topic Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests! in Speakers and Displays

Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

Dugstor — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 20:40:12 GMT

We use Google Home to the maximum in out house with 69 devices using the service.

Part of this setup is 8 speakers comprising of Max, Home, Nest Display, Nest Audio etc...

Anyway, as of a couple of days ago when asking Google to "play on all speakers", "bedroom speakers" or any other group she responds "Sorry, I don't understand". The groups are still visible and selectable in the Google Home app.

I've tried:

Factory resetting all devices

Reinstalling the Google Home App

Deleting and recreating speaker groups

Reset Google Wi-fi

Still nothing works, if I hear "Sorry I don't understand" one more time I'm likely to burn the house down with all the Google products inside.

These devices have worked pretty much perfectly for years, but the past 6 months of so they've become so unstable, and with key functionality being removed as part of the Sonos ruling I'm definitely suffering buyers remorse.

Anyone else having this issue?

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

matt_198bb — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 21:06:21 GMT

Im having same issue recently, impossible to get radio playing on my home group (a combination of speakers and Chromecast).

I got round this previously using action blocks. But even now it doesn't understand that either.

@google needs to get this sorted out

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

Pandyroo — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 21:35:09 GMT

Yep, the G-men have stuffed things even further. I can confirm over the last week, all my routines which used Group Speakers have failed. eg play radio on "Group Speaker Name". I can use the routines with an individual device, but as a group... it has been G-crippled.

Once again, these money centric techo theives have removed features that were part of the products as paid for, as they still refuse to licence the technology, from the respective owner(s), that they used to entice customers and sell products for profit. Hmm, dubious legal context here!

Google actions are at least consistent, .. ... "Stuff the customers!"

I have a work around though, it will work until th G-men screw us over again.

THE WORK AROUND:

Play the radio (possibly other strams but untested) to a single device. Then go to the Home App, click on the Media orb, then select additional devices. Group Playing! This also, for the moment, works with a "group" speaker, which will auto-fill the individual devices. Give it a whirl.

For guaranteed reliability, which Google refuses to provide (though we have already paid for it), we may as well run miles of speaker cables around houses to dumb speakers. These will not break, won't need resetting, don't get WiFi issues and work perfectly, every time.

Seriously Google, you have no respect for existing, loyal customers, using them as a cow would grass,: Eats it up, gets the life force from the it, absorbing it into its framework, the **bleep**s it out, with no further concern of how it keeps it alive.

Google, customes are important to your existence, do the right thing here, finally, fix your mess, and return satisfaction to absolutely dissatisfied customers.

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

Owlet — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 21:58:25 GMT

Having same problem: when I use a voice command to play music on a device other than the default speaker, the response is “Sorry, I don’t understand.” Frankly, I don’t understand either. This was working just fine. It seems to me that Google’s procedures for rolling out software changes are not very robust. Does anyone test these things before they are released? This is the second feature in the last few months that suddenly stopped working. As I don’t even use many of the features, I have to wonder how bug-filled the software really is…

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

Dugstor — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 00:46:51 GMT

Thank goodness it isn't just me, I'm slightly relieved to learn others are having similar issues.

This simply isn't good enough, hopefully this is a technical issue and not another feature withdrawal. I'm still incredibly annoyed about group volume controls and other functionality that has been removed.

Unfortunately, I am heavily invested in the Google ecosystem, so feeling trapped, disappointed and angry by the constant erosion of service and functionality.

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

Pandyroo — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 03:45:25 GMT

Ah yes, the key is we believe and hope Google has "an" ecosystem, akin to our friends at Apple and Amazon. This is a simpy false. (let alone that Google cares for its customers)

Google is a series of strategically unaligned competitive microcosms. All ignorant of the other, blown in different directions by marketing and tech geeks, often eating and destroying the other as they all evolve, without guidance nor care for the inhabitants of each microcosm.

As an inhabitant of several microcosms, I find the reality brutal, as I watch my investment of time resources and hard cash, dissolve into dysfunctional discontinuity.

I won't even bring up the joke of coexistence between Ring devices (advertised as Google Home compatible) and the Google heap. .. a simple infinite bending of the truth.

Let's face it Google struggle working with Google based products, there is small hope for inter-ecosystem compatibility.

I too hate my decision to invest in the Google space, and similarly feel trapped. I hate worse the jibes from Amazon and Apple customers laughing at our ever repeated pain and anguish.

The cheetah doesn't change its spots, I do not expect Google to change its philosophy of care toward its supporters, nor cease generating newer microcosms that eat existing stable ones, It seems nonsensical to Google to evolve one, harmonic, compatible ecosystem, that actually works as promised, having stability and longevity. This builds brand loyalty, like Apple's Google's brand is rapidly sliding into the pit,, they simply don't get it and perhaps never will.

