Google ups Nest Aware to $6, but you get more for your money

Nest Aware, Google's optional cloud service plan for Nest devices, is changing early next year, the company announced at its Pixel event in New York on Tuesday. Instead of living on the Nest app, Nest Aware 2.0 will move over to the Google Home app as part of the company's software migration and new Google Nest brand identity. 

The new plan starts at $6 per month for 30 days of event-based notifications and covers all of the Nest devices in your home. Nest Aware Plus starts at $12 per month for 60 days of event-based notifications and 10 days of continuous recording. 

Existing Nest customers have the option to stay on the existing plan -- $5 per month for 5 days of continuous recording, $10 per month for 10 days of continuous recording and $30 per month for 30 days of continuous recording. All of these options include advanced Nest camera features, like facial recognition, package detection, clips, time lapses and activity zones. 

This current plan is pay-by-device, although Nest gives you a discount on your next Nest Aware plan when you add another device, as long as it's the same tier. That goes away with Google's $6 monthly Nest Aware plan, although that won't mean much if you only have one device and don't plan to add more. 

Not only that, but the migration from Nest over to Google hasn't been seamless. Customers moving their accounts over to Google and the new Works with Google Assistant program have lost functional automations with third party devices and services that used to work with the old Works with Nest program.

In addition to the new pricing and multi-device access, Nest Aware 2.0 adds advanced audio sensing capabilities. Specifically, all Google Nest security cameras, smart speakers and smart displays should be able to listen for smoke detectors and alert you that something might be going on at home. Plenty of home security cameras out there have smoke-detector-listening-capabilities, like the Wyze Cam and the Wyze Cam Pan, but it's fairly new for smart speakers and displays.

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Alexa devices can listen and record alarms and the sound of glass breaking as part of its Alexa Guard feature, but this is new for Google Assistant devices.

Google is also adding in an e911 feature to its new Nest Aware service. Like Arlo's e911 offering, this feature should make it possible for you to call local emergency services near your home from your Google Home app, no matter where you are.

Nest Aware 2.0 will be available early next year.

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