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Setting up a Google Nest Mini or Nest Hub in the Google Home app

A Nest Mini (speaker) or Nest Hub (speaker with a screen) is set up using the free Google Home app on your phone. This guide walks you through it in plain steps. Apps change their wording and menus from time to time, so what you see may differ slightly from the steps below.

Before you start

  • Plug the speaker or display into the mains and wait for it to start up.
  • Make sure your phone is connected to your home Wi-Fi, with Bluetooth and location switched on.
  • Have your Wi-Fi password to hand, and a Google account (an ordinary Gmail address is fine).

Set it up

  1. Install the Google Home app from the App Store or Google Play, and sign in with your Google account.
  2. Tap + (Add) and choose the option to set up a device. The wording is usually Set up device then New device.
  3. Choose your home, or create one if asked.
  4. The app searches nearby. When it finds your speaker, tap Next. It will play a sound; confirm you heard it.
  5. Pick the room, choose your Wi-Fi network and enter the password.
  6. Follow the on-screen offers. You will be asked about voice recognition, music services and permissions. You can skip anything you are unsure about and change it later.

Tips

  • Use your home Wi-Fi name and password exactly, including capital letters.
  • If the app cannot find the speaker, move closer, switch Bluetooth off and on, and try again.
  • Google has been changing its voice assistant and the Home app. Some households are being offered an upgrade to a newer assistant called Gemini for Home. Read the offer carefully before accepting, as Google says it cannot be switched back afterwards.

Try it out

Say "Hey Google, what's the weather?" If you get an answer, setup is done.

When to get more help

Get help if the app cannot find your speaker after two or three tries, if setup stops at the Wi-Fi step, or if you are asked to sign in to an account you do not recognise. Do not factory reset unless advised, as this wipes all settings.

Did this help? If you are still stuck, email Vision Tech and tell us what you can see on the screen. Menus and button names can differ slightly between versions and makes. If something does not match, stop and ask rather than guess.

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