Change presence-based automations settings

Presence-based automations (Home & Away) are automations that can start when everyone's away or someone comes home. They work with devices that you manage in the Google Home app.
Important: Everyone in the household can check when these automations start. Automations are for convenience only, not safety or security-critical use cases. Do not create automations that could result in injury or harm if they fail to start or stop. Automations can depend on working internet, Wi-Fi, and service availability from both Google and the third parties who manufacture the devices included in the automations. Automations may not always work, and Google isn't responsible for any harm or losses incurred due to failed automations.

Manage presence sensing

Change which smart home devices start a presence-based automation

  1. Open the Google Home app Google Home app.
  2. At the top right, tap your Profile picture or Initial.
  3. Tap Home settings and then Presence sensing.
  4. Tap the on or off button to select the devices that you want to use for presence sensing. These devices help determine if everyone's away or someone's home.

For devices that support multiple presence sensing signals, opting that device into presence sensing enables all compatible signals to be used.

Learn how smart home devices are used for presence sensing.

Enable or disable phone location for presence sensing

When you allow your home to use phone location, home members can choose to let their phones help with presence sensing.

  1. Open the Google Home app Google Home app.
  2. Tap Home settings and then Presence sensing.
  3. Turn Allow this home to use phone locations on or off.

Learn how to use your phone location for better presence sensing.

Turn location sharing on or off for your phone

When you turn on location sharing for your phone, it helps with presence sensing.

  1. If you haven't already, set your phone's location services to be always on for the Google Home app. For instructions, check with your phone's manufacturer.
  2. Open the Google Home app Google Home app.
  3. At the top right, tap your Profile picture or Initial.
  4. Tap Home settings and then Presence sensing.
  5. Under "Your location," find your phone.
    • If this is the first time, tap Turn on location access and then follow the steps.
    • After the first time, tap the phone's switch to turn location sharing on or off.

Important:

  • Each home member can change this setting for their phone at any time.
  • You can't turn location sharing on or off for another home member's phone.
  • Each home member can only share one phone's location at a time. If you first turn on location sharing for one phone, then turn it on for a second phone, it will automatically turn off for the first phone.
  • You can share your phone location in either the Home app or the Nest app, but not both at the same time. If you first turn on location access in one app, then turn it on in the other, it automatically turns off location access in the first app.

Delete presence history

For instructions on how to delete your presence history, refer to Presence sensing and how to manage your data.

Build an automation with presence

To set up automations with presence:

  1. Open the Google Home app Google Home app.
  2. Tap Add and then Automation .
  3. To name your automation, tap Add name.
    • Optional: To include a description for your automation, tap Add description.
  4. Add the starters, actions, and conditions you want.
    • Tip: Add presence as a starter or condition. You can choose whether to activate it when everyone’s home, or when everyone’s away.
  5. Tap Save.

Disable presence-based automations

You can delete or deactivate presence-based automations. You can also disable them in other ways.

Tip: You can also set the Home or Away automation itself to Inactive.

Disable presence sensing

If you disable presence sensing, actions in automations with a presence starter or condition will still be available, but won't start automatically.

  1. Open the Google Home app Google Home app.
  2. At the top right, tap your Profile picture or Initial.
  3. Tap Home settings and then Presence sensing.
  4. Turn off Allow this home to use phone locations and then Turn off.
  5. Below that section, turn off all other devices you selected to help start presence-based automations.

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