I’ve noted some quirks and edge cases that I’ve experienced with the Google Home ecosystem, and recorded the workarounds that I’ve found.
Home & Away Routines
My home and away routines were missing in Google Home. Online advice was to either:
- clear data or reinstall the Google Home app
- set up a new household, and either use the new household or go back to the old household at some point
- add a new (sometimes dummy) member to the household to trigger the setup
But in the end, the solution from this support thread is the one that actually worked for me:
- Delete all the household routines
- Go back to the Favorites screen in Google Home and tap on the the household name
- Instead of “Home” and “Away” choices, you should see a “Setup” button which will properly initiate the home and away routines, finally.
Why does this work?
As postulated in the support thread, having existing household routines must somehow prevent the “Home & Away” setup from triggering because it thinks it’s already been set up. Deleting all household routines must make the household appear more like a new one to the Google Home app, which then kindly offers to run the setup, properly this time.
Nest Cameras
I currently have 3 nest cameras deployed around the perimeter of my house.
How to factory reset
When setup fails in the Google Home app (e.g. is stuck at “downloading update 59%”) or for whatever other reason, a factory reset may be necessary. To do this:
- Unplug the magnetic power cable from the camera (I think this made a difference)
- Find the button at the back of the camera, near where the magnetic mount is
- Press the button (you will feel a gentle click when it’s depressed far enough) and hold for 15 seconds
- The camera will play some tones for the countdown, and a final confirmation sound once the reset has been committed. You can let go of the button at this point.
- Try setting up the camera again via Google Home
Charging vs. Plugged In
Ensure that the camera isn’t still stuck to a mounting plate when you bring it in for charging.
Plugging in the cable with the mount still attached will make the camera think that it’s in “plugged in and deployed” mode, which won’t show you the charge level or the estimated charging time remaining, and the status light won’t even pulse. Instead, it’ll just show an infinity symbol in Google Home when you look at the battery status.