Google Home Premium is the new name for Nest Aware: a paid, whole-home subscription for Google's cameras, doorbells, speakers and displays. It comes in two plans. Standard gives you 30 days of event video history, familiar face detection and Gemini for Home features such as Help me create; Advanced adds 60 days of event history, 10 days of 24/7 recording, AI descriptions and Ask Home video search.
If you had Nest Aware, nothing about your cameras disappeared. Google renamed the service, kept the two-tier structure and added Gemini on top. Here's what each plan includes from Google's own help pages, the rules that trip people up, and one detail about Google AI Pro that could save you paying twice.
Standard vs Advanced at a glance
| Feature | No subscription | Standard | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event video history | Short previews only (stored for hours) | 30 days | 60 days |
| 24/7 continuous video history | No | No | Up to 10 days (wired devices only) |
| Person, animal and vehicle alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Familiar face detection | No | Yes | Yes |
| Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm sound detection (US) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Help me create (automations) | No | Yes | Yes |
| AI descriptions of camera events | No | No | Yes |
| Ask Home camera history search | No | No | Yes |
| Home Brief daily summaries | No | No | Yes |
That's the comparison for Google's current wired Nest cameras; older models differ, and on some, AI descriptions and Home Brief aren't offered at all. Google lists the Advanced-only features in its trial rules: AI descriptions, Ask Home camera history search and 10 days of 24/7 video history all go if you leave a trial without subscribing to Advanced.
What changed from Nest Aware
Google's store page says Google Home Premium is available in the same two plans as before, Standard and Advanced, replacing Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus. The new part is Gemini. On a Nest or Google speaker you can talk to Gemini naturally, follow up without repeating yourself, and ask it to add things to your calendar or shopping list. Gemini Live gives real-time, spoken help with jobs like a recipe or a DIY fix.
Help me create is the feature I'd try first. It uses Gemini to build custom automations for your home from a plain description, and Google says it suggests automations based on how you already use your devices. That's the end of fiddling with routine menus.
The Advanced plan's best trick
With Advanced you can search your camera history in plain English. Google's own examples are questions like "When was the trash picked up this week?" or "Who opened the garage door on Friday?". Home Brief then gives you a daily recap of camera events, so you don't have to scroll through clips. If you run a small shop, office or studio with a Nest camera, that alone can be worth the upgrade.
What you need to use it
- A home in a country that supports Google Home Premium.
- A Nest camera or doorbell, a Google smart speaker or display, or a compatible partner device.
- The Google Home app, where you subscribe under your profile picture, then Home settings, Subscriptions, Google Home Premium.
Some features depend on where you live. Google's tables say garage door detection, smoke and carbon monoxide alarm alerts and emergency calling are US-only, and familiar face detection isn't available in the US state of Illinois. 24/7 recording only works on wired Nest cameras and doorbells, and not on the Nest Doorbell (battery) even if you wire it.
The Google AI Pro catch
This is the bit most people miss. Google says Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra memberships now include Google Home Premium at no additional cost for eligible members, and Ultra includes the Advanced plan. So if you already pay for Google AI Pro, check before you renew a separate Home Premium subscription.
There's a second catch for Advanced subscribers. If you apply the Google One benefit, Google automatically cancels and refunds your existing Home Premium subscription and gives you the Standard plan. To keep Advanced, you buy it as a Google One add-on. Google's advice is to buy that add-on before you start the replacement flow in the Home app, so you don't lose camera history.
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Trials, billing and cancelling
- Newer Nest cameras and doorbells can get a one-month free trial of Standard or Advanced when you add them to the Google Home app.
- There's a limit of one free trial per home, and once a trial starts you can't cancel it, though you can turn camera recording off.
- When a trial ends without a subscription, recorded history is erased, except clips or timelapses you saved.
- You choose monthly or yearly billing, and Google says you can't switch between the two later.
- You can upgrade from Standard to Advanced at any time.
- If you cancel a paid subscription, you lose sound detection clips and any video you haven't saved.
If you're still on a first-generation Nest Aware plan, you can switch to Google Home Premium and Google gives you a prorated refund for the unused time. Weighing up the bigger smart home question first? My Alexa vs Google Home comparison covers that.
My verdict
If you've got Nest cameras, Standard is the sensible default: 30 days of history plus Gemini on your speakers. Go Advanced only if you'll use 24/7 recording or the camera search, because that's where the extra cost goes. And if you pay for Google AI Pro or Ultra, don't buy Home Premium separately until you've checked your Google One benefits.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Google Home Premium?
Google Home Premium is Google's paid smart home subscription that replaced Nest Aware. It covers video history for Nest cameras and doorbells, intelligent alerts and Gemini for Home features on speakers and displays, in two plans: Standard and Advanced.
What's the difference between Google Home Premium Standard and Advanced?
Standard gives 30 days of event video history, familiar face detection and Gemini for Home features such as Help me create. Advanced adds 60 days of event history, up to 10 days of 24/7 recording on wired devices, AI descriptions, Ask Home camera search and Home Brief summaries.
Is Google Home Premium included with Google AI Pro?
Yes. Google says Google AI Pro and Ultra memberships include Google Home Premium at no additional cost for eligible members, and Ultra includes the Advanced plan. Applying the benefit cancels and refunds an existing Home Premium subscription.
Does Google Home Premium have a free trial?
Newer Nest cameras and doorbells qualify for a one-month free trial of Standard or Advanced, limited to one trial per home. Once the trial starts it can't be cancelled, but you can turn recording off.
Can I switch Google Home Premium from monthly to yearly?
No. Google's help page says you can't change your billing cycle from monthly to annual or from annual to monthly, but you can upgrade from Standard to Advanced at any time.
