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GoogleNestTeam
Community Manager (Admin)
Community Manager (Admin)

Hey everyone, 

Due to a recent legal ruling we’re making some changes to how you set up your devices and the Speaker Group functionality will work moving forward. If you’re using the Speaker Group feature to control the volume in the Google Home app, by voice with the Google Assistant, or directly on your Nest Hub display, you’ll notice a few changes: 

  • To adjust volume on your speaker groups, you will need to adjust each speaker individually instead of using the group volume controller. You’ll also no longer be able to change your Speaker Group volume using your phone’s physical volume button. 
  • Most Speaker Groups should continue functioning as expected unless you have a speaker group containing other brands of Cast-based devices, like JBL or Lenovo, they need to be on 1.52.272222 or higher Cast firmware version. Check out this article on how to find your device’s firmware version or contact your device maker. 
  • A small set of users will need to use the ‘Device Utility app’ (DUA) to complete product installation and updates. You may receive a prompt to download and run DUA, and it will ensure that your device is connected to Wi-Fi and receives the most updated software version. 

We will continue to support our users and work to minimize any additional changes.

Thanks, 

Google Nest team

993 Comments
HappyCamperNot
Community Member

Hey Google!  Can you spell CLASS ACTION?

NSPTO
Community Member

What is the process for getting refunds for my Google home, home mini and home hub to replace with  Sonos? (The company who doesn't infringe on others patents)

Beachbum01
Community Member

Yeah.  What is the process for getting refunds on products that originally worked on Google home, but no longer do because of Google's changes making my products inoperable as designed?

gordonakelly
Community Member

@NSPTO @Beachbum01 there is no process. Your money is lost/wasted. I have already begun the move to Sonos, I bought a Sonos Arc for my TV and I'm moving to One speakers around the house.

 

FYI the old Google Nest products are worthless second hand because of the lost functionality. I listed my equipment and I've being offered less than 1/3 of what I paid even though it's all less than a year old. I guess this is the tax for doing business with Google. 

MxSxG
Community Member

This is crazy! Recently I've noticed that I can't listen music in my home group speakers (nest hub 2 + jbl bar) Thought that was a jbl fault, but it's not. This news makes me so upset:-(

Meonearth
Community Member

Fyi it was forced pushed in the background regardless if you don't update app which is what I doing to hold on a little longer. As of this weekend a grand worth of Google speakers. Hubs and my android phone will be gone and hello Apple. The only thing a peasant can do as I would love to tank the Google stock when **bleep** like this is done. Go unions no C level management is worth a **bleep**in a penny they think they are worth. The grunt workers make the company. Goodbye Google. 

joeltran
Community Member

I'm very annoyed with this.  The reason to have google device paired is to control both speakers with one voice command.  I purchased these over six months ago. Can I return them?  

Goggle being such a large company should be able to pump out new software to fix this in a day or two.  WTF is it taking so long?

NCGoonermo
Community Member

Is it really the end of the world to adjust one speaker at a time as opposed to all at one time? I think, saying four commands, as opposed to one, is not that painful of an activity. Or just adjust them one at a time on your phone or other device with Google Home. I have 11 speakers throughout my house and it takes an extra 20 seconds or less. Small price to pay for the convenience. 🤔

CuirBear
Community Member

It's not the volume adjustment. Not at all. I never adjust the volume of my speakers. Once they're set they are set. It's the fact that I can no longer cast to a group. That is the main issue.

jjprietojr66
Community Member

This is not a good thing as most customers that purchase multiple speakers, like myself, make the decision to buy them based on the practicality of group use with the Google Home app. What exactly happened & what's the legal issue??? Google is known for the simplicity and ease of use for its customers, why are you messing that up?

gordonakelly
Community Member

@NCGoonermo Wow, you don't have kids!!! Adjusting the volume is done about every 5 minutes in our household. The problem was therefore so irritating we have already begun selling our speakers and purchased our first Sonos units within 48h of the functionality being lost! 

NCGoonermo
Community Member

@gordonakelly Actually I do have a six-year-old son who is more than well-versed with the devices around my home, for both good and bad 🙄. I once found where he had moved one of the Google home minis into a “cat fort” he built for our two cats, with an over abundance of food and all 😆.  But I totally get everyone’s concerns and don’t blame anyone for wanting to switch because of the frustrations. I just look forward to a Google workaround sooner than later.

