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For many families, the Nest Hub Max is about to become a paperweight. Nest Hub Max will lose support for Google Meet on September 28th, and Zoom will leave the platform two days later. This marks the end of video calls on Nest Hub Max, assuming that Google doesn't roll out a new video call solution. Going forward, if you want to make video calls on a smart display, Amazon Echo is your best option.

This bizarre situation was first reported by a Reddit user, who encountered the following message when entering a Google Meet call: "Joining meetings will no longer be available on this device starting September 28." A similar warning is published on the Zoom Support website, which states that "support for Zoom for Google Nest Hub Max will end on September 30th."

Understandably, some Nest Hub Max users are outraged by this change. Video calls were always a selling point for the Nest Hub Max, especially in 2020, when families were tasked with finding an easy way to keep in touch with their tech-illiterate relatives. Note that the Nest Hub Max costs $230 — if you bought it specifically for video calls, you're getting screwed. Oddly, video call functionality is still advertised on Google's Nest Hub Max product page. It's not clear if direct video calls are going away, or just meetings joined through links and calendar events.

The reason for this change is unknown. Our friends at 9to5Google speculate that Conversational Actions, which were discontinued earlier this year, may have something to do with the situation. But, realistically, Nest Hub Max's video call functionality has been buggy for years. And with the launch of Google's Pixel Tablet, which doubles as a camera-equipped smart display, there's a decent chance that Nest Hub Max is headed to its grave (although the $500 Pixel Tablet is a costly replacement for a $230 Nest Hub Max). Bear in mind that this is just speculation—Google hasn't commented on the situation.

We've reached out to Google and are waiting for a response. If you purchased the Nest Hub Max specifically for video calls, I suggest contacting Google Support and explaining your situation. We don't know how Google is responding to customers who are affected by this change, though.

Source: r/googlehome & Zoom via 9to5Google