When you set up a Nest Wifi Pro, Nest Wifi, or Google Wifi network with an iOS device, you might experience issues because of certain privacy settings. This includes VPN (Virtual Private Network), iCloud Private Relay, or local network.
Note: You might see this error message: "Connection failed. Couldn't connect to device. Try again or tap get help for more solutions."
To resolve issues, try the following steps during setup. After your Wifi network is set up, you can restore any previous privacy settings you had before.
Before you begin
Check that you have:
- The latest version of the Google Home app
- iPhone or iPad with iOS 14 or later: Check your iOS software version
Turn off VPN during setup
To provide confidentiality or other features, some VPNs route communications from your phone through a "VPN tunnel," which might interfere with your Wifi device's setup process. You can temporarily turn off your VPN during setup, and turn it on again later.
- Go to your iOS device's Settings General VPN & Device Management.
- Tap the active VPN tap the toggle so it says "Not Connected."
Turn off Private Relay during setup
Note: Private Relay is only available if you have iCloud+.
Private Relay routes communications to Apple servers before the rest of the Internet, which might interfere with your Wifi device's setup process. You can temporarily turn off Private Relay during set up, and turn it on again later.
- Go to your iOS device's Settings tap your name.
- Tap iCloud Private Relay.
- To turn off, tap the toggle.
- You might get a pop-up that asks you to confirm you want to turn off Private Relay for your device. If so, tap Turn off Private Relay.
Turn on Local Network access
By default, apps on iOS are blocked from accessing the local network. When setting up your Wifi network, you'll need to grant the Google Home app access to the local network on your iOS device.
- Go to your iOS device's Settings.
- Make sure Bluetooth is on. To turn it on, tap Bluetooth tap the toggle.
- Scroll down, then tap the Google Home app.
- Tap the Local Network toggle on.
Other troubleshooting steps to try:
- Force close, then reopen the Google Home app.
- Uninstall, then reinstall the Google Home app.
- Forget the nearby networks.
- Restart your Wifi device.
- Use a different device (phone or tablet) for setup.