakers and calls are free.

      Only personal data fees apply.

  13. Flywheel

    not clear why Mountain View is withdrawing this feature in the UK alone

    The Special Relationship (TM) is .. no longer special (enough).

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