Google brings all Nest cameras to one app – but should you make the switch?

Google has made it so that all Nest cams launched as early as 2015 can now be added to the Google Home app. The company announced the development in a community blog post, saying it’s expanding support for the Nest Cam IQ Indoor, Nest Cam IQ Outdoor, and Nest Hub Max in Public Preview in the Google Home app. So, instead of constantly switching between the Google Home app and the Nest app, users can now manage all their Nest cameras in one app, i.e., the Google Home app.

When you transfer from the Nest app to the Google Home app after joining the Public Preview program, you’ll be able to review your video history in event and timeline views, access camera settings, and more without switching between the Nest and Google Home apps.

You’ll also get additional features, such as the ability to quickly view live streams from all of your Nest cameras in your Favorites tab, set up automation that integrates your Nest cameras with other devices like smart lights, view events from your Nest cams on your Pixel Watch 3 or Google TV Streamer, and more.

For Nest Cam IQ Indoor and Outdoor users, Google will provide prompts in both the Nest app and the Google Home app under the Favorites tab, offering instructions on how to transfer your Nest Cam to the Google Home app when the feature becomes available.

Should you move your Nest cams to the Google Home app?

While having all your Nest cams under one roof might be very convenient, abandoning the Nest app may not make you very happy. Several Nest users who use both the Google Home and Nest apps have reported that the latter is far superior in functionality.

“On my Nest cameras with the Nest app, I caught my neighbor reaching over my fence and spraying something onto my trees (He tries to duck out of view of the camera, but is seen walking up to my fence and committing this act anyway.) I looked for the same event on the Google Home app, but “No Activity” was found,” a user said on Reddit.

“My problem with the Google Home app is that I can’t keep a camera view live for more than five minutes or so. On my Nest app, my camera view will be stable for an indefinite period. I can’t believe they can’t just give us the best of both of these apps in an integrated version,” said another user.

So, despite the convenience, you might want to think twice before switching to the Google Home app. Sadly, for users of some newer Nest devices (released in 2021 and beyond), the Google Home app is the only available option.