SwampFox75
Community Member

The amount of sus accounts in here that are likely Google employees trying to lessen the blow. For me it's not about the feature, it's about the number of patents that Google recently lost lawsuits over. Google speakers, Nest Thermostat, Nest Cameras, what next? Are you reading my emails and trying to take my ideas too? Why don't you update us about the nest cams only working in home app... Stop taking the work of others!

 

 

Alekxs01
Community Member

This is not cool

Typical Google move

They sell you an item and then they discontinue it and you're on your own

Now the only reason I had the speakers is gone I have displays max and speakers max, mini speakers, chromecast tv, chromecast audio(discontinued) bunch of money spent lots of wasted time setting up my home,

Im pretty much loyal to your brand

even though Amazon has more functions than the nest stuff  I stayed with nest Google whatever you want to call it.

Main volume is a great function, not anymore!!!

I wouldn't have this problems buying my stuff somewhere else

That's why you Google have lots of money because you screw Us, the customers... even if I go now and switch brands what do you care?? I already purchased your Junk you have my money you can be one of the biggest companies in the world but if you continue this practices even you can disappear it happened before.

barrymilliken
Community Member

The first stereo receiver was introduced in 1958 by Harmon Kardon.  It had a single volume knob that controlled the volume of both speakers at once.  This simple idea can of course be implemented in many ways: by voice command, app software sliders and so on.

The problem here has not been created by Google or Sonos.  This is a problem created by government, specifically the Patent Office, which certifies as patentable the most obvious and simple ideas.

Alekxs01
Community Member

I'm reading all comments and all the nice ones that are trying to minimize it are probably Google Employees 

The point here isn't the stupid function gone.

The point here is the way Google pays back to the customers they are so big that they don't care,to them is just  "only takes xtra 20 seconds to adjust your 10 speakers".....

To us is annoying to do that we live in times when we should not be doing that, there's always the technology to fix it

That's why even though I will lose money I may have to change brands

Google just hope that I'm not the only one thinking of going somewhere else

That's how companies go under when everyone thinks you suck and that there is much better products than yours.

NCGoonermo
Community Member

@Alekxs01 @SwampFox75 Though I can say I have been a loyal fan of Google products for a long time, I’m certainly not an employee or have connections with anyone who is.  I’ve seen them make plenty of mistakes over the years, such as developing other popular features and then suddenly removing them, and now there’s a self-created mess like this going on. Like I mentioned, I don’t blame anyone who wants to ditch a product that doesn’t work for them.  I just hope they’ll find a workaround for this issue sooner than later.

Pdibianca
Community Member

This change is probably th last straw for me. I don't think Google realizes just how important the Audio  functions of Google Home and it's products are  to it's customer base. 

WE LOVE OUR MUSIC and if Google won't support our needs  we will be forced to look to others  for a  Home  System that does .  

Wake up Google!

 

xpslayer2000
Community Member

Just got the speakers in the mail and they don't work this is BS everybody needs a refund Google we're just paying the royalties what the hell y'all ain't going to last long doing stuff like this a bit oh yeah and what year is it

urlybird
Community Member

More bloat for Google Home...

MobileSyrup: Google Home app update makes controlling smart devices suck a little less.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/03/23/google-home-update-smart-home-controls/

Artago
Community Member

Where do I join the class action suit against Google?

STEPHany
Community Member

That's the most rediculous thing I've ever heard and your say it like it's no big deal. Everything you just cut were the only reason I bought homemax. IDK I really used to like and trust Google but you're really starting to suck on every level from email to home. I knew I should have went with Sonos!   

Sknoyonvai5
Community Member

Sknayanvai60

Caduser
Community Member

Email for Class Action taken from Reddit:

Jonas Jacobson - Dovel & Luner LLP - www.dovel.com 

 

jonas dovel.com 

Alekxs01
Community Member

After reading all the comments I'm realizing that most of you are right ro be upset.

