In “better late than never” news, Google has announced that you can begin moving your oldest Nest cameras to Google Home, provided you’re signed up for the preview program of the Google Home app.
The Nest Cam Indoor is the first of the original Nest cams to make the move to Google Home, Google announced in a blog post. Next up will be the Nest Cam Outdoor, with other first-gen Nest cameras “to come.”
Google didn’t give a timeline for when the Nest Cam Outdoor or the rest of its first-gen Nest camera lineup would be migrated to Google Home.
This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best home security cameras.
There’s also no additional word on when the Nest Protect smoke detector will make its way to the Google Home app. A Google rep told Nest community members earlier this month that a Nest Protect migration to Google Home is “on our roadmap” but provided no further details.
To add the Nest Cam Indoor to Google Home, you’ll need to be a member of Google’s Public Preview program for the Google Home app. If you’re not already a Public Preview member, anyone can request an invite.
Once you’re in the Public Preview, you’ll get a prompt once you’re eligible to move the Nest Cam Indoor to the Google Home app. Not all preview users of Google Home will be able to transfer their Nest Cam Indoor units to the Google Home app right away, with Google noting that it’s “slowly” adding more Nest Cam Indoor users each week.
The original Nest cameras arrived beginning in 2014 starting with the Nest Cam Indoor, just prior to Google’s acquisition of the brand.
Those first Nest cameras all worked with the Nest app–and still do, while the 2021 wave of second-generation Nest cams are integrated into the Google Home app. That means owners of the original Nest cameras who also own newer Nest cams must use two apps to control their devices, a fact that’s long annoyed loyal Nest users.
Google announced during its Google I/O conference in May that it would begin gradually moving its older Nest cameras to the Google Home app, which just got a top-to-bottom makeover.
At the time, Google promised that the Nest Cam Indoor would make the move for Public Preview users in July, meaning Google missed its target by a month.
While Google is slowly beginning the Nest Cam Indoor transfer to Google Home, it notes that there is “no change to the Nest app today,” and that users “can continue to use the app as you do now.”
Nest Cam Indoor users who migrate the camera to Google Home and then change their minds can always move the cam back to the Nest app, although you won’t be able to access the Nest Cam Indoor using both the Google Home and Nest apps at the same time.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he covers smart speakers, soundbars, and other smart and home-theater devices. You can follow Ben on Twitter.