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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
RogueplanetMich
Community Member

Dear @GoogleNestTeam, if you apply basic Patenting knowledge, you may deduce that some of the patents owned by Sonos do not comply the basic requierements for patenting. For example:

  • The invention must involve an “inventive step” or “non-obvious”, which means that it could not be obviously deduced by a person having ordinary skill in the relevant technical field. Source: https://www.wipo.int/patents/en/faq_patents.html

I am sure that every junior programmer can deduce and implement such basic feature, even if it was patented around 2008.

If you wanna fix this mess, and potentaly hit Sonos back in their own game, you should dispute the patent under court.

 

 

 

ShaneAN
Community Member

GOOGLE -- PAY THE **bleep** ROYALTY!

What good is a smart assistant controlled set of speakers we purchased mainly to play music, but for which we now can't do something as simple as change the volume? Getting up to touch the device or having to open up an app and modify each speaker individually is NOT a fix.

Are you KIDDING US?!? 

Elena
Community Member

This is absolutely ridiculous. Bring back the ability to cast my audio from my android phone to my Google speakers/groups or I demand a refund.

Looks like I'm going to have to buy-in to Apple for next upgrade.

My Google speakers are basically useless now. I need to be able to cast more than just spotify.

johnnyanalog
Community Member

This sucks, but I'm glad to see Google isn't paying Sonos over this bull**bleep**.  I don't see why everyone is mad at Google when it's Sonos that's causing the problem.  I never considered Sonos speakers because they're overpriced but now I'll never consider them because they're just a **bleep**ty company suing over basic functionality.  Google, block their speakers from using Google Assistant!

Paulyork
Community Member

Very disappointed that something that I purchased in good faith, based on the functionality that you trumpeted in your marketing is now less functional.  It seems very unfair that existing customers are punished for your mistakes. 

tommykat1
Community Member

1/8/22 - day 2 of functionality disabled to mirror my device and cast audio to speaker groups. My Chromecast is now worthless. When will you supply a solution, Google? I'm counting the days. 

Flnatv
Community Member

This is nuts!  I purchased 12 max, 2 hubs, 6 homes and 8 minis.  Now I'm supposed to adjust volume individually?   How can a company take a feature away from a consumer AFTER they paid for and own  the product?  Especially, when that feature sold the product?  

asabhilash
Community Member

Will there be a refund on my purchases? I have a group of 5 google speakers and the group functionality is the reason why I purchased all these speakers. 

This is a terrible news for me. Appreciate if you could look into it. 

Makeclock
Community Member

Hello

 

I just called WALMART and they will be REFUNDING ME without asking me to return the item.

 

I plan on doing a live stream as I smash this POS, hope the upvotes will get the word out there to others who have not yet been scammed into buying this product.

Makeclock
Community Member

Just did bestbuy chat and they ALSO are happy to refund me for this charlatan of a product.   I must take it back to bestbuy (without the packaging that I long threw away) but at least I can get my money back to go towards a SONOS set.  My coworker used to brag about how SONOS does not skim your data and all that good stuff... so I guess good riddance to that "feature" as well since I am returning both my nest speakers and will be looking to swich my door bell over to a company that supports its customers like AMAZON's ring.   

KoldSteel
Community Member

@GoogleNestTeam I have several cast devices from 3rd parties that have not received updates in a long time, but they are working in speaker groups. I don't foresee these 3rd party speakers to ever be updated to 1.52.272222 firmware version. What is going to happen with these and other devices that will not get updated? 

Can't state how mad I am with Sonos at the moment. This whole legal fiasco is infuriating! 

Sevendials7
Community Member

Hello out there Happy New year.

I've just received my Google nest 7 " I love what it's looks and what it's capable of.

I'm rubbish with technology to a degree, but setting this up, how can I use the voice command to it direct without using my mobile phone android, any information would be outstanding.

Ajd394
Community Member

This is very frustrating and one of the main reasons why I bought these products. Please fix. 

Sevendials7
Community Member

Hello out there Happy New year.

I've just received my Google nest 7 " I love it's looks and what it's capable of.

I'm rubbish with technology to a degree, but setting this up, how can I use the voice command to it direct without using my mobile phone android, any information would be outstanding.

Anonymous
Not applicable

Dear Google and your Nest Dev Team,

Per the number of negative comments you've received, this is a major issue.  I understand that in a competitive marketplace there are bound to be IP concerns between competitors. We lost this one and we need to move past it.