Amazon's Alexa has way more functions than Nest Google

If you have their cameras and their doorbells you can see  live video on your TV when someone is at the door

Try to do that with nest doorbells 

I have to hack into my Chrome TV to get notifications on my TV

I also have Samsung speakers and sound bars that were working perfectly with Nest...

Not anymore

I never thought that Amazon was going to be better than Google

I hate Alexa but only because I liked Google Nest,

But reading all the unhappiness of the nest's  customers I think I don't hate Alexa that much anymore 

Their stuff is way easier to set up and pretty much works with anything 

I wanted to keep it cool and only have nest devices with my Samsung tvs and soundbars but I think Alexa will do a better job

I also have lots of trouble with my nest thermostat and the temperature sensors that keep disconnecting all the time and the heating starts because there is no sensors to communicate with the thermostat 

I was trying to get a third Speaker max but they don't even advertise it on the page anymore 

You have to settle for that new smaller speaker that doesn't sound that good....

What's next Google 

 the Maps app??

 

barrymilliken
Community Member

@Alekxs01

AMAZON  is violating all of the same patents as Google is.  SONOS just doesnt have the legal manpower to sue both giants at once.

tommykat1
Community Member

I'd like to circle back to the discussion about casting from a device to speaker groups using the function called "mirroring." There has been much confusion in the Google community on this issue. Some members and mods insist the function never existed, but those of us who relied on the feature know that Google's "update" on January 6th removed the heart of our full-home audio experience. Many (including me) report that live-human Google support reps state they weren't aware of the function or of its removal, but would "report it."

To repeat an old cliche, "Stop! You're both right!"

with a simple Google search, it became clear that "mirroring from your device" has never been available on iOS devices without a software plug-in from the app store, with a cost. Also, the function only mirrors your device to a single speaker, not to a full speaker group. Thus, community members using iOS, including (I assume) Google reps who offer their strong opinions negating the function of "casting to speaker groups by mirroring your device," have no point-of-reference to an important function that Android users relied on for many years and lost in the infamous update.

How important is this feature? As a Samsung Galaxy user, I can say that, with 15 Chromecast/Nest rooms encompassing 30+ speakers, it is paramount to the complete experience of my home audio arrangement. In fact, without it, my entire system is "bricked," unless I wish to "mirror" to a single speaker in one room at a time. Ironically, this is the outdated solution we used with Bluetooth for years, and is the very reason we switched to Google Home: to be able to cast to multiple speakers throughout our living environment utilizing wi-fi.

Examples of issues: my streaming app is Amazon Music. Since Amazon and Google get along about as well as Apple and Microsoft, Amazon Music is not supported as a streaming service for direct casting from the Google Home app (the "Play Music" function). By installing the Amazon Music app on my Samsung phone, I could "mirror my device" and cast to my speaker group of choice. Similarly, as a fan of Amazon's Audible, the book app is installed on my phone. Before the January 6th Google Home "update," I could cast my audio book to any speaker group and listen throughout my house.

Below are detailed screen shots of the before-and-after experience of the now crippled Google Home app. Assuming an even distribution of Android, Pixel and iOS users, one group acknowledges the seriously ridiculous loss of functionality, and the others may shrug that they never were able to do this, so they don't care. Those users have gone down a different path over the years in their choices to stream music, books, podcasts, etc., so they've found their own way to obtain a good audio experience. Suffice to say, the loss of the mirroring functionality is HUGE for the Android crowd.

Note this debacle is in addition to the loss of the volume control function that is the basis for the lawsuit, but is secondary to the plight of Android users who depend upon mirroring, because now we can't even get to the first step prior to the need of a volume control!

In addition to community members, this post is directed to Google Nest team experts who have been kind enough to respond to the confusing issue: @GoogleNestTeam, @GothamNY, @Stefanie, @GarrettDS and @KiiFromGoogle. Thank you for listening.

