Google Nest cameras and doorbells let you know what’s happening nearby. You can adjust your Nest camera and doorbell audio settings to turn the microphone off or on, change the microphone sensitivity, and set up audio notifications.
Turn the microphone on and off
When the microphone is on, your Nest camera’s microphone picks up sound in the area around your camera. If your camera has event video history or 24/7 video history, your camera’s audio is recorded in your video history as long as the microphone is on.
When the microphone is off, audio is not streamed or recorded. The microphone is off by default during setup.
If you have more than one Nest camera, you can turn each camera’s microphone on and off independently.
Home app
Android
- Open the Home app
.
- Tap and hold your device's tile.
- Tap More .
- Tap Settings
.
- Select Audio.
- Tap the Microphone switch to turn it on or off.
.
.iPhone & iPad
- Open the Home app
- Tap and hold your device's tile.
- Tap More
.
- Tap Settings
- Select Audio.
- Tap the Microphone switch to turn it on or off.
.Nest app
- Open the Nest app
.
- On the home screen, tap your camera.
- Tap Settings
.
- Select Microphone, then tap the switch to turn it on or off.
.
.Note: When you turn off the microphone, you can't go back in your video history and turn on sound during times the microphone was off.
Adjust the camera volume (Home app only)
Adjust microphone sensitivity (Nest app only)
Turn audio recording on or off
Get alerts when your camera detects sound
With Talk and Listen, you can talk to people near the camera and get their responses.
To help Talk and Listen conversations flow better, your Nest camera or doorbell can use a tone to let people know when you’re about to speak and again when you’re done. The tone helps prevent people from speaking over each other.
Note: For both the Nest Cam Indoor and Nest Cam Outdoor, Talk and Listen works like a walkie-talkie: only one person can speak at a time. If the tone is off, it may make conversations more difficult.
Follow the instructions for your camera or doorbell to turn the Talk & Listen tone on or off:
- Open the Nest app
- On the home screen, tap your camera.
- Tap Settings
- Select Talk & Listen tone
.
- Tap the switch to turn the tone on or off.
.Doorbell chime settings
Adjust how long the digital chime rings (Home app only)
If you don’t want to be disturbed during a certain time, you can use Quiet Time so your doorbell chime doesn't ring when someone pushes the button on your Nest doorbell.
Here’s what you can expect to happen when a visitor rings your doorbell while Quiet Time is on:
- Your doorbell creates its usual doorbell sound outside, but the chime inside your home won't ring.
- If visitor announcements are enabled, your speaker or display won't announce that someone’s there.
- The app can still send a notification to let you know that someone’s at the door.
Follow the app instructions for your doorbell to turn Quiet Time on.
Home app
Android
- Open the Home app
- Tap and hold your device's tile.
- Tap More .
- Select Quiet Time
.
- Choose how long you want the indoor chime and visitor announcements to be off for.
- Tap Set.
iPhone & iPad
- Open the Home app
- Tap and hold your device's tile.
- Tap More
- Select Quiet Time
- Choose how long you want the indoor chime and visitor announcements to be off for.
- Tap Set.
To cancel it early, select your doorbell in the app, and then tap End Quiet Time.
Nest app
- Open the Nest app
- On the home screen, select your doorbell.
- Tap Quiet Time
.
- Select how long you want the indoor chime and visitor announcements to be off for.
- Tap Start.
.To check how much time is left, or to cancel Quiet Time early, go back to the Quiet Time setting.