Nest Doorbell notifications are late, missing or excessive

The checks in more detail

Home and Away can turn alerts off when you are home, which is why many owners find the doorbell silent while they are in the house. Make sure the doorbell is online, since an offline doorbell cannot send an alert, though the physical chime may still ring if wired. A doorbell press alert that arrives late on mobile data but promptly on Wi-Fi points at data saver or a VPN. Package and familiar face alerts need a subscription on some plans, and the free plan may offer basic person alerts.

If alerts arrive on one phone and not another, check the other phone's settings and account. Check the quiet hours schedule. A weak Wi-Fi link at the door slows the upload of the event and the alert, so improve the signal. Test by pressing the doorbell and walking up to the door, and watch the alert times. If you hear the chime and get no phone alert, the chime is wired separately and does not prove the app is working. Reinstall the app if alerts stopped after an update. If you get too many alerts, narrow the activity zones and types.

If no alerts arrive with correct settings and a strong connection, contact Google Nest support with a test time. If you get doorbell press alerts but no person alerts, check that person detection is on in the activity settings and that your plan includes it. Alerts for a press come from the button itself and work even without detection. If the chime inside rings and the phone does not alert, test a second phone to see whether the first has a setting problem. Keep a note of the time of each test press, so that you can match it to the app's history.