The web versions of the Google Home and Nest apps are optimised to take advantage of your personal computer's bigger screen and mouse. For example, you can edit automations with the script editor, view the live streams of multiple Nest cameras at once, or keep the live stream playing in the background while you work on other things.
Google Home for web
Use a web browser like Chrome to view Nest cameras and doorbells that you have in the mobile Google Home app. You can open Google Home for web on a computer or mobile device.
To use Google Home for web with devices originally set up with the Nest app, migrate your Nest account to a Google Account.
Get started
- Go to home.google.com in a browser that supports WebRTC and Media Source Extensions (MSE).
- Sign in to the Google Account you use to manage your devices in the mobile app.
If you've signed out since your last visit, you'll need to select Go to Google Home to sign in again.
Note: Internet Explorer doesn't support Google Home for web. On iPhones and iPads, Google Home for web doesn't support cameras originally set up with the Nest app. So older cameras like Nest Cam (1st gen) might not appear.
Switch accounts and homes
- To log out or switch to another account, select your Google Account profile .
- To switch to a different home structure, select the name of the current home.
Join or leave Public Preview
Public Preview gives you early access to the latest Google Home app features before they're made widely available. Participants can try new features and give feedback so that Google can continue to make improvements before the features are released to everyone.
You can join or leave Public Preview at any time.
- Go to home.google.com and sign in.
- Select Public Preview .
- Select Join Public Preview or Leave Public Preview.
When you join Public Preview on Google Home for web, you can also access Public Preview features in the Google Home app and Google Home for Wear OS.
Learn more about Public Preview for Google Home app.
Two-way talk
Before using two-way talk, make sure to enable microphone permissions for home.google.com in your web browser settings.
To speak and listen to a person with your camera or doorbell, press the microphone icon while you view your camera's stream or respond to a doorbell press. The microphone will automatically turn off if you switch to a new browser tab or after being idle for two minutes.
Battery life indicators
Click the battery icon to view more information about the battery, such as the remaining days of battery life, charging status, and the estimated time until the battery is fully charged.
Manage cameras
To view your cameras, click Cameras . Each linked camera will appear as a tile in your grid view. To open a larger view for a specific camera, click its tile.
To save power, the live video stream from Nest Cam (battery) and Nest Doorbell (battery) will stop automatically after five minutes. Note: Live video from the doorbell will stop even if it's connected to power. If the camera is mounted and connected to your home's power, its live stream will continue.
To start the live stream again, tap Watch live.
View and control multiple cameras at once
When you first sign in to Google Home for web, the screen shows you the live feed of all Nest cameras in your home.
For each camera on the screen, you can also view:
- Name and location
- Status: On, Off, Offline, or Idle (battery-powered cameras only)
To control a single camera:
- At the top of the camera's feed, turn it on or off .
- To start an idle camera's live stream, select Live video.
To turn all cameras on or off:
- Select More .
- Select Turn all cameras on or Turn all cameras off.
Get more details for a specific camera
To open a larger view for a specific camera, select the camera's name or live feed. The screen will show the selected camera's feed and a list of all your cameras in a dropdown.
In the camera's feed, you can:
- Check its status
- Turn it on or start live video
- Expand the video to full screen and collapse back to list view
- Zoom in and zoom out on a live stream
- Mute and unmute the sound on a live stream
- Check the battery percentage (battery cameras only)
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Open a picture-in-picture window
Note: Video history is only available for newer cameras and doorbells (launched in 2021 or later) set up in the Home app and legacy cameras that have been migrated to the Google Home app. Learn more about device migration.
To view recorded video history from a specific camera, select the camera's name or live feed. The screen will show the camera's video history on one side and its live feed on the other.
- If you have event video history, you'll have a list of all events captured by your camera. The time between recorded events when there's no activity appears as gaps in the timeline.
- If you have 24/7 video history, you’ll have a full timeline of your camera’s history. Activity detected by your camera will appear as dots on your timeline.
For each recorded event, the timeline includes a preview image and information about the type of event.
Video-history controls
- Click an event to play the recorded video. To switch back to the live feed, tap Live video .
- To skip from one event to the previous or next one in the timeline view, click Forward or Reverse .
- Click Pause .
- To check events from a specific date, click Calendar select the date that you want.
Note: Custom clips are only available for newer cameras and doorbells (launched in 2021 or later) set up in the Home app, and legacy cameras that have been transferred to the Google Home app. Learn more about how to transfer a device.
You can only make custom clips from wired cameras that have 24/7 video history. For battery-powered cameras, the app will create a clip for you.
You can make clips up to five minutes long.
- Go to home.google.com and sign in.
- Select the camera that recorded the video you want.
- Tap the event you want to turn into a clip.
- Click Save a clip .
- The app will generate a default clip length based on the event duration.
- Move the end and start points of the clip to create a longer or shorter clip.
- Click the Play button to preview your clip.
- Click Clip name to change the name of the clip.
- Select Save clip to save the video clip to your computer. From there, you can share the video clip via email or other apps.
View camera video while you use other browser tabs
Pop-out your camera's live view to a small, floating picture-in-picture (PIP) window. When you go to other tabs in the same browser, the PIP window stays on top of the open tab. Some browsers support resizing the PIP window so that you can control how large the camera live view appears.
- On a computer, open a browser that supports PIP Sign in to home.google.com.
- To open a PIP window, select Cameras Open your camera's live view click picture-in-picture . Note: If you go back to grid view or open a PIP window for another camera, the first window closes.
- In the same browser, open another tab. The PIP window appears automatically.
- To close the PIP window, use one of the following options:
- To stay on the current tab, click Close in the PIP window
- To return to home.google.com, click the camera feed in the PIP window
- Close the home.google.com tab
- Close the browser
Automations
You can view and run most routines in the 'Automations' section of Google Home for web. If you join Public Preview, you can create more advanced automations with the script editor in Google Home for web, where you can write and edit scripts to help automate your home. Learn more about the script editor and how to create advanced routines.
Nest web app
The Nest web app can control cameras and devices that were set up with the Nest app.
A few advanced features of the Nest camera and doorbell, Nest Aware and other Nest products and services are only available in the computer version of the app. Other features are disabled on the computer version for security reasons.
Change Settings
- Open home.nest.com on a web browser and sign in.
- On the app home screen, click your photo (or the generic icon, if you haven't yet added a photo).
- Select Settings .
- On the left, select the item for which you want to change settings.
Manage your account and check your messages
- On the home screen, click your photo (or the generic icon, if you haven't yet added a photo).
- To manage your account and other settings, select Settings .
- To check your message history, select Messages .
Switch homes
- At the top-right corner of the home screen, click your home .
- In the menu that appears, select the home that you wish to switch to.
Manage your Nest products
- On the home screen, select a product to bring up its details.
- Scroll down to find tabs for product-specific options including Settings.