How to Set Up and Use a Google Nest Hub

The Google Nest Hub is a touchscreen speaker that sits on your counter or nightstand and runs Google Assistant. Think of it as a tablet that talks back — except it's always on, always listening for "Hey Google," and designed to be glanced at across the room rather than held in your hand.

The Nest Hub comes in two sizes: the standard 7-inch model and the larger Nest Hub Max (10 inches), which adds a built-in camera for video calls. Neither requires a computer or a tech background to set up.

To get started, plug the Nest Hub into a wall outlet using the included cable. It will show a welcome screen within a few seconds. Download the Google Home app on your phone (free on iPhone and Android), then follow the on-screen prompts to connect the Hub to your Wi-Fi network and sign into your Google account.

Once set up, the home screen shows the time, weather, and upcoming calendar events. Swipe left to see your Google Photos slideshow. Swipe down from the top to access brightness, volume, and Do Not Disturb settings.

You can ask Google Assistant anything out loud: "Hey Google, set a timer for 20 minutes," "Hey Google, what's the weather tomorrow," or "Hey Google, turn off the living room light" (if you have smart bulbs connected). The Nest Hub also works as a smart home dashboard — tap the home icon to see and control all your connected devices.

The Nest Hub Max supports Google Meet and Duo video calls. Say "Hey Google, call Mom" and it will ring her phone or device. The standard Nest Hub does not have a camera, so it cannot make video calls, only audio calls.

The standard Nest Hub has a sleep-sensing feature that uses ultrasound (not a camera) to detect your breathing and movement overnight, giving you a sleep report each morning. To use it, go to the Nest Hub settings in the Google Home app and enable Sleep Sensing.

To set up multiple household voices, open the Google Home app, go to the Hub's settings, and choose Voice Match. Each person speaks a few phrases, and Google Assistant will then recognize whose voice is asking and show their personal calendar, reminders, and music.

Set a Do Not Disturb schedule under Settings so the Hub stays quiet during overnight hours. You can also reduce the screen brightness at night by enabling Night Mode in the display settings.