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RachelC
Googler
Googler

Hey everyone, 

Earlier last week, our newest camera and doorbell went on sale and we’ve seen the insightful feedback and thoughtful questions you’ve shared so far. We appreciate you taking the time to always share your experiences so we can continue improving the products you love. We understand there’s a lot changing (and that change can be frustrating) so we’ll be sharing more about our newest cameras and doorbell and how to get the most help from the Google Home app.

The new Nest camera experience is exclusively available in the Google Home App

The Google Nest Doorbell (battery), Google Nest Cam (battery), Google Nest Cam with floodlight, Google Nest Cam (wired) are exclusive to the Home app (and will not work in the Nest app). We built the Google Home app so these new cameras are optimized for versatility (event based and continuous based recording) and intelligence across the whole home. The Google Home app is also where you control your other compatible smart home devices, including your speakers, smart displays, Wifi, lights, locks, Chromecasts, thermostats, and more. Below you can find some of our new camera features available in the Home app today:

View all of your Nest cameras and doorbell in one place. You can tap on the camera icon in the home view of the Google Home app. Here, you’ll see all existing Nest cameras, including Nest Doorbell (battery), Nest Cam (battery), Nest Cam with floodlight and Google Nest Cam (wired). You can also watch live video in the Home app.

rchambers_8-1630623938465.png rchambers_1-1630623300484.png

With your new cameras, view your history for a specific camera (Sightline 2.0). The new sightline experience lets you easily scroll through time and review both your event based recording and continuous video recording (only with a wired Nest Cam and Nest Aware subscription) while keeping the full field of view of your camera visible. You can also view recorded clips for any Nest Cam in the full Home History. We’re working on making this available for our previous generation cameras. Learn more about video history in the Home app.

rchambers_2-1630623300403.png

 

When viewing the camera feed live, you can quickly access additional controls from the ‘More’ tab — like turning your camera on or off, selecting one of your doorbell’s quick responses, setting up quiet time, or contacting emergency services (requires a Nest Aware subscription). Check out these articles for more details: Learn about how to turn camera on/off, learn more about Doorbell chime settings and learn more about Emergency calling.

 

View the recent priority events that have happened across your cameras - like a package has been delivered or when an unfamiliar face was detected (requires a Nest Aware subscription). Learn about the Home app Feed. rchambers_3-1630623300347.png
Exclusive to the Google Home app, you can use full Home History to quickly understand what happened in the day across all your Nest devices. You can filter events by camera and by what the cameras have detected (person, package, animal etc.) Learn about Home History.

 

home history.png

 

Adjust your camera settings - You can personalize your camera experience with the many camera settings available. You can do things like selecting the types of notifications you want to receive and even change the default settings so you can further optimize battery life, event frequency and more. Check these resources out for more detailed information: Nest camera and doorbell settings and How to use sound detection settings on Nest Cams and Doorbell (video). cropped camera settings 2.png
Get smart notifications right at your fingertips. Be in control of what notifications you or any member in your household  receives in Camera Settings. Your new camera can alert you when a person, animal or vehicle has been detected. In addition, your Nest Doorbell (battery) can alert you when a package has been detected. We know it’s important to receive notifications across all your cameras from one app and we’re working on bringing that functionality to the Google Home app. Learn about smart notifications

**the notifications image previewed here is currently only available on Android and will be coming soon to iOS users

 

notification.png

 

Activity Zones help your cameras focus on the areas you care the most about with tailored alerts. Setting up your Activity Zones is  a good way to optimize the battery life of your Nest Cam (battery) and  Nest Doorbell (battery) by focusing on the key areas of the scene.  Check these resources out for more detailed information: How to set up and use Activity Zones and How to set up Activity Zones on your Nest Cam and Doorbell (video).

rchambers_7-1630623300411.png

 

Camera Experiences to Look Forward to

There are a few things we’ve been working on (and will continue to) as we know there’s much more you’d like to see and do in the Home app. Our team is actively working on a plan to bring other Nest devices into the Home app and we’ll share more later. Some of our upcoming features are:

  • A new home on the web. This has been an important feature request, so we’re developing a new Google Home on Web for the new Nest cameras and doorbell allowing users to view their cameras on the Web. This will be coming in 2022. 
  • Improved Video Seeking. We are continuing to improve sightline 2.0 so we can help you quickly review and discover events your cameras recorded. This will be coming later this year. 
  • Holiday Ringtones. Holiday ringtones continue to be one of our most beloved and most requested features and we’re excited to bring them to the Google Home app for Nest Doorbell (battery). This will be coming later this year. 