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

rhammond84 — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 09:20:57 GMT

Same issue here - cannot play to a group from a spoken command. Casting to the group directly works.... But clearly that doesn't help spoken commands or routines.

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

matt_198bb — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 09:24:33 GMT

On top of the major speaker group issue, I'm finding a lot of spoken commands don't work anymore.

The growth of other AI like chatgpt is making the Google assistant look useless! I'm thinking I've wasted thousands on google devices.

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

StanTheMan — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 13:56:46 GMT

Similar issue, as of yesterday my google devices refuse to recognize speaker groups to play music on... "Play music on the main floor" results in a "Sorry I didnt understand" when its worked for the last two years Rebooted, checked firmware versions, everything but no luck. This is one of my favorite things about these things and if its not working any more well, that just sucks. 11 speakers, 8 nest mini version 2, one google mini version 1, one google nest display, and a sony waterproof one and two days not working

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

TMack1 — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 14:50:32 GMT

My Speakers group functionality also went flakey. I have two Chromecast Audio's (little pucks that have a 3.5mm output) and use to be able to stream SiriusXM to both at once. Now when I ask google to stream to "speakers" it sends it to the last one on the list in the group. Both work, because I can tell it to stream each .

Going to try the work around listed above. (EDIT: the work around above works)

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

TMack1 — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 14:49:22 GMT

Works for streaming SiriusXM channels.

I have two Chromecast Audio's (little pucks with 3.5mm jack outputs) tied into my Home Entertainment system and a stereo in garage. It's a PITA to have to do this work around, but it works.

Thanks!!!

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

garyroyale — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 17:08:35 GMT

Having the same issue as well here. Voice commands to play on speaker group fails. Command setup in routines work intermittently so that could potentially be a workaround is to build a command over top of the command possibly?

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

vicmr — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 17:36:39 GMT

I have been having the same issue since yesterday. My assistants don't seem to recognize "play this on x speaker" or "play this on x speaker group". Manually casting from Spotify to the speaker or speakers works fine, but the voice commands associated with that action are not recognized.

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

chickenside — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 22:35:13 GMT

Same issue here since Tuesday. Cannot use voice commands to cast to a speaker group for any type of music-- Pandora, Youtube Music, radio streaming, etc. I can get it to play on a google nest display, then use the cast button on the screen to cast to a speaker group. Casting youtube music and Pandora by phone using the cast icon works too. But voice commands and routines no longer recognize any speaker groups. I have deleted and created new ones to no effect.

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

Dahutch5 — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 01:04:32 GMT

Same issues. I've chatted with Google. No acceptance or acknowledment that there is an issue.

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

chickenside — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 01:05:16 GMT

Action taken, not fixed.
This Reddit page talks about confirming all your nest/GH speakers are on the same wifi radio if you have dulal 2.4/5g radios. I had originally set all of them up to use my 2.4 SSID. In fact, my older devices *used* to only be compatible with 2.4g, but I noticed that several of them were connected to my 5g SSID-- HOW?

I removed the devices and connected all of them back to 2.4, confirmed that ALL of my nest/GH devices are using 2.4g, and rebooted all of them again.

Still no resolution. No nest/GH device is even aware of a speaker group. I command "hey google, play <radio station> on <speaker group> and it tells me that it doesn't know how to help me with that. My nest display says something similar and displays a google search.

Again, I can at least start an audio stream on the nest display, then use the cast button on the display screen to cast to the speaker group and that works.

But, voice commands and routines still do not recognize speaker groups.

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

chickenside — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 01:07:10 GMT

Sorry, forgot to link the Reddit page. Here it is: https://www.reddit.com/r/googlehome/comments/111gz7w/are_your_devices_not_working_well_particularly/

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

Dugstor — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 01:12:10 GMT

I've tried a few things now, including switching my Wi-Fi to 2.4G, no difference whatsoever.

Contacted Google and like the rest of you they've denied all knowledge of this issue and suggest I reset my entire system again and associate all 69 devices back to a new home.

I wouldn't waste your time with Google support services as they have absolutely no idea what is happening.

Yet again appalling service from Google, who persistently show a blatant disregard for customers.

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

IcyGeddon — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 03:21:12 GMT

I'm having the same issue when it worked just fine a few days ago and for years. At first a few still worked but after power cycling everything now no speaker group will cast from voice at all. It says sorry I dont understand or it plays music on a single speaker instead. Please fix this Google.

Edit: I contacted support and now they are saying they are aware of this issue and are working on it. They don't have a time frame though so its anyone's guess when this will be fixed. I hope soon though.

Re: Speaker Groups no longer responding to spoken requests!

Johnag4004 — Sat, 18 Feb 2023 20:29:21 GMT

I can't believe they still haven't replied with a fix for this yet...