Google Nest and Chromecast speakers can work as a home intercom in two ways. You can use Google's built-in Broadcast feature ("Hey Google, broadcast dinner is ready") from a speaker, a phone or a routine, or you can use an app that records your voice and casts it to the speakers you pick. Broadcast is free and already on your speakers; a push-to-talk app adds your real voice, a single button, and support for any device with Chromecast built in.
What "intercom" means on Google speakers
Old wired intercoms had a button in every room and a live line between them. Google speakers do something simpler. You send a short message, and it plays out loud on one speaker, a room, or the whole house. The other person can answer with their own message.
That one-way, message-at-a-time model covers most of what families actually use an intercom for: calling people to dinner, telling the kids it is time to leave, asking someone upstairs to bring down the laundry. It does not give you an open line you can talk over, so set your expectations there.
Option 1: Broadcast from a speaker by voice
This is the built-in method and the one most people already know. According to Google's help page, it needs two or more Google speakers or displays on the same Wi-Fi network, with at least one household member signed in on each, and Do Not Disturb turned off.
- Stand near any Nest or Home speaker.
- Say "Hey Google, broadcast" and then your message. "Shout", "tell everyone" and "announce" also work.
- To reach one room, say "Hey Google, broadcast to kitchen" followed by the message. Google notes that room and device targeting is currently English only.
Google also has preset phrases. Saying "Hey Google, dinner is served" or "breakfast is ready" triggers a broadcast to every speaker with a matching chime and message.
Anyone in the house can broadcast this way, including guests, and anyone can reply by saying "Hey Google, reply" followed by their answer. Google says the reply plays only on the device that sent the original broadcast.
One thing to watch: Google is moving speakers from Google Assistant to Gemini for Home, and early access is rolling out in countries including the US, Canada and the UK. If your home has switched, the exact phrasing may differ. Check the current Google Home app if a command stops working.
Option 2: Broadcast from your phone
You do not have to walk to a speaker. Google documents two phone routes:
- Google Assistant on the phone. Sign in with the same Google Account that is on your speakers, then ask the Assistant to broadcast. Google says your phone does not need to be on the same Wi-Fi network, so this works from the car or the office.
- The Gemini mobile app. Connect Google Home in the Gemini app, then start your prompt with "broadcast". Google's Gemini help page says you can target one device, a room, or the whole home. It needs a personal Google Account (not work or school) and the Keep Activity setting turned on. It also notes that devices read the message in their default voice.
We cover the phone methods in more detail, including how to skip the wake word, in How to send announcements to Google speakers without saying "Hey Google".
Option 3: Scheduled broadcasts with routines
Google's help page confirms you can create routines that broadcast a message. This is useful for announcements that happen at the same time every day, like "Ten minutes until the school bus" on weekdays at 7:50 AM. Routines are set up in the Google Home app. Because the app's menus change often, follow the current Google Home app rather than a screenshot from an older guide.
Option 4: A push-to-talk app that casts your voice
The fourth route skips Google's assistant entirely. An app records what you say on your phone or computer and sends that recording to your speakers the same way you would cast a song. Nest speakers, Chromecast devices, and many soundbars and TVs with Chromecast built in can all play it.
Holler works this way. You hold a button, talk, and let go. The message plays on the speakers you picked a moment later, typically 2 to 5 seconds. You can group speakers into rooms and floors and send to one room, one floor, or everywhere. On an iPhone with an Action Button, the whole thing can live on that button (see Turn your iPhone Action Button into a push-to-talk house intercom).
The trade-offs are real, so here they are plainly. A casting app needs your phone or Mac on the same Wi-Fi as the speakers, while Google's Assistant broadcast does not. And the free version of Holler includes 3 broadcasts; unlimited broadcasts need Holler Pro, a one-time $4.99 USD purchase.
Which option fits your house
| Voice broadcast from a speaker | Assistant or Gemini on your phone | Routine | Push-to-talk casting app | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Needs a wake word | Yes | Depends on how you open it | No (runs on a schedule) | No |
| Voice heard | Not specified by Google | Gemini: the device's default voice | Not specified by Google | Your own recording |
| Works away from home | No | Yes | Yes | No, same Wi-Fi only |
| Target a room | Yes (English) | Yes | Set in the routine | Yes, rooms and floors |
| Chromecast soundbars and TVs | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Yes |
| Google Account needed | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free | Varies (Holler: 3 free, then $4.99 USD once) |
A simple rule: if everyone in the house is comfortable talking to Google and you mostly announce from near a speaker, the built-in Broadcast is enough. If you want one button, your own voice, no wake word, or you want your soundbar to join in, add a push-to-talk app.
Set your speakers up so announcements reach the right rooms
Most frustration with home intercoms comes from setup, not from the feature itself. A few habits help:
- Name speakers by room. "Kitchen" and "Upstairs hall" are easier to target than "Nest Mini 2".
- Assign every speaker to a room in the Google Home app. Room-based broadcasts only reach speakers that are in that room.
- Check Do Not Disturb and Downtime. Google says Digital Wellbeing settings can block broadcasts. A kid's speaker in Downtime at 9 PM will stay silent, which is usually what you want.
- Keep everything on your main Wi-Fi. A speaker on the guest network, or a phone on a separate smart home network, often cannot see the others. Our guide to speakers not showing up in an app walks through the fixes.
When Google speakers are not the right answer
If your house is mostly HomePods, use Apple's Intercom. Apple's support page explains that it sends voice messages between HomePod, HomePod mini, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, and you can send one from the Home app. It is free and built in. Third-party apps, Holler included, cannot broadcast to HomePod or AirPlay speakers, because Apple offers no public way for apps to play to several AirPlay devices at once. We explain that in Why apps can't broadcast to HomePod and AirPlay.
If your house is a mix of brands, read Whole-house intercom options compared before buying anything new. Sometimes the cheapest fix is a pair of Nest Minis in the rooms that are missing a speaker.
Questions about Holler specifically are answered in the FAQ.