Nexus Q User Guide For additional help and support, go to support.google.
Legal and Safety Information Copyright © Google Inc. 2012. All rights reserved. Android, Google, Google Play, Nexus Q, and YouTube are trademarks of Google Inc. FCC notice This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
About Nexus Q Nexus Q lets you instantly stream music, HD movies, and videos from Google Play to your home, using your Android phone or tablet to control what plays in which rooms. After setting up your Nexus Q, you can use the Google Play Music, YouTube, Google Play Movies, and other apps as you normally would to play music or videos. Except now you can choose to stream your entertainment Google Play through one or more Nexus Qs and the equipment attached to them.
Get Ready Before purchasing a Nexus Q Before your Nexus Q arrives To play music through a Nexus Q, you need: After you've ordered your Q and any additional equipment you need, do not delay: go straight to google.com/q-setup. That page guides you through these steps: 1. A compatible Android device. See Compatible Android phones and tablets. 2. Compatible equipment and the cables required to connect it. See Hardware & cabling guide. 3.
Compatible Android phones & tablets To operate your Nexus Q, you can use any Android phone or tablet that supports Android 2.2 (Froyo) or higher and OpenGL ES 2.0. Here are a few examples: ● Nexus S phone running Gingerbread (Android 2.3) or higher. ● Xoom or Galaxy tablet running Honeycomb (Android 3.2) or higher. ● Galaxy Nexus phone running Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) or higher. You also need to download and install the latest Nexus Q app.
Network requirements Your Android phone or tablet controls Nexus Qs in your home via a local Wi-Fi network. Therefore, you need Wi-Fi with a strong signal in the rooms where you intend to use Nexus Qs. You also need a reliable connection to the Internet. Nexus Q can use either Wi-Fi or Ethernet to stream music and videos stream directly from Google Play. It uses Wi-Fi by default. To use Ethernet for this purpose, connect an Ethernet cable the Ethernet port.
● Make sure you're in the same room with your Nexus Q. Bluetooth works best over short distances. ● Confirm that Bluetooth is turned on. For example, on a phone running Android 4.0 or higher, open Settings and make sure the Bluetooth switch is turned On. Hardware & cabling guide You can connect a pair of speakers, an AV system, a TV, a digitalanalog converter (DAC) with a USB output, or all four to a single Nexus Q. The following pages describe some of the most common configurations.
AV system or audio receiver (optical audio) 8 Nexus Q
What you need: ● AV system or audio receiver with an available optical audio input. ● An optical audio cable. You need just one cable, which has the same plug on both ends. The A/V receiver to which you connect this cable maps the signal it receives from the Q to one of its input options. To hear music through speakers attached to your A/V system, you need to select the same option using the receiver's controls.
What you need: ● TV or audio receiver with an available HDMI input. ● A micro HDMI (Type D) to standard HDMI (Type A) cable. The TV or receiver to which you connect this cable maps the signal it receives from the Q to one of its input options. To hear music and watch videos, you need to select the input same option using the controls available for your equipment.
Set up a Nexus Q Unpack carefully Confirm what's in the box Using two hands, lift your Nexus Q from its packaging and place it near the equipment you plan to use it with.
Run the Nexus Q app Important: Before setting up your Nexus Q, make sure you've completed the steps described in Before Nexus Q arrives. After you've unpacked your new equipment and confirmed that you have everything you need, follow these steps: 1. Connect your Q to your equipment using the appropriate cables. For examples of typical setups, see Hardware & cabling guide. 2. Connect the power cord to your Q. Q lights up immediately – there's no power button.
Play music After you've set up one or more Nexus Qs, you can stream music through them using the Google Play Music app. You can also continue playing music on your phone in the usual way, as well as browse the music available in your Google Play Music library; set up playists; or shop for more music. For details, go to Google Play Music Help. If one or more of your Nexus Qs are set up and within Wi-Fi range, the streaming icon start playing music: ● appears on each Play Music screen.
Change or add to the queue Adjust volume While you're using the Google Play Music app, you can adjust the volume simultaneously for all rooms that are currently synced with your Android device: ● Use the volume button on your phone or tablet. ● Use the volume slider in the dialog that opens when you touch the Streaming icon . Turn fixed volume off or on In addition to controlling the volume output by your Nexus Qs, you can adjust the volume for individual pieces of equipment connected to them.
