Tips and tricks for your Google Nest Hub

Your Google Nest Hub™ can do way more than play music and tell you the weather. This smart display is packed with cool features that allow anyone in your household to control other connected gadgets in your smart home—along with being able to access a smart assistant, watch videos, and view your security camera feed.

Here at Asurion, we take care of you and your tech, whether you need protection, support, or just a little help getting more out of your devices.

Here are our favorite tips and tricks for your Google Nest Hub.

1. Create a routine

Imagine getting ready for bed and having to tell your smart bulb, your smart TV, and your smart speaker to turn off one at a time. With the right set up, you don't have to tell your individual smart devices to turn on or off.

To maximize the Google Home® Hub, set up routines. These routines can control a group of smart devices—after they're registered in the Google Home app—with a single voice command. Here's how:

1. Open the Google Home app
2. On the Home screen, tap Routines > New > Household.
3. Add at least one starter—this could be either a voice command or a scheduled time—and the appropriate action.
4. Tap Save.

With your new routine set up, going to bed at night is as easy as saying “Hey Google, good night.".

2. Answer your door

Nothing's worse than missing a delivery because you didn't hear the doorbell. If you happen to have a smart doorbell, you can connect it to your smart display so you can hear and view any visitors you might have.

Build an even smarter home by connecting a smart lock to your hub. Conveniently giving you the option to unlock the front door with a voice command, making life much easier the next time someone forgets their house key.

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3. Create a home intercom system

Why go through the trouble of going upstairs to tell someone to do their chores? If you've got an established smart home—one with multiple Google Nest Mini® or Nest Audio® smart speakers—you can use that network to broadcast messages to those Google® devices. You don't need a fancy built-in intercom system: Just say “Hey Google, broadcast" followed by your message.

4. Set up daily briefings

Make your Google Nest Hub start your day right by giving you briefings. This information could be weather, news, or even your projected work commute. Briefings are built into the Home Screen of the Google Nest Hub

You can use a voice command—“Hey Google, what's today like?"—or you can set up a specific “good morning" or “commute to work" routine.

5. Try the Look and Talk feature

You can launch hands-free internet searches right from the hub. You can find a plumber while you clean up the mess a burst pipe left behind or double-check the steps in a new recipe by asking Google. To launch a search, say “Hey Google, find a plumber in my area" or “Hey Google, what's the recipe for…" and give your phone a break.

6. Cast between devices

Found a video you just have to share? Cast it from the Google hub to any of the devices connected to Google Home with ease. Watch the movie you started on the smart TV in the living room on the Google hub in the kitchen, and save yourself from the embarrassment of burning dinner.

Cast directly from a streaming app:

1. Open and sign in to a streaming app that supports casting—like Disney+® or Netflix®.
2. Tap the Cast icon at the top of the screen.
3. Select the Nest Hub from the list of available items.
4. Select your show or movie, then press Play.

Use your voice to cast to the Google Nest Hub:

The Google hub even gives you the option to start media with voice commands. Though it's currently limited to Netflix, it can be plenty handy—especially when you don't have a free hand.

1. Make sure your phone or tablet is connected to the same network as the Google Nest hub, then open the Google Home app.
2. Tap the + icon at the top.
3. Tap Videos, select Netflix, then tap Link. Follow the onscreen prompts to sign in and link your account.

7. Update your default music app:

You've probably noticed that every music request ends with the Google Nest Hub choosing YouTube® Music as it's streaming service despite having the Spotify® app available. YouTube Music is the default streaming service but you can change that.

Link your music accounts to Google Home:

1. Open the Google Home app on your mobile device while connected to the same network as the Google Nest Hub.
2. Tap the + icon at the top.
3. Tap Music, select your preferred music service, then tap Link. Follow the onscreen prompts to sign in and link your account.

Change your default music service:

1. Open the Google Home app on your mobile device.
2. Tap your icon or profile photo at the top right to access your account information.
3. Select Assistant settings > Music > select the music service you'd like to make the default option.

Now you can simply say “Hey Google, play music" without having to specify which music app it uses.

8. Turn it into a digital photo frame

Show off your photo albums in the Google Photos app by turning your Google Nest Hub into a digital frame when it's not actively in use.

1. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen, and tap Settings.
2. Tap Photo Frame > Google Photos. Then select the album you want to display.

Want to turn a bigger screen into a work of art? Check out how you can turn any TV into a picture frame.

9. Interpreter Mode

The Google Nest hub comes equipped with interpreter mode—giving you real-time language interpretation using the Google Assistant™. When you give it a voice command, like “Hey Google, help me speak Spanish", you'll see and hear the translation.

Unlock the full potential of your smart home with a few other gadgets. Here's our guide to some must have items for building your dream smart home.