 

As long time Nest customers, we understand the transition from the Nest app to the Google Home app has been a bit confusing and frustrating, and we’re committed to providing a seamless Home app experience for our customers. These are only some of the things you can currently do in the Home app and what’s to come. 

We’ll be listening and we want to ensure you’re having a great experience with your new Nest cameras and doorbells, so we’d love to hear more from you. Feel free to continue sharing your feedback and additional thoughts. 

Thanks, 

Rachel

267 Comments
chuckwalla
Community Member

I should have done my homework... This is NOT a Nest camera if it doesn't work with the Nest app.  In the Home app, which is the only location the battery cameras will function, I can't view my older Nest cameras history easily. My old wired Nest cameras (n=4) show up in the Home app, but I can see only their 'live' feed. Full history is some clicks away and the Home app takes you away from the camera's normal feed. The Home app is not ready for security camera management and is not ergonomic for any one function its is trying to accomplish. Please make the new battery Nest cameras compatible with the Nest app.... then fix the Home app. You're punishing your loyal customers.  If nothing is done by February 2022, I'm abandoning my entire Nest ecosystem and moving to Wyze or worse Blink. Both would be better than a hodge-podge hybrid Nest-Home app cluster frog of an idea gone wrong.

Lmm98
Community Member

Returned the nest battery camera because it’s not compatible with my NEST app where all my other cameras are.  I tried to use Google home to view all cameras, but it locks up and I can’t rewind my other cameras and view events. Not going to buy all new cameras to use Google home,  so I bought an older version of the nest camera on eBay so I can continue to use my nest app. 
@MplsCustomer …just buy the older version on eBay. Nc2100es

MplsCustomer
Bronze
Bronze

@Lmm98 

By the time we realized the missing functionality due to the Google Nest Battery Camera working ONLY in the Google Home app, we had had the camera for too long to return (we got it in early September 2021). So we're stuck with using two apps unless and until Google adds Nest app functionality to the Google Home app. Fortunately, we bought the camera with the optional power cable, so the camera isn't shutting down while on battery power in cold weather (as many have reported), and it isn't failing to detect events while on battery power in "Idle" mode (as so many others have reported).

CBergerman1515
Community Member

So can anyone from Google update this thread? Seems many got these cameras for Christmas/Holidays and are just now finding out how poor the integration is.

Why not include simple-to-read information on the product boxes for products that are capable of 24/7 recording vs only events? Why not include information that these products don't work together in the same app? 

Please, update us with information @RachelC ! Any information is good. What is progress on the integration? Do you have an estimated launch date for the unified experience? Is google just throwing their hands up on this? 

If so, that's ok, but we as the consumers should be able to get these questions answered. As many above have mentioned, some of us use these for our jobs, and arguably more importantly, our homes. It is simply dishonest to "promise future fixes" and here we are months later with no update. You have waaaay more resources than the Wyze team, and arguably just as many resources as the Ring team. Why are you so far behind? Again, if this is not a priority for your software teams, LET US KNOW and we can find better solutions for our lives. 

Better yet, just incorporate Matter when it comes out and release some APIs so that we can write our own web apps to monitor the video feed. Stop handicapping your hardware. Obviously people are drawn to the hardware because it is the best or nearly the best on the market right now. However your software is THE WORST on the market right now. So frustrating. Classic Google. 

You knew you were making the switch away from the Nest branding back in 2018/2019 when you announced that IFTTT integration was going away and you were changing the way Nest integration worked. Here we are 3/4 years later and basically no progress has been made.

Please, @RachelC what are your thoughts on my points above?

Ron4
Community Member

@CBergerman1515 kudos to you we all want to know, come on google please listen to your customers we all the same concerns please do the right thing address these issues.

Warrior277
Community Member

Dear @RachelC,

Many of us have come to the conclusion that our Nest products have permanently lost significant functionality.  It is ironic that many of us are paying subscriptions for fewer features than when we signed up.  Well, I'm not going to complain or patiently wait for improvements any longer.  I just won't purchase Google products or services if I can possibly avoid them.   

SwampFox75
Community Member

I'm just going to leave this link right here: The New York Times: Google Infringed on Speaker Technology Owned by Sonos, Trade Court Rules.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/06/technology/google-sonos-patents.html

 

The company will not be allowed to import products that infringe on Sonos patents, including smart speakers, video streaming devices, and some computers and phones.