Mirroring 1.jpgMirroring 2.jpgMirroring 3.jpgMirroring 4.jpgMirroring 5.jpgMirroring 6.jpgMirroring 7.jpgMirroring 8.jpg

OhLordy
Community Member

I am also requesting a refund for all of my Google Chromecast Audio. You should a product for which does not work for it's advertised purpose. It is not my problem that you have a problem with Sonos. It is your problem that you took my money falsely.

darrenbydesign
Community Member

I don't know why people are complaining to Google about this. Complain to Sonos who seems to be the instigator of this issue for their corporate gain and use of their "patent" forr voice control. I really dislike when company fights make things harder for the people they are meant to serve (the customer)

ShazLea
Community Member

@darrenbydesign Seriously!! When Sonos and Google collaborated (Sonos in good faith) for Sonos’ products to have built in Google home, Google STOLE Sonos’ intellectual property. Sonos didn’t have to tell Google how their products work, but they did tell Google. I don’t know for sure but I’d say Sonos paid Google for using Google’s probably copyrighted technology. But Google stole Sonos’ patented technology. Sonos are not being greedy. They could go after Amazon for doing the same thing but two big giants was too much to take on. And good on them, companies like Google and Amazon and while we’re at it Microsoft and Apple cannot expect to monopolise the entire market worldwide. Aren’t they rich enough already?!?! It’s people/companies like them that cause world wars!! Its greed pure and simple. Google could pay Sonos royalties for using Sonos’ tech but Google won’t pay. They’re the billion dollar company. Personally I’m not a rich person and I can’t afford to go and replace my 4 Google devices. I tried getting a refund but no go there. It’s time for the smaller companies to be given a chance as well. 

ShazLea
Community Member

 

@darrenbydesign  FYI https://www.inc.com/jason-aten/google-is-intentionally-making-its-products-worse-for-users-reason-mi...

 

Yes, Google are indeed there to "serve us" as we are the customers.

 

A restaurant buys its food from distributors. They don't steal it from another restaurant. Then we as customers purchase a meal.

 

Google need to pay for what they took from Sonos.

Brausmith
Community Member

@OhLordy Good luck, and let us know how you go.

I tried this back at the beginning and got nowhere. The usual response of "we are always looking at how we can improve" BS.

So that leaves me with no other choice but to inflict maximum damage to their sales by telling others of the bad product and customer experience. Leaving negative online reviews and educating those in person.

Mix this in with the loss of Google Play Music and the replacement of the crap YouTube Music, their entire music experience is now trash.

CCROUCHER
Community Member

How can a company like Google be so foolish as to get caught losing key functionality to a company like Sonos?! If Sonos really owns the patent to this basic feature you should have bought it from them or come up with a way to crush them in the courts. 

Dub12Mom
Community Member

Does this include the Nest Hub also, because all of a sudden it won't connect to WiFi! I downloaded the DUA whatever you call it app,and that was useless!! 

Rofe
Community Member

Hi

MVBinRTP
Community Member

This is a flagrant disservice to all Google Home users.  This breaks the most base functionality of speaker groups.  Others in the comments section have speculated that this crippling of function is a result of a lawsuit by Sonos.  If that's the case I still don't see how the hell syncing the volumes group speakers represents anything that would fall under copyright.  Unless, perhaps, Google directly impinged on Sonos' IP?  That would be incredibly stupid and pointless mistake, Google employees involved should be summarily fired.  Barring this, Google had better turn its lawyers around and file an appeal.  Or cough up the Sonos license fees.  Either one of those will be a lot cheaper than settling the class action suit which must inevitably arise from this insult to customers.

Mikmik
Community Member

I'd like to make clarifications.

I have one jbl link music with google assistant in it.

I am planning to buy a second jbl link music for sterero pairing.

 

Do these jbl smart speakers are exempt from volume voice command limitations?  unlike those google products itself ? Please enlighten me.

BagOfTaints
Community Member

So glad to have invested $100s buying your devices for the sole purpose of using a function now taken away from us. We deserve some refund or credit for the our bricks of broken promises.

