And go on and smash that notification bell to get updates whenever we put out a new video. Let’s take a closer look at the Nest Mini. The Nest Mini has a puck-like design with cloth on the top and plastic on the bottom. Our version (the 2nd Gen) has a mount on the bottom so you can hang it up on a wall if you want. On the back, there’s a mute switch for the microphone. If we don’t want our Google listening to us, we can always mute it. And, of course, the power adapter is in the back. Tap on the Get Started tab to, well, get started. And since we’re adding a new hub device to our Google ecosystem, we’ll then tap on New Devices, and what we need to do is create a home. We’re going to select Create Another Home since we haven’t set one up yet. Name your home and click Done. The app will ask you to put in your address. This is optional, but if you add an address, you’ll have a more customized experience with your Nest Mini. You’ll be able to do things like ask about the weather, ask for travel directions, and get local traffic info. The app should be ready to find a new device. Tap Speaker, and it will look for a new speaker (aka your Nest Mini). Once it finds and connects to the device, the app will move to the next step. The light on the Nest Mini should now be blue. Next, choose the room you’ll be putting your Nest Mini in. It’s important to select the actual room your device will be in. This allows your devices to communicate to each other properly. Say you get a Chromecast. If both the Chromecast and the Nest Mini are listed as being in the same room, you can just ask the Mini to display something. You won’t have to specify the Chromecast’s name because the devices know they’re in the same room together. First, it will ask if you want to connect your Google Assistant to your contacts and web activity. If you’re not comfortable with that, you can deny sharing that info. Next, you’ll have the option to teach your assistant to recognize your voice. If you have multiple people using your Google devices, you might want to turn on the custom voice assistant. This allows Google to recognize your voice and give you custom things like your reminders, calendar events, emails, and phone calls. If you’re the only one using it, you probably don’t need to set this up. There is a switch on the back of the Mini that disables the microphone. The top lights will glow red when the mic is off so you know at a glance if Google can hear you or not. If you have a Chromecast, you can also connect the Mini to your video streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount, Sling, Starz, and YouTube Kids. You can then ask your mini to play your favorite show, and it will pull it up on your Chromecast. You can also explore other media options. Our favorites are radio, live TV, and podcasts.
