Stephen Schenck / Android Authority
This week, Google launched the next big evolution of Home, bringing in Gemini to replace Assistant, giving the Home app an overhaul, and introducing a slate of new hardware. While there’s a lot I really like about some of these changes, there’s also a huge downside that now has me looking at Google Home in an increasingly negative light: Home Premium subscriptions.
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What’s the problem with with subscriptions? I am not a big fan of subscriptions. Like many of us, I probably have too many already, and would be wise to pare that list down (I’m looking hard at you right now, Disney Plus). But I also understand their value, and as a creator who likes to see other creators get compensated, it makes sense to me to pay a subscription for access to a steady flow of new content.
For something like YouTube Premium, which brings me hours of brand-new content every single day, I can easily justify the subscription. Content subscriptions make sense. Some may be much better deals than others, but the idea’s not objectionable to me.
Joe Maring / Android Authority
It’s when we introduce the idea of subscriptions for software that the argument starts becoming a lot harder for me to make. I still really like the idea of software ownership, and prefer to buy games I want à la carte, for instance, rather than paying for temporary access through something like Xbox Game Pass. I suspect that here people start getting into the trap of paying for options, rather than stuff they’re actually using — it feels nice to have access to a huge library of titles, but where’s the value if you’re grinding away at the same one all month long?
The picture gets even murkier — and makes it that much harder to objectively quantify the value you’re getting — when we start looking at services and features. These are the ones I’ve probably most endeavored to avoid, as with many you’re paying a premium for convenience. And as is upsettingly common with smart home devices in particular, oftentimes manufacturers seem to go out of their way to avoid even letting you solve a problem the cheap way.
Storage was always a lousy reason for a camera subscription Home Premium is evolving out of Nest Aware, and while that did a few different things, the big hook for many users was its cloud storage, offering up to 10 days of 24/7 recording for wired cameras, and up to 60 days of events. Google is far from the only camera maker that heavily pushes subscriptions like this, and if cloud solutions are just one of several storage options available to users, I might be fine with it. But with Nest Cams, it’s been “pay for Google’s storage, or live with only event notifications.”
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