Silence Nest Protect

Google Nest Protect can be easily silenced by pressing the button or by using the app. All Heads-Up alerts and some Emergency alarms can be silenced. However, if smoke levels are too high, then the alarm can’t be silenced. This is an industry requirement for all smoke alarms.

What you can or can't silence

Heads-Up alert for smoke or carbon monoxide (CO)	Can be silenced.
Emergency alarm for smoke	Can be silenced unless smoke levels are too high. Note: This is true for all smoke alarms. It's an industry requirement.
Emergency alarm for CO	Can be silenced unless CO levels are too high.
False alarms caused by dust, steam or other malfunction	Can't be silenced until the problem is resolved. Troubleshoot false alarms
Chirps caused by a low battery	Can't be silenced. Replace the batteries
Chirps caused by expiry or sensor failure	Can't be silenced. Remove the batteries and disconnect from power. Replace your alarm as soon as possible

How to silence Nest Protect

Press the button

During an alarm, press the large button on the front of the Nest Protect that sensed the smoke or CO.

You won't be able to silence Nest Protect if CO is above levels specified by law. This is an industry rule that all alarms follow.

Types of Heads-Up alerts and Emergency alarms that you can silence

Note: If your Nest Protect is chirping, it means that something needs your attention. It won't stop until you resolve the problem. To know why it’s chirping, check the Nest app or press the button. You may need to replace the batteries or replace your Protect.

Use the app

Requirements to silence alarms with the Nest app

A 2nd gen Nest Protect connected to Wi-Fi and the Nest app
You’re signed into your account in the app
Your phone has Bluetooth turned on
You’re at home and can bring your phone within a few metres of the Protect that originally sounded the alarm. The app shows you which Protect to go to.

2nd gen Nest Protect lets you silence alarms with the Nest app. When Nest Protect sounds an alarm for smoke or CO, it can send an alert to your phone. You can silence the alarm from the alert.

1. Tap or swipe the alert to view the details

The alert includes the type of event (smoke or CO) and its location.

Note: If you have a Nest Cam in the same home, the alert can include a snapshot from your camera. If you have more than one camera in your home, swipe left and right to cycle through each one.

2. If it’s safe, go to your Protect

You can only use App Silence when you're within a few metres of the Nest Protect that originally sounded the alarm.

Make sure that you've checked conditions in the room before silencing.

3. Tap the yellow Silence button

This lets Nest Protect know that you're about to silence it.

4. Tap and hold the large button

Tap and hold the button for about two seconds until the app tells you that the alarm has been silenced.

Turn App Silence on or off

On the app home screen, tap your Nest Protect.
Select Settings Silencing alarms.
Tap the switch to turn App Silence on or off.

Note: If App Silence is disabled, you can still press Nest Protect's button to silence the alarm.

Alarms that can't be silenced with the app

You won't be able to use the Nest app to silence Nest Protect if:

You're too far away from the Nest Protect that you're trying to silence. The Nest app should tell you if you're out of range. Make sure that you're in the same room as the Nest Protect that originally detected smoke or CO. Move closer to the Nest Protect and you should be able to silence it.
You're trying to silence a 1st gen Nest Protect. The Nest app should tell you if and when you can use App Silence.
You have already silenced a CO alarm three times with the Nest app. If CO levels are still at emergency levels, then Nest Protect should continue to alarm. Move to fresh air.
Note: Even if you have silenced a CO alarm three times with the Nest app, you can continue to silence the alarm. To do this, press the Nest button on the Nest Protect that first detected the problem.
Nest Protect is chirping. To know what it needs from you, open the Nest app or press Nest Protect’s button.
You've disabled the App Silence feature. Refer to the section below to find out how to enable or disable App Silence.

How to test App Silence range

To silence, you should always go to the Nest Protect that detected the issue, and move within Bluetooth range. You can get an idea of the range when you run a Safety Check-Up since both features use Bluetooth.

Go to the Nest Protect that you want to test.
Select the Nest Protect in the app and try to run a Safety Check-Up test.
If the test runs, you're within the same approximate range that you'll need for App Silence. If Safety Check-Up won't start, you'll need to move closer to the Protect.

Silence multiple Nest Protects

Sometimes, more than one alarm can detect smoke or CO at the same time. When this happens, the Nest app can tell you each Nest Protect that has sounded a Heads-Up or Emergency alarm.

If it's safe, go to each Nest Protect that detected smoke or CO and silence each one separately. The rest of the Nest Protects in your home should also be silenced. If your Protect detected CO, you can silence the alarm as long as the CO level isn't too high. No matter what, it's important to check the situation at each alarm whenever you're silencing it.

Silence 1st and 2nd gen Protects

If you have both 1st and 2nd gen Nest Protects and one of them senses smoke or CO, they can all use Wireless Interconnect to sound the same alarm throughout your home.

Stopping the alarm depends on which type of Nest Protect first detected the issue. If you’ve set room names for your Protects, they should tell you where in your home the smoke or CO was detected. And if you’re connected to Wi-Fi, the Nest app should tell you what to do.

If a 1st gen Nest Protect first detected smoke or CO, the alert on your phone won’t include an option to silence the alarm. Instead, you’ll need to press the button on Nest Protect to silence the rest of your 1st gen and 2nd gen Nest Protects.
If a 2nd gen Nest Protect first detected smoke or CO, you can silence your Nest Protects (both 1st and 2nd gen) either by using the Nest app or pressing the Nest button.

For instance, if the 2nd gen Nest Protect in your living room detects smoke, the 1st gen Nest Protect in your bedroom should tell you that there's smoke in the living room and should sound an alarm. If you receive an alert from the Nest app on your phone, you can go to the living room and use App Silence to silence the Nest Protect there. When you do that, all your Nest Protects, including the 1st gen Nest Protect in your bedroom, should quiet down too.

Was this helpful?

How can we improve it?