Google confirms it's still working to support your old Nest cameras in Google Home

Nest Cam Indoor (1st Gen) with its box in the background

(Image credit: Android Central)

What you need to know

In a recent Reddit AMA, one of Google's product managers for Google Home and Nest confirmed that the company is still trying to support old Nest cameras in Google Home.
Google cited the difficulties of supporting devices that were released as far back as 2015 with new software.
Still, the product manager said that Google is committed to adding support for these older cameras.

Itching for your older Nest cameras to be supported in the Google Home app? While there's still time to wait, you can rest assured that Google is working on supporting Nest cameras in Google Home. In a recent AMA on Reddit, members of the Google Home and Nest software team answered a variety of questions directly from users. At least a few users asked about older Nest cameras getting software support, and Google responded.

"On it – we're working on bringing support for older generation Nest cameras to the Google Home app," said one of Google's product managers for Google Home and Nest, identified as Emily. "Stay tuned!"

That doesn't give us anything as far as a timeline for support, but it may be helpful for Nest users to know that support is still in the works. Right now, if you use a blend of Google Home and Nest products, your devices may be split between the Google Home and Nest apps. This isn't a great user experience, but it's something that Google is actively trying to fix.

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Comment from r/googlehome

The product manager noted the difficulties that come with supporting Nest cameras that may be nearly a decade old. The first Nest Cam was revealed in June 2015, followed by the Nest Cam Outdoor in July 2016.

"Updating firmware and software of older devices - some of which were launched back in 2015 - is a significant technical challenge that we’re committed to doing," Emily wrote.

However, some of these older cameras already work in the Google Home app. Last year, Google added support for the Nest Cam Indoor and Nest Cam Outdoor in Google Home. Users could port their cameras from the Nest app to the Google Home app with relative easy, and go back to Nest if they didn't like the new experience. Select older Nest cameras were still unsupported, though.

The comments from Google's product manager are interesting because the company has already overcome the hurdle of supporting its oldest cameras. The camera from 2015 referenced in the Reddit comment is the Nest Cam Indoor, which is supported in Google Home. The Nest Cam Outdoor, the company's second-oldest camera, is supported as well.

Newer cameras, like the Nest Cam IQ from 2017 and the Nest Hello Doorbell from 2018, are the ones that remain unsupported.

Aside from a few exceptions, Google's long-term goal is to support all Nest products with Google Home. While the process is moving somewhat slowly, Google has reiterated that it is still ongoing.

Brady is a tech journalist for Android Central, with a focus on news, phones, tablets, audio, wearables, and software. He has spent the last three years reporting and commenting on all things related to consumer technology for various publications. Brady graduated from St. John's University with a bachelor's degree in journalism. His work has been published in XDA, Android Police, Tech Advisor, iMore, Screen Rant, and Android Headlines. When he isn't experimenting with the latest tech, you can find Brady running or watching Big East basketball.