Speakers and displays do not show phone notifications, but they announce alerts from other Google Home devices when you enable it, and the Hub Max sends camera alerts to your phone. In the Google Home app, camera and doorbell alerts must be turned on because notification settings are off by default, as Google's alert troubleshooting notes. For a display announcing a doorbell press, turn on doorbell announcements for the device in the Home app and check the display is online and not on Do Not Disturb, which silences announcements.
The checks in more detail
Check the display's volume, the notification volume and downtime schedules. For a Hub Max that sends camera alerts, check the camera is on, online and that alerts are enabled; person detection makes package alerts work better. If alerts are delayed, the causes are the phone's battery saver, a weak connection or a busy service. On the phone, allow notifications for the Home app and remove battery restrictions. Alarm and timer sounds on a speaker are separate and use the media and alarm volumes, which you can change with your voice or in the app.
If nothing sounds, reboot the device and check the volume and mute switch on the back or top. Test with a real doorbell press while standing in the room, since a display can sound softly from another room. If one phone gets alerts and another does not, check that phone's settings. Add a second person to alerts so a dead phone does not mean no notice.
If a display announces some doorbell presses and not others, check whether Do Not Disturb or a downtime schedule is active at the times it fails, because schedules are the usual hidden cause. Keep the alert list short: enable doorbell and person alerts first and add others only if you miss them, since a long list of alerts makes a real event easy to ignore. Check the device's own alert and timer sounds too, because a working notification chime proves the speaker and volume are fine and points the fault at the alert settings instead.
Differential
Likely causes of “Nest displays and smart speakers notifications are late, missing or excessive”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Alerts off by default
What separates it You get no phone alerts because alerts are off by default in the app
How to confirm Turn the alerts on in the Google Home app for the Hub Max and its camera
- 2
Do Not Disturb
What separates it Announcements are silent because Do Not Disturb is switched on
How to confirm Turn Do Not Disturb off, or change its schedule so that it does not cover the times you need
- 3
Low notification volume
What separates it Announcements are too quiet because the notification volume is set low
How to confirm Raise the notification volume, which is separate from the volume of music and speech
- 4
A weak connection
What separates it Alerts are delayed because the wifi connection is weak on one of the devices
How to confirm Improve the wifi for the display and for the device that sends the alert
- 5
A muted device
What separates it There is no sound because the device is muted
How to confirm Check the mute switch on the device, and slide it so that the microphone and speaker are on
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Which alert is missing, and where you expected to get it
- The volume and the mute setting on the device
- Whether Do Not Disturb is switched on
- The notification settings on your phone
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedTurn alerts on
ReversibleTurn alerts on in the Google Home app, for the Hub Max and for the other devices you use.
Turn on announcements
ReversibleTurn on announcements for the device, if you want it to announce alerts from other devices.
Check Do Not Disturb
ReversibleCheck Do Not Disturb and downtime settings, since they can silence the announcements at set times.
Check volume and mute
ReversibleCheck the volume and the mute state on the device, and raise the notification volume if needed.
Allow the app on the phone
ReversibleAllow the app to send notifications on the phone, with no battery limits that stop it running.
Reboot the device
ReversibleReboot the device by unplugging it for a minute, if it stays silent after these checks.
Contact Google
ReversibleContact Google if it persists, and tell them which alert is missing and the model.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Announcements
- Doorbell announcements are per device.
- Camera alerts
- The Hub Max sends camera alerts to the phone.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit the Nest Hub (2nd gen), Nest Audio, Nest Mini (2nd gen).
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If alerts never arrive, contact Google Nest support
- !If only sound is missing, check volume and mute
- !If alerts are delayed, check the connection for both the display and your phone
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Alerts, zones and delays.
Playback problems.
Hey Google.
Speaker and display wifi steps.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
Are alerts on by default?+
No, alerts are off by default, so you must turn them on in the Google Home app.
Do speakers show notifications?+
Speakers and displays announce alerts aloud instead of showing them as phone notifications.
Can Do Not Disturb silence them?+
Yes, Do Not Disturb can silence announcements, so check that setting first.
Is notification volume separate?+
Yes, the notification volume is separate from the volume of music and voice answers.
Does the Hub Max send camera alerts?+
Yes, the Hub Max sends camera alerts to your phone, since it has a camera.
Should I check the mute switch?+
Yes, check the mute switch on the back, since a muted device makes no sound.