Google Nest - Video Doorbell and Camera Features

Notification Settings

If your phone is buzzing too often, or if you want to make sure you only get alerted when a package is dropped off, you can customize exactly what triggers a notification for each individual camera.

1. Open the Google Home app.
2. Tap the tile for your specific camera or doorbell.
3. Navigate to Settings (gear icon) > Notifications.
4. From here, you can toggle push notifications on or off for specific events, such as People, Packages, Animals, or Vehicles.

View Camera Footage

To see a quick list of everything that has happened recently, you can easily access your camera's event history. (Note: Viewing past footage requires a Nest Aware subscription).

1. Open the Google Home app.
2. Tap the tile for your specific camera or doorbell.
3. Tap Video history near the bottom of the screen. This will bring up a scrollable list of recent events with short video clips.

Go Back in Time

The most intuitive way to review past footage is by using the timeline feature, which lets you scrub through the day's events.

1. From the camera's live view screen, tap Video history.
2. A vertical timeline will appear. Swipe up and down on this timeline to scroll backward and forward in time.
3. The timeline highlights specific events (like a person walking by). If you have the Nest Aware Plus plan (24/7 recording), you can also scrub through the quiet moments between events.
4. To jump to a specific day, tap Full history (or the calendar icon) to view your footage by date.

View Live

If you hear a noise outside or just want to check the front porch, pulling up a real-time feed is instant.

1. Open the Google Home app.
2. Tap the Cameras shortcut pill at the top of the main dashboard to see a quick view of all your cameras, or scroll down and tap the specific camera's tile.
3. The live video feed will load and begin playing automatically.

Microphone and Audio

Nest's Two-Way Talk feature lets you speak to visitors (or delivery drivers) directly through the app.

1. Open the live video feed of your camera or doorbell.
2. Tap the Microphone icon on the screen. It will highlight or pulse to indicate that your phone's microphone is actively transmitting your voice to the camera's speaker.
3. The audio from the outside will also play through your phone so you can hear their response.
4. Tap the Microphone icon again to turn it off when you are done speaking.

Turn on Lights (If Appropriate)

If you have a Google Nest Cam with Floodlight, the lights will automatically turn on when motion is detected at night. However, you can also trigger them manually from your phone.

1. Open the Google Home app and tap your floodlight camera's tile.
2. On the live view screen, tap the Floodlight icon to manually toggle the lights on or off.

Note: You can adjust how bright the lights are and how long they stay on by navigating to Settings (gear icon) > Floodlight.

View Device Health

If your camera goes offline or you need to check if a battery needs recharging, you can view the health status directly in the settings.

1. Open the Google Home app and tap your camera or doorbell.
2. Navigate to Settings (gear icon) > Battery. Here, you will see the exact percentage remaining and an estimated battery life in days or weeks.
3. To check your Wi-Fi connection strength, navigate to Settings (gear icon) > Device information.

Set Activity Zones

Setting these up allows you to define exactly where you want your camera to look for motion, preventing false alerts from cars driving by on the street.

1. Open the Google Home app and tap your camera or doorbell.
2. Navigate to Settings (gear icon) > Events > Activity Zones.
3. Tap Add a zone.
4. A colored box will appear over your camera's view. Use your finger to drag the corners of the box so it only covers your property (like your driveway or porch).
5. Tap the checkmark to save the zone. You can now set your notifications to only alert you if motion happens inside that specific box.