Google's alerts guide applies to all Nest cameras, Google Nest doorbells and Nest Hub Max. Its first point is that Google Home app notification settings are off by default, so turn on notifications for the camera or doorbell in the app under camera and doorbell alerts. Check that the camera is powered on, since most Nest cameras need a power outlet to stream and alert and a battery model must be charged, and check it is online in the app.
The checks in more detail
Package alerts work better when person detection alerts are also on. For too few alerts, split whether the camera detected the event but you got no alert, or did not detect it at all, and see the motion steps. For too many, adjust which activity you get alerts for, set up Activity Zones and use Home and Away modes. Google explains delayed notifications too: delayed email and delayed push notifications have their own causes, such as a phone in battery saver, a weak connection or a busy service.
Email notifications are not available for Nest Cam Indoor (wired, 2nd gen), Nest Cam (battery) or Nest Doorbell (battery). On the phone, allow notifications for the app, turn off Do Not Disturb and battery restrictions, and keep the Home app up to date. Trigger a test event with the phone unlocked and then locked, to see whether the fault is the phone or the camera. If one phone gets alerts and another does not, the fault is that phone's settings, not the camera.
Add a second person to alerts, since one phone that is off leaves the home with no notice at all. If alerts arrive in bursts after long gaps, the phone is batching them to save power, and setting the Google Home app to unrestricted battery use usually ends it. Compare the times in event history with the times on your phone's alerts, because the gap between them tells you whether delivery is slow or the camera is late in reporting.
Differential
Likely causes of “Nest cameras and doorbells notifications are late, missing or excessive”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Notifications off by default
What separates it You get no alerts because notifications in the Google Home app are off by default
How to confirm Turn on notifications for the camera or doorbell in the Google Home app settings
- 2
A battery camera drained
What separates it A battery camera sends no alerts because its battery has drained
How to confirm Charge the battery, and then check that the alerts start to arrive again
- 3
Phone Do Not Disturb
What separates it Alerts arrive silently because Do Not Disturb is switched on for the phone
How to confirm Turn Do Not Disturb off, and allow the Google Home app to send notifications
- 4
A delay
What separates it Alerts arrive late because of the connection or the phone's battery saver settings
How to confirm Check the connection, and the phone's battery saver settings, since both can delay alerts
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Which alerts are missing, such as motion, person or package alerts
- Whether the camera or doorbell shows online in the app
- The notification and battery settings on the phone
- Whether you expect to receive alerts by email
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedTurn notifications on
ReversibleTurn notifications on in the app for the camera and the doorbell, since they are off by default.
Check power and online state
ReversibleCheck the power and the online state, and charge a battery model if its level is low.
Turn on person detection
ReversibleTurn on person detection so that package alerts work, since they depend on it for best results.
Allow the app on the phone
ReversibleAllow the app to send notifications on the phone, and make sure Do Not Disturb is not muting it.
Use zones and modes
ReversibleUse zones and modes to cut extra alerts, so that only movement that matters reaches your phone.
Check delay causes
ReversibleCheck the causes of delay, such as a weak connection or a battery saver mode on the phone.
Contact Google
ReversibleContact Google if alerts never arrive, and tell them the model and which alerts are missing.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Not available on the battery models and the indoor wired 2nd gen.
- Hub Max
- Alerts work the same way.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If alerts never arrive, contact Google Nest support
- !If you get too many alerts, refine the Activity Zones and the detection types
- !If email is missing, check whether your model sends email alerts at all
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Alerts, zones and delays.
Detection.
Zones.
Members and Admins.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
Are notifications on by default?+
No, notifications are off by default, so you must turn them on in the Google Home app.
Why no package alerts?+
Package alerts can be missing because person detection is switched off, so check that first.
Do all models send email?+
No, some models do not send email alerts, so check whether yours is one of them.
Can I reduce alerts?+
Use Activity Zones and Home and Away modes, which cut the alerts you do not need.
Can alerts be delayed?+
Yes, alerts can be delayed by a weak connection or by the phone's battery saver settings.
Does the Hub Max send alerts?+
Yes, the Nest Hub Max sends alerts too, since it has a camera and uses the same settings.