Google has taken to the web to outline more than a few “spooky” ways users can get ready for Halloween with its now Nest-branded product lineup.
The overwhelming majority of its 13-item list are features most users are likely already thinking to do for the holiday. Those are just the standard features of the ecosystem and those added in prior years. That includes finding nearby seasonal stores, finding Halloween recipes, or making video calls to relatives to show off costumes. It also includes using Nest-branded cameras to keep an eye out for those who might be looking for mischief.
Users can use a combination of their smart speakers and displays or TVs to make the atmosphere more suitable too. Just like in previous years, that’s accomplished by telling a smart speaker or Google Assistant-enabled device to “Get Spooky.”
But Google is also looking to give users at least one new way to prep for trick-or-treaters with the Google Nest Hello.
Ding-dongs are only for treat bags this year
Google says that homeowners can now replace the “doorbell chime” put out by Google Nest Hello camera-enhanced smart doorbells with “spooky” Halloween ringtones. That’s arriving via an update the company is shipping out to users today.
Instead of the more traditional sounds, there are no fewer than four new tones to choose from. Google lists those as a cackling witch, a ghost, a vampire, or a scary monster. Each offers a unique take on those fairly standard Halloween monsters. Once enabled, those will play for anybody who happens to ring the doorbell.
Those tones won’t be sticking around forever but the new ringers appear to be planned to stick around for at least a little while. No firm timeline has been given and the change-over likely depends on when the next update arrives but Google does say it will work through “early November.”
Halloween ringtones will also be replaced near the end of November with others designed for “Winter” for their smart home devices.
Set the spooky tone with Google Nest Hello or turn it off
Getting the new ringtones enabled is straightforward too. Users need to start by tapping the Nest app on their mobile device and then on the Nest Hello doorbell. That can be found on the Nest app’s home screen. Under the newly-added “Seasonal themes” option in preferences — in the settings for the doorbell. Users will want to choose the “Spooky sounds” option.
The same settings menu can be used to go back to the standard doorbell sound.
Things get even more interesting for those who have “visitor announcements” enabled for a Google speaker or display. That setting enables the sounds to be played on both the doorbell and on those devices.
Google additionally lists Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years, and Generic winter sounds in the options for the new sounds on the Google Nest Help page. For those who want to use the Halloween option, that’s only going to be available in the U.S. this year.
The search giant indicates that seasonal options will disappear from the app after the holiday has passed. The same applies to other holiday tones as well.