 

125
Community Member

Since you're moving away from the Nest App to consolidate camera's into the Home app is there still a relevance to the "Nest Aware" subscription service? 

suzwhite10
Community Member

What about viewing on a PC which is what I do with all my other NEST cameras, doorbells and thermostat! You could have at least provided that. The google home app (which I have to bring up on my ipad - I'm NOT happy about that), does not provide the view that I have from my PC with my monitors. This needs to be resolved. Take NEST off your cameras if you aren't providing the NEST app!! Totally ridiculous! 

mattfkho
Community Member

Most likely Google could not keep the Nest Engineers for any new integrations.
Thus, you can only see the live streaming via the Google Home app, with the new cam.
Don't think anyone really care which app to use, as long as all of the same good features can be use on both old and new cameras.
I hope I'm wrong, but often Google support teams only support and fix things whenever they feel like it.

3rdandlong
Community Member

Let’s go goggle! Fix the mess you created with the new nest floodlight camera that does not work with the nest app! 

JDG
Community Member

I was told after buying mine and asking why I couldn't added it to my Nest Aware system that y'all were going to be fixing that, so I kept my camera. We're now 3 months past my purchase and I still don't see the capability. Do we all need to file a class action law suit so we can return these cameras? Or do y'all plan on fixing this issue? Looks to me as a ploy for google to charge and extra 30 bucks a year in subscription fees to add additional app is what it looks like to me. 

brooke_heaton
Community Member

The fact that I can't view high definition home security video on anything bigger than a cell phone is patently absurd. 

timthuston
Community Member

You guys are complete dog s_hit. I'm getting the FTC involved in this scam. First the dumbass cameras and now the _damn speakers you guys are just terrible

MateyMax88
Community Member

Massive features missing:

- no web interface to control the new devices in a computer

- no dedicated chime volume that is actually loud enough for people to hear the doorbell

- no option to turn on the cameras through Google assistants or nest speakers

- no live feed of the cameras shown on Google TVs

 

 

SwampFox75
Community Member

@RachelC, are you relaying these comments? This is a disaster. Many people here invested hundreds if not thousands of dollars expecting the new nest devices to work with nest app and they do not.

Nest app and Google Home are clearly different products with entirely different feature sets. 

The consensus of the vast majority if not all here, is make all these devices work with the nest app!

Trodder
Community Member

Here is the issue... you deployed these new cameras to an app that can manage wired and non-wired camera but the app is not production ready. It lacks so many features and basic uses, the cameras are worthless. We have one thread that details out the issues extensively and nobody is responding. The level of care and support is pathetic. Most of us are ready to leave the Google platform in it's entirety out of principal. YOU HAVE FAILED. Do better....
https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Why-can-t-I-connect-my-new-Nest-cam-wit...

@RachelC

 

In case anyone wants to know what’s missing: 

From what I can tell the obvious one is unable to view cameras from a computer or web browser in general. Must have the Google Home app, which is very clunky and requires a number of taps to get to the cameras. This means if someone is attempting to gain entry to your home, you will likely be dead before you can see whats going on with the cameras. So what is the point?

In Nest app we can start watching from whatever point in time scroll all we want in any direction by dragging our finger or mouse on right side of screen. I can zip forward or back an hour or more in a second or less. I use this feature every day and can’t do it I google home.

In Nest you can zip around anywhere you want like mentioned above and then save clip to your phone or PC and can’t do it I google home app. This makes the solution worthless. This is necessary for sharing evidence with law enforcement, insurance claims, etc. 

Now, short comings of the battery cameras and the app... it starts recording VERY late in the Google home app, it is very difficult to understand how to alter settings to keep things recording longer and to start recording earlier. It's a nightmare of an interface.

Having far more home automation devices than cameras I would have much rather we kept the Nest interface and added google home automation into it... That being said if we are forced into a 2 app experience anyway, why not let us choose which app we want to use with our cameras? Until the Home app is identical or better functionality and ease of use I DEMAND ALL of my NEST cameras are able to use the NEST APP!!!! Failure to do so and I will find a lawyer to start a class action lawsuit. 

Zaemo
Community Member

I never would have bought the new "NEST" cameras if I had known they weren't compatible with the Nest app.  The Home app is terrible.  Really terrible.  


Z

 

SameOldStory
Community Member

Wish I would have found this before I bought the new nest battery cam. Like most others commenting, I am a long time nest cam user, have nest aware subscription, etc. Having to use two apps for full functionality of both old and new cams is ridiculous.

I'm very disappointed. And quite frankly I'm embarrassed I've been recommending family and friends to select nest cams the past few years since they'll now be in the same (sinking) boat.