BRadical69420
Community Member

That's it I'm fixing to switch everything to ring now the security unit went obsolete so u failed there why even have and now ur speakers suck and the volume isnt even that loud the door bell is ok and google Comcast is ok but Amazon has more apps and functions and ring have everything better plus ring has the door bell and security system it's got a over all better functions and abilitys I been paying for ur services since day one and thinking u were trying to take out ur competitors on home protection and entertainment but now ur making it more of a pain and the quality of ur products and lines ur producing in ur products isn't upgrading but more like down grading so I have been paying for ur nest services and ur products and it's been more of a waste of time and money Im definitely thinking I invested in the wrong side of entertainment and protection and think it would be more wise of me to go the Amazon route as they have everything plus some on product lines and selection and cheaper prices so maybe just refund everyone that has invested and stayed as long customers waiting and hoping for the best but cut ur losses and stick with what ur definitely good at (search and location) as we definitely understand and appreciate that as u have the industry of the internet's search engine and maps location by the balls and no one can compare are come close to what Google does but u got to no when to no when to hold them no when to fold them and no when to run so be about ur customers and keep us to ur top priority and we won't hold any grudges or anything against you you tried and that's you failed it's okay everybody's got to fail sometime nobody is perfect nore do we expect u too but remember without ur customers and folks reliability on u that's what should be ur number one priority your customers without us you're nothing remember that so thank you for all you do and well it sucks the product lines going downhill so good luck and it'll be great for a refund let us know that you care just my two cents good day take and take care....

 

AICPA
Community Member

devices experiencing these issues are windows laptops, iOS devices

and a nest cam (so I don’t think this issue is coming from the devices, I think it is my router).

Why are my devices showing a different subnets than the router shows they should have? Are they being connected to the 

 

AICPA
Community Member
AICPA
Community Member

<top> 

devices experiencing these issues are windows laptops, iOS devices and a nest cam (so I don’t think this issue is coming from the devices, I think it is my router).

Why are my devices showing a different subnets than the router shows they should have? Are they being connected to the 

 

AICPA
Community Member
Pdibianca
Community Member

Here's an interesting tidbit concerning speaker groups on my Sony Bravia Android so called  Google TV. . Of course I can't add the built-in Chromecast to any speaker group in my Google home so whatever I play from my TV into my stereo cannot be added to a speaker group which is just absolutely absurd Google says Sony needs to update the firmware and Sony says Google needs to.

What is interesting is that if I plug in an additional Chromecast into the television I can add it to a speaker  group. And a very strange part is that it plays to the built-in Chromecast in the TV

 

Pdibianca
Community Member

Google home speaker groups functioning as expected? 

Unfortunately I think you're right

oksikoko
Community Member

Y'all surely aren't getting this fired up over such a trivial thing. Lost a minor convenience functionality and this whole comment section is fire and brimstone and class action lawsuits and boycotts and Sturm und Drang. If I could harness such unbridled rage and indignation for something that actually mattered, I could make quite a mark on the world. 

mikeyo
Community Member

@oksikoko it not just one trivial thing, there within lay the issue. Many people on this string have many different issues that have been introduced by these changes. Is group volume control trivial? To those with one or two speakers, is the loss of group control trivial, perhaps? If you have more than half a dozen speakers yes its painful. Others like myself have 3rd party speakers with were sold as Google cast supported which are now broken as the don't carry the lastest cast version. There is no timeline for those to be fixed, if in fact they will be fixed at all. For me thats 1000's of dollars down the crapper. That's 100% on Google and they are obviously happy to shaft their many customers. So @oksikoko , yes if you could harness that rage you could probably make a mark. It's obvious however that rage can't get Google to treat people who spent money in their ecosystem like real customers. That's all anyone is asking.

justajoe
Community Member

So how do I go about getting a refund for the speaker systems I purchased? 

VTron21
Community Member

Well I just tried to cast to one of my speaker groups from my phone. And it did work as expected. I also could control the overall volume to all speakers from my phone.

Now I do have to go to each device individually to control their specific volume instead of through the group.

I can also screen cast to a speaker group from the screen cast option of my phone. But cannot initiate it from the home app.

Before you say, well you haven't updated yet. I checked ally cast devices have very 1.56 on them.

So it seems that the functionality is there just not in an easy to use from a single app manner.

Note: I do have a pixel 6 pro and usually stream music thru YouTube music.

Also speaker pairs seem to not be effected by this and still do not play nice with speaker groups.

tedy02
Community Member

Yeah really sucks **bleep** SONOS. You should have paid to use the copyright. Is there a new return period since one of the core functions of the speakers is no longer available? Or would you rather have another legal battle? Just curious.