Google generously handed out Home and Nest Minis to its YouTube Premium subscribers through the last quarter of 2019. The campaign spread outside the US and was well received all over, because who doesn’t like free stuff? YouTube recently started showing a similar promo to some of its paid users, only this time, the redemption process led to a dead end.

Over the last couple of days, a splash screen offering a free Nest Mini has been appearing for a few people, including our own Artem, upon opening the YouTube app. Clicking on the redemption link takes the user to a Google page that notifies them about the offer's expiration. This was naturally a disappointing experience for those hoping to snag the freebie, following which a few shared their complaints on a dedicated Reddit thread, while others decided to go after Google support.

In response to Artem’s tweet, an official YouTube handle later clarified that the promo banner was put out mistakenly. The online streamer isn’t running any new promo involving free Nest Minis, and the page that banner leads to belongs to the previous offer that ended in January.

You’ve been officially bamboozled!

  • Thanks:
  • Tyler Shortt