How to turn on 2-step verification for your Nest app account

What you need

• The latest version of the Nest app, so you get the newest features and fixes.
• A phone that can receive text (SMS) messages and has a reliable signal from your mobile carrier.
• A phone number or email address you expect to keep for a long time.
• A unique password for your account that you do not use on other websites or apps.

This guide follows Google’s help page for the Nest app. Its steps and names are specific to the Nest app, so follow the wording you see on your own screen.

Step by step

1. Update the Nest app. Install the latest version from your app store. Newer versions include the newest security features and bug fixes.
2. Check your phone. Make sure the phone you will use can receive text messages and gets a steady signal. The code is sent to this phone every time you sign in.
3. Choose a lasting contact. Use a phone number or email address that will still be yours next year. Avoid temporary numbers and other people’s email addresses, because you could lose access if they stop working.
4. Give each person their own account. If several people use the same home, each person should sign in with their own account. Invite them through Family Accounts instead of sharing one email and password.
5. Switch on 2-step verification. Turn it on in the Nest app. From now on, a text message is sent to you each time you try to sign in.
6. Sign in again on your other devices. Turning it on signs you out of the Nest app on other phones, tablets and computers. Sign back in on each one and enter the code when asked.
7. Enter your password, then the code. On your next sign-in, type your email address and password as usual. Then type the temporary code Nest sends to your phone or email.

Tips and common mistakes

• Expect the code request. Once 2-step verification is on, you need the code every time you sign in or change certain security settings. Keep your phone nearby.
• Do not share your code. The code is unique and temporary. Anyone who gets it could sign in as you.
• Plan for a new phone number. If you will stop using your old number, turn 2-step verification off before you deactivate that line. You will need to enter a code sent to the old number one last time. After that, you can turn 2-step verification back on with your new number.
• Watch out for shared logins. Sharing one account between family members can cause sign-in problems, because someone may not receive the code.
• Do not reuse passwords. Your Nest password should be unique. Reusing it elsewhere weakens your account even when 2-step verification is on.

Example: Priya wants her own Nest account in a shared family home. She uses her own phone number and her own password. She invites her partner through Family Accounts instead of sharing her login. When she turns on 2-step verification, she signs back in on her tablet using the code sent to her phone.

Use it responsibly

Check every sign-in request carefully. If you receive a code you did not ask for, do not enter it anywhere, and change your password. Keep your passwords and codes private, and never paste them, or other private details, into an AI tool or chat window. If you use an AI assistant to help with account settings, check its answers against the official Nest help pages before you act on them. Follow your workplace or school rules if you use a work or school phone or email for your account, and follow the service’s own terms for how accounts may be used.