Google Home just put the final nail in the old Nest app's coffin

Key Takeaways

• Google is adding support for some older Nest cameras to the Google Home app, including the Nest Cam IQ Indoor and Outdoor.
• Some advanced features, like close-up tracking, are not yet available in the Google Home app.
• Nest Hub Max cannot switch back to the Nest app after the migration.

Google began migrating Nest cameras to its Google Home app in H2 2023. This has been a slow process, with the company taking its time to add support for older Nest cameras. Now, in a major expansion, Google is adding support for more Nest cameras, which launched as far back as 2015, to the Google Home app. Following this addition, Google says you can manage all your Nest Cams through a single app, with no need to use the Nest app anymore.

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Starting today, if you are part of the Google Home Public Preview program, you can transfer and view feeds from the Nest Cam IQ Indoor, Nest Cam IQ Outdoor, and Nest Hub Max. You can also access timeline views, change camera settings, create powerful automation using the Nest cameras, and control other key settings from the Google Home app.

Once migrated, you can also view the camera Nest cam feed on your Pixel Watch 3 or Google TV Streamer.

Source: Google Nest community

For Nest Cam IQ Indoor or Outdoor owners, Google says a prompt will appear in the Nest app and the Google Home's Favorites tab when you can transfer the camera. Alternatively, you can jump into the device settings to initiate the transfer. The rollout starts this week, so you should see a prompt within the next few days.

Some Nest camera features are not available in the Google Home app

Do note that the Supersight close-up tracking view on the Nest Cam IQ Indoor and Outdoor cameras is currently not available in the Google Home app. The company says it will "continue to prioritize ways to bring the best of the Nest app camera experience to the Home app." The vague phrasing makes it unclear if this feature will eventually be available in the Google Home app.

If, for some reason, you don't like the Google Home app for the Nest cameras, you can switch back to the Nest app. This won't be possible with the Nest Hub Max, though. Google says once you have migrated your Nest Hub Max to the Google Home app, there's no going back.

Another thing to note is that while you can use the Nest app after the migration, it won't show the live video feed or event history. However, you can view your video history through the Nest app until it expires.