Google's Nest Hub, formally known as the Home Hub, is one of the many smart hub devices you can use to control the various accessories in your home. Powered by Google Assistant, the Nest Hub can turn on and off devices, answer questions, tell you the news and weather, and more. Out of all the many things it can do, it can also stream YouTube right on its display, and you can interact with it via voice or touch.
Having YouTube access available on the Nest Hub is a huge asset, and it's not hard to implement and start using either. Although you don't have to have a YouTube Premium account, Premium will get you more features that (at least some) are applicable when viewing on the Nest Hub. The main features that you can look forward to using are ad-free playback and YouTube Music.
How to play YouTube videos on a Google Nest Hub
With Nest Hubs having significant use cases for being placed anywhere inside your home, there are a couple of ways to use YouTube via the smart display. First and foremost, while cooking in the kitchen. Trying to remember a recipe can be tricky, and watching a tutorial video can hit the spot, so it's easy to say, "Hey Google, play How to Cook Orange Chicken on Youtube."
Another easy-to-use example involves having the Nest Hub on a bedside table or nightstand. You could have YouTube play slower story-based videos to get the kids to sleep or get everyone ready for bedtime. Here's how to set it up.
Step 1: To pull up YouTube on a Nest Hub, say the trigger phrase "Hey Google."
Step 2: Say either "Open YouTube" or "Play [Video title] on Youtube."
Step 3: These commands will either bring up the specified video and start playback or open the general YouTube app for viewing.
Step 4: Use touch controls to choose which video to play.
You can use either voice commands or the touch controls on the Nest Hub display to play, pause, and skip between videos.
How to cast YouTube to Google Home
Even though Google Assistant and the Nest Hub are some of the most intelligent devices we have in our homes, using voice controls may not be as intuitive as we'd like. Another way to initiate watching YouTube on your Nest Hub is casting to it from another device. Casting ensures that you're playing the correct video without having to constantly repeat to the Assistant what you want to watch.
Nest Hubs have built-in Chromecast technology, so you can use the YouTube app on your phone/tablet or website on your computer to cast any video you're watching to your Nest Hub. When casting a video to a Nest Hub, you have the option of controlling media and audio playback from the origin device or by using voice commands and touch controls on the Hub itself.
Step 1: Make sure your Nest Hub and smartphone or tablet are on the same Wi-Fi network.
Step 2: Open the YouTube app.
Step 3: Press the Radio Share button at the top of the app and select your Nest Hub to open YouTube on the smart display. You can also select a video first, then press the radio share button to play the video on your Nest Hub immediately.
How to set up parental controls when streaming YouTube on a Google Nest Hub
There are also content settings on the Nest Hub for when children view YouTube. Children's accounts managed with Google's Family Link that have voice match enabled will only be able to play content from YouTube Kids.
Step 1: To change parental controls for YouTube on your Nest Hub, first open the Google Home app on your smartphone.
Step 2: Choose your specific Nest Hub display in the main list.
Step 3: Press the Gear icon settings menu at the top of the app.
Step 4: Select the Notifications and Digital Wellbeing category.
Step 5: Select YouTube Settings.
Step 6: Here, you can either enable or disable Youtube Restricted Mode, Youtube TV Content Filter, or both.
How to stream YouTube TV onto a Nest Hub
You can also stream YouTube TV onto your Nest Hub with a similar setup and control process. Remember, YouTube TV is a separate paid subscription.
Step 1: To pull up YouTube on a Nest Hub, say the trigger phrase "Hey Google."
Step 2: Say either "Play TV," "Go to YouTube TV," or "Watch YouTube TV."
Step 3: These commands will open the YouTube TV app and auto-play the last playing channel.
Step 4: You can then use voice commands or interact more with the app or touch the display.
Having YouTube access available on the Nest Hub is a huge asset, and it's not hard to implement and start using either. Although you don't have to have a YouTube Premium account, Premium will get you more features that (at least some) are applicable when viewing on the Nest Hub.
