Control your Nest thermostat with the app

Once you add your Google Nest thermostat to the Home or Nest app, you can easily control it even when you're not at home.

The Nest Thermostat can only be controlled with the Home app.

You can also control the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Thermostat E with the Home app after you migrate your Nest Account to a Google Account.

The Nest app also offers full control and settings for the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Thermostat E.

Nest Thermostat

Home app controls

For a brief overview of Nest Thermostat control in the Home app, check out this video tutorial:

How to control your Nest Thermostat from the Google Home app

Open the Home app and tap your thermostat. Your current and target temperatures will appear in the Home app, just like on your thermostat. If your thermostat doesn't appear in the app, make sure you've added it to your account and fully set it up.

Depending on the type of system you have, you can:

  • Change the target temperature
  • Select a mode
  • Change temperature presets
  • Hold the temperature
  • Turn on your fan
  • Change your temperature schedule
  • View your energy history
  • Change thermostat settings

Change the target temperature

  1. Open the Home app and tap your thermostat.
  2. To change the target temperature, drag the large dot around the ring.
  3. To fine tune the temperature, tap the plus or minus  buttons at the bottom of the ring.

Select a mode

There will be different options in this menu depending on the type of equipment you have installed. If you have both heating and cooling, you can switch between Heat Heat mode, Cool Cool mode, Heat-Cool Heat Cool mode, and Off Off mode modes.

Switch thermostat modes

Use a Temperature Preset

Note: This feature is only available for the Nest Thermostat.

  1. Open the Home app and tap your thermostat.
  2. Tap Temperature preset Temperature preset.
  3. Select one of your preset settings to apply.

Hold the temperature

Note: This feature is only available for the Nest Thermostat.

Start a temperature hold

  1. Open the Home app.
  2. On the home screen, select your thermostat.
  3. Make sure your thermostat is in Heat, Cool, or Heat • Cool mode before you try to start a temperature hold.
  4. Tap Hold temperature Hold temperature.
  5. Select the Current temp or the temperature preset you want your thermostat to hold.
    Note: If the temperature you want doesn't appear, change your thermostat's current temperature to the one you want to hold. When you reopen the hold temperature settings, you'll be able to select the temperature you've just set.
  6. Select the end time you want the temperature to hold for.
    Note: If you're using the Eco preset, you can also choose None to hold the temperature indefinitely until you end the hold. For other presets, your thermostat can hold the temperature for up to 24 hours.
  7. Tap Start to begin the temperature hold.
    Note: If you want to make changes to the temperature but there's a hold on the temperature, the app or thermostat will tell you that you need to end the hold first.

End or change the temperature hold

Note: You must end the current hold and start a new hold to change the hold settings.

  1. Open the Home app.
  2. On the home screen, select your thermostat.
  3. Make sure your thermostat is in the Heat, Cool, or Heat • Cool mode the temperature hold is in.
  4. Tap Hold temperature Hold temperature.
  5. Tap End hold.
  6. Follow the steps above if you want to start a new hold on the temperature and change the hold settings.

Turn on the fan

If your system is able to control your fan separately from your heating or cooling, you can turn it on from this menu.

  1. Tap Fan Fanand thenSet fan timer.
  2. Select the duration you want your fan to run.
  3. Tap Start.

For more information on how to control your fan or set a daily fan schedule, learn how to control your fan with the Nest thermostat.

Change your temperature schedule

Note: This feature is only available for the Nest Thermostat.

Tap Settings and thenSchedules.

You can set a schedule for your thermostat when you first set it up and you will get suggested changes so it can help save energy while keeping you comfortable, but you can also edit the schedule at any time. Check Nest thermostat temperature schedules for detailed instructions.

View your Energy History

To view usage insights across day, week, or month time frames, tap Settings and thenEnergy dashboard.

Learn how to read your Nest thermostat's Energy History

Change thermostat settings

  1. On the Home app home screen, tap your thermostat.
  2. Tap Settings .
  3. Depending on your thermostat model, you'll have a specific selection of settings available to you. For instance you may be able to change your settings, manage temperature preferences and schedules, view your Energy dashboard, and more.

Learn about Nest thermostat settings and how to change them

Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat

You can use either the Nest app or the Home app to control your Nest Learning Thermostat or Nest Thermostat E. The settings and options are very similar between the two. For more details, refer to the Home app section above.

Nest app control

Open the Nest app and tap your thermostat on the home screen. Your current and target temperatures will appear in the Nest app, just like on your thermostat. If your thermostat doesn't appear in the app, make sure you've added it to your account.

Depending on the type of system you have, you can:

  • Change the target temperature
  • Switch to Eco Temperature
  • Turn on the system fan
  • Change your temperature schedule

Change the target temperature

  1. To change the target temperature, drag your finger along the ring.
  2. To fine tune the temperature, tap the up or down arrow at the bottom of the ring.

Select a mode

There will be different options in this menu depending on the type of equipment you have installed.

Switch thermostat modes

Turn on the fan

If your system is able to control your fan separately from your heating or cooling, you can turn it on from this menu.

  1. Tap Fan Nest thermostat fan control icon .
  2. To choose how long you'd like to run your fan, swipe left and right.
  3. If your system has multiple fan speeds, you can choose one here.
  4. Select Start.

For more information on how to control your fan or set a daily fan schedule, learn how to control your fan with the Nest thermostat.

Change your temperature schedule

Tap ScheduleNest app schedule icon to view or change your schedule.

Your thermostat will automatically learn your schedule so it can help save energy while keeping you comfortable, but you can also edit the schedule at any time.

Nest thermostat temperature schedules

View your Energy History

To check your heating, cooling and fan usage for the last 10 days, tap Energy Historyapp history icon.

Nest thermostat Energy History

Change thermostat settings

Note: You will also be able to adjust many of the same settings on your thermostat.

  1. On the Nest app home screen, tap your thermostat.
  2. Tap SettingsNest settings icon.
  3. Here you can change your settings, manage your Google Nest Temperature Sensors, and view information about your thermostat.

Nest thermostat settings

Was this helpful?

How can we improve it?