Change Nest camera & doorbell audio settings

When the microphone is on, your Nest camera picks up nearby sound, and the audio is recorded if your camera has event or 24/7 video history.

When the microphone is off, your camera doesn't stream or record audio. When you first set up your camera and doorbell, the microphone is off by default.

If you have more than one Nest camera, you can turn each camera’s microphone on and off independently.

Home app

Android

1. Open the Home app .
2. Tap Home All , then touch and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap Settings Audio.
4. Turn Microphone on or off.

iPhone & iPad

1. Open the Home app .
2. Tap Home All , then touch and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap Settings Audio.
4. Turn Microphone on or off.

Nest app

1. Open the Nest app .
2. On the home screen, tap your camera.
3. Tap Settings Microphone.
4. Turn Microphone on or off.

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.

For the following Nest cameras and doorbells, you can adjust how loud your voice is when you speak into your phone with Talk and Listen:

• Nest Cam Outdoor (wired, 2nd gen)
• Nest Cam Indoor (wired, 3rd gen)
• Nest Cam (wired)
• Nest Cam (battery)
• Nest Doorbell (wired, 3rd gen)
• Nest Doorbell (battery)

For other Nest camera and doorbell models, the camera’s speaker volume isn't adjustable. However, it should be loud enough to be easily heard by someone near the camera. If you use Talk and Listen a lot, make sure to install your camera in a place where your voice can be heard.

This setting doesn't affect how loud the visitor’s voice is in the app when they speak through your camera.

To adjust your camera’s volume:

Android

1. Open the Home app .
2. Tap Home All , then touch and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap More Settings Audio.
4. Drag the camera volume slider to adjust the volume.

iPhone & iPad

1. Open the Home app .
2. Tap Home All , then touch and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap More Settings Audio.
4. Drag the camera volume slider to adjust the volume.

Cameras with adjustable microphone sensitivity

The following cameras have a manually adjustable microphone sensitivity:

• Nest Cam Outdoor (wired, 2nd gen)
• Nest Cam Outdoor
• Nest Cam Indoor (wired, 3rd gen)
• Nest Cam Indoor

Manually adjust camera sensitivity if you don’t get sounds in your camera’s video stream, or if your camera repeatedly picks up unwanted noise.

Other Nest cameras and doorbells use echo cancellation and noise suppression to automatically adjust their microphone sensitivity.

To manually adjust your camera’s microphone sensitivity:

1. Open the Nest app .
2. On the home screen, tap your camera.
3. Tap Settings Microphone. Make sure the microphone switch is turned on in the app, or the “Microphone sensitivity” setting wouldn't appear.
4. Tap Microphone sensitivity, then drag the slider to change the mic setting.

Here’s what to expect when you turn audio recording off for your camera:

• Audio isn't saved with your camera’s recorded video, which means that any footage saved in your video history while audio recording was turned off doesn't have sound.
• You can still get audio in your camera’s live video stream.
• The app doesn't send you any sound alerts.

To turn audio recording on or off:

Home app

Android

1. Open the Home app .
2. Tap Home All , then touch and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap More Settings Audio.
4. Turn Audio recording on or off.

iPhone & iPad

1. Open the Home app .
2. Tap Home All , then touch and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap More Settings Audio.
4. Turn Audio recording on or off.

Nest app

1. Open the Nest app .
2. On the home screen, tap your camera.
3. Tap Settings Microphone. Make sure the microphone switch is turned on in the app, or the Audio recording setting wouldn't appear.
4. Turn Audio recording on or off.

When audio recording is off, you can still listen live, but you shouldn't receive any sound alerts.

Your camera or doorbell can send notifications when it detects certain sounds.

For example, if the doorbell rings or your dog barks, you can get an alert even if the activity isn’t in your camera’s view.

Learn more about cameras and doorbells alerts.

With Talk and Listen, you can talk to people near the camera and get their responses. Learn more about Talk and Listen on your Nest camera or doorbell.

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.

For the Nest Cam Indoor (wired, 3rd gen), Nest Cam Indoor, Nest Cam Outdoor (wired, 2nd gen), 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.

To turn the Talk & Listen tone on or off:

1. Open the Nest app .
2. On the home screen, tap your camera.
3. Tap Settings .
4. Select Talk & Listen tone .
5. Tap the switch to turn the tone on or off.

Digital chimes (internal speaker and no moving parts) only work with Nest doorbells that are wired to your home’s doorbell system. Battery-powered doorbells can't use a digital chime.

Android

1. Open the Home app .
2. Tap Home All , then touch and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap More Settings Doorbell.
4. Slide the length of the ring node to decrease or increase how long the chime plays.

iPhone & iPad

1. Open the Home app .
2. Tap Home All , then touch and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap More Settings Doorbell.
4. Slide the length of the ring node to decrease or increase how long the chime plays.

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. Learn how visitor announcements work.
• The app can still send a notification to let you know that someone’s at the door.

To turn Quiet Time on:

Home app

Android

1. Open the Home app .
2. Tap Home All , then touch and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap Controls Quiet Time .
4. Choose how long you want the indoor chime and visitor announcements to be off for.
5. Tap Set.

iPhone & iPad

1. Open the Home app .
2. Tap Home All , then touch and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap Controls Quiet Time .
4. Choose how long you want the indoor chime and visitor announcements to be off for.
5. Tap Set.

To cancel it early, select your doorbell in the app, and then tap End Quiet Time.

Nest app

1. Open the Nest app .
2. On the home screen, select your doorbell.
3. Tap Quiet Time .
4. Select how long you want the indoor chime and visitor announcements to be off for.
5. Tap Start.

To check how much time is left, or to cancel Quiet Time early, go back to the Quiet Time setting.

If you want to temporarily mute your indoor chime for a few hours, you can use Quiet Time. If you don’t want to be disturbed for an extended period of time, you can turn your indoor chime off instead.

To turn the indoor chime on or off:

Home app

Android

1. Open the Home app .
2. Tap Home All , then touch and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap Settings Doorbell.
4. Turn the indoor chime on or off.

iPhone & iPad

1. Open the Home app .
2. Tap Home All , then touch and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap Settings Doorbell.
4. Turn the indoor chime on or off.

Nest app

1. Open the Nest app .
2. On the home screen, tap your doorbell.
3. Tap Settings .
4. Select Indoor chime On/Off, then tap the switch to turn it on or off.

Once Quiet Time has ended, your doorbell resumes its current indoor chime settings. If you turn the indoor chime on and then off again while in Quiet Time, the chime doesn't automatically turn on when your Quiet Time countdown ends.