Select where to play music The Streaming icon on the Now Playing screen shows or hides a list of rooms where Nexus Qs are set up and available. ● To select a room, touch its name. Or, to return to playing music from your Android device, touch Phone or Tablet. In this example, the Nexus Qs in the living room and study are both streaming music controlled from this Galaxy Nexus phone. From here, you can: ● Switch back to playing through the phone only. ● Switch to playing in the Kitchen only.
In this example, selecting Kitchen would have this effect. Sync rooms If you're streaming music to more than one room, you can combine some or all of the rooms into a single stream. For example, suppose: ● You're streaming to the living room and the bedroom, and you want to turn off sound in the bedroom. ● You're streaming to the kitchen, and you want to add your living room to the same stream. To sync or unsync rooms: 1. Touch the Streaming icon on the Now Playing screen. 2.
Nexus Q
Change or add to the queue The Google Play Music app displays the name of the current selection at the lower left of the screen. When you're streaming through one or more Nexus Qs, touch that corner to see the entire queue of songs currently lined up to stream: ● If you're the only person contributing music to the stream, no pictures appear beside each item. ● If you're sharing the stream with others, a picture of the person who contributed each song appears beside it.
Play YouTube videos After you've set up one or more Nexus Qs, you can stream YouTube videos through them using the YouTube app. You can still play YouTube videos on your phone or tablet in the usual way. For details on using standard YouTube app features, visit YouTube Help. TV setup checklist To stream YouTube videos through a Nexus Q, first make sure it's set it up with a TV as follows: 1. Nexus Q is plugged in to a power source and connected via an HDMI cable to a TV or an AV system that includes a TV.
Choose where to stream videos To control where YouTube plays, first make sure your YouTube app is open with the play controls visible. What you do next depends on how many Nexus Qs with TVs attached are available on your network. One Nexus Q with one TV: ● Touch the Streaming icon . This toggles between viewing YouTube on the TV and viewing it on your phone or tablet. When the icon turns blue, videos will be streamed through the Tungsten. Otherwise, they'll play on your phone as usual.
Invite guests Before the party When your guests arrive If you want friends to be able to play their own music through your Nexus Qs, first set up your Nexus Qs to give them access: 1. Open the Nexus Q app. 2. Touch the Settings icon you want to share. 1. Give them the name and password for the Wi-Fi network you're using with your Nexus Qs. 1. Ask them to sign in to the network, open the Nexus Q app, and follow the instructions for guests. beside the name of the place 3.
4. Download and install the Nexus Q app. Adjust Nexus Q settings To adjust a Nexus Q's settings: 1. Open the Nexus Q app. ● Factory data reset. Wipes all setup data and restarts tjhe Nexus Q. This means you'll need to set it up all over again from scratch. Factory data reset without phone or tablet OR From the Play Music app, choose Menu > Settings > Nexus Q Settings. You can also factory reset your Nexus Q without using your phone or tablet: 1. Unplug the Nexus Q, then plug it in again. 2.
is useful only if you know you'll never use a particular Q again. If you later decide you want it to show up once more in the list, you'll need to perform a factory data reset and set it up from scratch. 2. Touch Clear data. 3. Touch the Home button, then launch Nexus Q . 4. Follow the on-screen instructions. If your Q is connected to a TV via the HDMI port, the TV screen also displays feedback about the Q's current state. LED colors & TV Feedback Your Nexus Q's LED colors change according to its status.
Pulsing white Pulsing white Setup outro: lights converging back onto device Setup complete, ready for use. Setup color animates, then fades Setup color animates, then fades Setup is complete Purple Pulsing purple Software update in progress. LED colors during play Visualizer animation is displayed by the LEDs and output through HDMI in response to the music currently playing.
Technical Specifications Feature Description Notes Android requirements Phone or tablet Android device running Android OS 2.2 ("Froyo") or later Software Latest versions of Google Play Music, YouTube, and Nexus Q apps. Google Play Music support is not available in all countries. Audio Amplifier Class D 12.
Micro USB receptacle for USB cable Stream Streams MP3 output to bitrate of 320 kbps One stream per Google Play Music account Networking Ethernet 10/100Mbit RJ-45 standard LAN receptacle (actual throughput depends on network configuration) For streaming audio and video input from Google Play, and software updates Wi-Fi 11a/b/g/n, 2.
Operating temperature 41º to 104º F (5º to 40º C) Device requires a free flow of air around it for ventilation. It does not contain a fan.
Nexus Q
