Add a Family Member to Google Home for Shared Control
To let a family member control your smart home in Google Home, invite them to your home from the Google Home app: open your home's settings, use the household or member option to send an invite to their Google account email, and have them accept it on their own phone. Once they join, they can control shared devices, run routines, and use compatible speakers and displays—without you sharing your password or your personal account. Below we walk through exactly how it works, what each person can and can't do, and how to avoid the common mistakes that lock people out or hand over too much control.
Before you start: how Google Home “homes” and members work
Google Home organizes everything around a home—a container that holds your rooms, devices, routines, and speakers. When you invite someone to that home, you're granting them access to everything inside it, not to a single device. That's the key mental model: sharing is done at the home level, so the person you add sees the same thermostat, lights, cameras, and doorbell you do.
This is different from sharing a password. Everyone keeps their own Google account, which means Voice Match can tell voices apart, personal results (calendars, reminders, commutes) stay private to each person, and you can remove someone later without resetting devices. If you're setting all of this up fresh, our first-time Google Home & Nest setup guide covers creating the home itself.
Step 1: Open your home's settings and find the member option
In the Google Home app, make sure the correct home is selected (if you manage more than one, check the home name near the top). Then open that home's Settings. Because Google periodically redesigns the app, the exact label varies—look for a Household, Members, or Invite home member option rather than a fixed screen name. This is where you manage who belongs to the home.
Step 2: Send the invite to their Google account email
Enter the family member's Google account email address—the one tied to their phone and Assistant, not a shared or work address. Google sends an invitation they'll need to accept. A few things worth knowing:
- Use the exact address on their device. If they have multiple Google accounts, an invite to the wrong one won't give them control from their phone.
- The invite is per-home. If you have two homes (say, a house and a vacation home), you invite them to each one separately.
- They stay a member until removed. There's no automatic expiry, so treat this like handing over a house key.
Step 3: Have them accept on their own phone
The new member installs the Google Home app (if they don't have it), signs in with the invited Google account, and accepts the invitation. Once accepted, your shared home appears in their app alongside any homes of their own. From here they can control lights, thermostats, locks, and cameras, and trigger household routines by voice or tap.
- 1You open your home’s settings and choose the member/household option
- 2You send an invite to their Google account email
- 3They accept the invite in the Google Home app on their phone
- 4You both add each person to Voice Match for personalized control
Step 4: Set up Voice Match for each person
Shared control works even without Voice Match, but Voice Match is what makes a shared speaker feel personal. It teaches Nest speakers and displays to recognize each voice, so “remind me” saves to the right person's list and calendar answers pull the right calendar. Each family member trains their own voice from their own account. Walk through it with our step-by-step Voice Match guide, or read why Voice Match matters for personalized results first.
What a member can and can't do
People are sometimes surprised by how much access a home member gets. It's broad by design—Google treats members as co-equal household participants rather than limited guests.
| Action | Home member (invited) | Guest (no membership) |
|---|---|---|
| Control shared lights, plugs, thermostats | Yes | No |
| View shared Nest cameras and doorbell | Yes | No |
| Run and edit household routines | Yes | No |
| Invite or remove other members and devices | Yes | No |
| Broadcast to household speakers | Yes | Limited |
| See your personal calendar or reminders | No (kept per account) | No |
If shared control isn't working: quick fixes
Most problems trace back to the wrong account or an unaccepted invite. Work through these in order:
- Confirm the invite was accepted. A sent invite does nothing until the other person taps accept in their app.
- Check the account. They must be signed in to the Home app with the exact email you invited.
- Verify the right home is selected. If they have multiple homes, they may be looking at the wrong one.
- Re-check device sharing. A few third-party devices (some locks and security brands) require linking in the manufacturer's own app too. If a specific gadget won't share, see how to add a device to Google Home.
- Restart the app. Newly shared devices sometimes take a few minutes and an app relaunch to appear.
With shared control in place, it's worth building a few routines the whole household can trigger so everyone benefits from the same automations.
Frequently asked questions
Do family members need their own Google account?
Yes. Shared control is built around individual accounts—that's what keeps personal results private and lets Voice Match distinguish speakers. Sharing a single login defeats both features and isn't recommended.
Can I add a child to Google Home?
Children under 13 in the US generally can't hold a standard Google account, so you'd create a supervised account through Google's Family Link and add them that way. Older kids can be invited like any other member, but remember members have broad control, including the ability to remove devices.
How do I remove someone from my home?
Go back to the same household/members area in your home's settings and remove the person. Their access to your shared devices ends immediately, and you don't need to reset any hardware. If you're rehoming a device entirely, our factory reset guide covers that separately.
Will they be able to see my Nest cameras?
Yes—home members can view any cameras and doorbells shared in that home, including live and recorded feeds where available. Because camera access is sensitive, only add members you're comfortable giving that visibility.