 

brooke_heaton
Community Member

FWIW RachelC is no longer involved in the Google Nest Community. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-chambers-13534ab5/

CBergerman1515
Community Member

Well, back again for another update. Today I noticed that my Nest Cam w/ Floodlight was on battery power. I have it hard-wired. I checked and reset the breakers, restarted my wireless router, restarted the camera, and unplugged the camera from the power connector, then reconnected it. Still on battery.

Checked all the wires that are hard-wiring the camera to the house power. All were good.

Contacted support and the only thing they could do was offer a replacement. So now I'll be waiting up to 7 days for a new one. Had to purchase the new one, rather than them sending a replacement for free. I'm hoping I don't have to rip out the base and have to re-do the caulking on the house just to replace a camera that is only 2 months old... 

Zero stars...

SwampFox75
Community Member

@brooke_heaton thanks for that lead, I just searched LinkedIn and messaged a bunch of the leadership by searching for "Google Nest" let's get some traction and attention on this thread. Be sure if you message them to reference the URL of this Google community.

 

LETS GET THIS FIXED YALL

 

 

 

 

mattfkho
Community Member

@SwampFox75 
I'm not sure if any of these people are actually still working on the Nest Product line.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/google/people/?keywords=Nest

MplsCustomer
Bronze
Bronze

@SwampFox75 

As much as I'm unhappy that our one Google Nest Camera (Battery) does NOT work in the Google Nest app or on the home.nest.com website, and therefore lacks functions our older cameras have, and that we didn't know this until we installed the camera, and that the older cameras were discontinued, I don't think it's appropriate to personally pressure Google staff outside work on platforms like LinkedIn.  I'm also not sure it would do any good.  I sent several letters to senior Google management via U.S. Mail last September and received no response.

TKM
Community Member

I've gone back and forth with Google Nest through their FB page.  It is just as useless as any other communication with Google.  One person on this thread suggested contacting the FTC.  I doubt there is any fruit on that tree.  What we should do is invite the media to weigh in on this.  A little national attention on the morning news networks might be the answer.  I bet that would light a fire under them.  Thoughts?

Warrior277
Community Member

Nest is a perfect example of the concept of "Ready, Shoot, Aim"....Google has grown too fast and is now too big for its breeches.  Their sales and marketing teams must look like a bunch of Keystone Cops bumping into each other on a daily basis.  

 

 

CBergerman1515
Community Member

@TKM that's a good idea. If anyone has connections to journalists, forward this thread.
I bet someone from The Verge might be interested.

woldie
Community Member

Since I already have two Nest cameras (1st gen), I bought the third (2nd gen) blindly.

That was a mistake. I find my skepticism confirmed that the Nest company has abolished itself.

 

 

G00gl3Br0k3N3st
Community Member

"A new home on the web. This has been an important feature request, so we’re developing a new Google Home on Web for the new Nest cameras and doorbell allowing users to view their cameras on the Web. This will be coming in 2022." 09/03/2021.

 

I feel like there should be an update on this, seeing as we're a month and a half into 2022 and it's been over 5 months since this vague promise of "coming in 2022" was made. 

 

rickscarpello
Community Member

AWFUL! Been using the Nest app for years, have over 30 cameras in multiple locations. The Google home app is awful compared to Nest app. I must push multiple buttons t get to where I was pushing 1 button before, switching communities much more waiting time. Security is a disaster with this change. Here's an idea: how about planning a change of a better application before rolling our the termination? Nope... don't care about us long time customers, just push us away to competitor I guess. I'm now stuck with 2 new $300 cameras in box that I will throw in trash? They don't work properly as advertised.

SwampFox75
Community Member

@mattfkho

Search "Google Nest" then click.people don't look at the actual business page, search for people that have Google Nest in their resume.

SwampFox75
Community Member

@MplsCustome

If they represent the brand and position on LinkedIn you bet I'm going to contact them there. What is the difference contacting them there vs Twitter or Facebook, or email? You it officially and you will get official mail. Certainly you are entitled to your own opinions buy I have 4 older generation cameras, 6 newer generation cams, and I just outfitted my entire home with new nest smoke alarms that don't work with Google home but work with Google nest. Google needs to pick a path and we'll to be honest it's too late, it has already cost the consumer too much money in deceptive advertising practices and we are all now stuck with hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of technology that Google doesn't have a plan for.

woldie
Community Member

how can you even come up with the idea of operating a surveillance camera with a battery? 

