Google One subscription plans offer a smorgasbord of Google services, ranging from extra storage and advanced Google Photos editing to VPN usage and even premium Gemini access, but no Nest Aware benefits—or at least, not yet.
Some lines of code buried in the Google Home app suggest that Nest Aware could soon make an appearance in Google’s various Google One bundles, a boon for Nest camera and video doorbell users who are already steeped in Google’s ecosystem.
The first hints that Nest Aware might come to Google One were spotted last fall by 9to5Google, which pinpointed references to an “all-in-one subscription from Google” that would allow you to “bundle Nest Aware, {two} TB of storage for Photos, Drive [and] Gmail, and more benefits.”
Now, Google Home 3.13 serves up even more evidence of a Nest Aware-Google One pairing, with snippets of text saying that a given user “is now using the Nest Aware subscription included in your Google One Plan,” 9to5Google reports.
The latest Google Home code also makes mention of Nest Aware Plus and Google One, along with instructions for users left with a spare and unused Nest Aware subscription after—presumably—having migrating to the Google One bundle.
In its report, 9to5Google notes that hidden lines of code in a Google app don’t guarantee that a hinted-at feature will actually arrive, meaning we should take all this with a grain of salt.
Still, adding Nest Aware to Google One makes perfect sense, particularly for anyone with multiple Nest cameras in their home while also managing large Google Photos collections and Google Workspace accounts, or dabbling in Google’s new premium Gemini AI features.
Reached by TechHive, a Google spokesperson declined to comment.
As it stands, Nest Aware costs $8 a month following a September 2023 price hike, while Nest Aware Plus costs $15 a month.
The standard Nest Aware plan offers 30 days of video history for all your Nest cams plus “intelligent” alerts for suspicious sounds such as smoke and/or carbon monoxide alarms, as well as the sound of breaking glass. You’ll also get alerts when your Nest camera spots a “familiar face” that you’ve previously tagged. Finally, Nest Aware boasts emergency e911 calling directly from the Google Home app.
Nest Aware Plus includes all Nest Aware features while upping the video storage to 60 days, and it also adds up to 10 days of 24/7 video history.
Meanwhile, Google One offers a trio of bundles, starting with a $1.99 Basic plan that offers 100GB of storage, advanced Google Photos editing features, VPN access, and other benefits. The $9.99 Premium plan ups the storage to 2TB and adds Google Workspace “premium” features, while AI Premium includes access to Google’s Gemini Advanced generative AI chatbot for $19.99 a month.
It’s not clear exactly how Google might mix its Nest Aware plans into Google One, although 9to5Google speculates that Nest Aware might be included in the priciest Google One AI Premium plan, while Nest Aware Plus could be available as an “add-on.”
Updated on February 21, 2024 with a “no comment” from Google.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he covers smart speakers, soundbars, and other smart and home-theater devices. You can follow Ben on Twitter.