Nest reminds me of the Doors song "This is the End".

oharamj
Community Member

Ugh what a mess. Bought it because Google still says it can be shared and I wanted to embed the live feed into a website. Of course I did not know what (Nest app cams only) meant cause I assumed these were all still Nest cams. Google support sent me this link to tell me how to do it after I complained I could not use the Nest app. They don't even know the functionality they no longer provide! This link should be taken down so more people aren't misled into thinking sharing publicly is still possible. 

 

https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9227530?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS&oco=0#zippy=%2Csh...

WCSCA
Community Member

@RachelC Any update on the timeline for improving the old nest cameras in the Google home app? I am tempted to buy the old cameras to avoid the fractured app experience, which is really unfortunate. Thank you for your help!

Atrain2
Community Member

I didn't think I'd see Google selling vaporware. I own various Nest products and purchased more cameras expecting to be able to access them from the web at a minimum.

Nearly every security camera solution that's ever existed has the ability to view them in a grid and watch multiple cameras at once. Where is this basic feature?!

It's already 2/22/2222 and we're not getting updates? Is it acceptable to force customers to wait 6-12 months AFTER they purchase a device for it to be fully functional? Where are our service credits?

I pay for Nest Aware and I also bought Nest cameras where Google is not providing the promised services. Get it together.

mattfkho
Community Member

Does anyone here know the way to contact popular Youtubers?
I believe it is about time, we should try get them involve, then Google will start listening.

The support page at Google is useless. It only allow 100 characters.
https://support.google.com/googlenest/gethelp?hl=en

Wfearley
Community Member

Check out kasa smart cams

Wfearley
Community Member

Check out kasa smart KC420WS

Outdoor camera

looks better than the Google Battery outdoor

mattfkho
Community Member

mattfkho_0-1646001665708.png

 

Ahha
Community Member

I promote Google all the time. But the issues with the Nest Cam indoor/outdoor battery operated are too numerous to write (they have all been covered above).

I really want these cams, but have to send them back because they are very expensive and have way TOO MANY ISSUES.

 

Roonast
Community Member

I'm extremely disappointed as the Google Home app is not fit for purpose regarding multiple Nest cameras, I am registering my voice that the team should instead focus your efforts ensuring Nest Outdoor Battery has functionality and is viewable in the Nest app.

Edit: I've also discovered you can't screen cast Nest Outdoor Battery - Its completely out of line with all the other google cameras I've got.

Dwatts
Community Member

Google home app is terrible!!! I want to continue to use the old nest app for everything!

The Nest experience has been a downgrade since google purchased the company.

I just bought a new google battery camera and will be returning it since it won’t work on the old nest app and continues to be offline! What a shame, Nest products used to be good and reliable.

NestCamLover
Community Member

@RachelCit's been over 6 months now.  Any update, at all, on when to expect Google Home on Web so I can actually view my HD security camera on a regular computer monitor and not on my tiny phone?

WCSCA
Community Member

@GoogleNestTeam please advise - lots of frustrated customers in this thread waiting for updates!

 

I personally returned my new cameras and bought the previous model (nest, no battery) to stay on the nest app because there have been no updates from Google to this thread (or anywhere). 

fulgeru
Community Member

Not only Americans are waiting for these updates, but also foreigners (me included).

Outside the US (where access to Nest services is only partial), I am now MORE limited than ever - forced to use G-Home. @RachelC@GoogleNestTeam 

urlybird
Community Member
MplsCustomer
Bronze
Bronze

In this Sept. 3, 2021 blog above, Google Nest said "Some of our upcoming features are...a new home on the web", "Our team is actively working on a plan to bring other Nest devices not the Home app", and "we've committed to providing a seamless Home app experience for our customers."

In his Sept. 29, 2021 blog, Rishi Chandra, GM/VP of Google Nest, said: "we are committed to bringing the experiences and Nest devices you have come to love in the Nest app into the Home app" and "we’ve also been working on rolling out a desktop experience for the Google Home app."

Six months later, instead of these promises of a Google Home app that provides Nest functionality and a replacement for the home.nest.com website, we're getting interactive button redesign. It's hard to comprehend.

urlybird
Community Member
G00gl3Br0k3N3st
Community Member

Gosh, thanks for the redesigned buttons and sh*t. 

I swear, the nest camera interface in Google Home just keeps getting worse. I use it daily because I have a sick pet that I need to monitor overnight for whether he drinks water, eats, uses the litterbox. I used to be able to scrub through the video between events with some crashes (a necessary feature I paid to have) but now it's just... it's basically unusable except for viewing events, and even those more frequently won't load (I get a message saying event expired or unavailable for events from less than 12 hours prior).

What the ever loving fudge is Google doing? Was the goal to kill the product?