I currently own qty 10 of your speakers in 5 rooms in my house. 5 of them are of the of the $400 Home Max speaker variety.  All 10 are in a "speaker group" and 6 are in speaker pairs.  I invested heavily into your Google/Nest/Home ecosystem due to its capabilities.   The loss of this one can not be overstated.

Those of us who have spent the most money on your ecosystem will be impacted the most. I don't need to tell you that this is not a direct relationship you wish to cultivate.

If you haven't already, please dedicate your Nest team to resolve this shortcoming as soon as possible. Maintaining your existing loyal customer base is far cheaper than acquiring a new one.

Skeeter
Community Member

Apple speakers have no problem. Did they choose to pay the royalty rather than frack their users?

onethirtyfive
Community Member

@Skeeter

i was talking to an attorney friend yesterday who said that apple has lost this kind of case before and always pays the royalties-- even if it costs them billions of dollars to do so. They know it would have horrible effects on their brand to strand their users, and they value their brand enough to take one for their reputation.

 in other words Apple has a culture smart enough to think father out than the next fiscal quarter. here, you can see that google does not.

 Every big tech company finds themselves in these kinds of situations because software patents are ridiculous, but it's all a game they're playing. Patents are the software version of having a large nuclear arsenal--deterrence.

The same attorney--who would take this case if he could--said that the arbitration agreement that we all sign to use google products makes it basically impossible to file a class action suit. Our best bet here is to publicize google's ineptitude until they assess the cost of not fixing the situation is greater than not.

 they have made the use of their products not open them to liability by their arbitration clause, which you and i agreed to in using their platform. this clause removes our right to file a class action suit, and the supreme court has turned down opportunities to make it invalid

 Google, like all other businesses with souls of bean counting accountants, is basically telling us through their actions that they think it's cheaper to alienate the people commenting on this forum than to pay those royalties to Sonos.

i doubt this is how @GoogleNestTeam feels as individuals, but middle management in  tech companies make turning the ship around hard if  not impossible. they listen to the lawyers to keep their jobs safe.

You can conclude from this situation that Google won't act in your favor  when it comes down to decisions like this, which is terrifying if you think about all the personal data they gather on you as the price of using their services for "free."

 The only recourse we have is to shame them until the guy stapling the TPS reports (old movie reference, duckduckgo search it) realizes they're in a horrible situation with  their bottom line.

id love it if anyone from google can prove me wrong. transparency of motives and more communication don't seem to be in the cards here.

 this situation really illustrates how dangerously these companies act and how ultimately unethical they will be if it suits their shareholders to do so.

 tell your friends that google is unethical and doesn't care if using their products exposes them to literally losing money. it's the only thing google the people who really hold the corporate power--management compensated with stock and "legal"-- ever pay attention to, and only because it affects their profit.

 is this behavior worth trusting your most intimate information with? e-mail, browsing history, the sounds in your home?

Google as an entity does not have any motive but making money. This is what that amorality looks and feels like on the receiving end.

 

 

ohweddevva
Community Member

Just pay the frekkin' royalties. What else you gonna do with your frekkin' billions of dollars.

Don't be evil. Don't steal **bleep**.

justathoughtor2
Community Member

Please pay the royalties, Google. Even if you dispute this further in court, you cannot reasonably strip this functionality from our devices in the meantime. I have been a Google Home and Nest user since the Gen 1 Google Home speaker. This is unacceptable and presents a serious problem for disabled individuals like myself who rely on voice commands to work as advertised.

 

As a software engineer and accessible tech advocate, I am sincerely saddened that you not only are inconveniencing your total user base; you are also causing legitimate harm to disabled individuals who rely on your home and speaker automation on a daily basis. Please do better. Otherwise, there may be no recourse for people such as myself but to file our own lawsuit against you under the ADA, as is our right.

tonyaloy
Community Member

I am in the same situation as another poster. You can't take away features and expect customers to pay the same price  Completely negates why I bought into Google speakers for the house. I believe a rebate is in order, your devices no longer work as advertised and as sold. 

Rebate or refund is only fair.

Brausmith
Community Member

I keep reading that this a US ruling. Are non-US customers like myself affected?

If so, this is a pretty messed up situation. I will expect a full refund on my 7 Minis.

eArmin
Community Member

My speaker groups are stopped working and I dwlwted and recreated the group more than 30 times and finaly found that ridiculous news today and this b**sht pattent games by Sonos or other big firms to make money and preventing users to enjoy their services. I would never choose Sonos after this! Hope Google find an alternative way to fix this.

Whatever1
Community Member

@GoogleNestTeam 

This.......

you can still,

"control the volume for individual speakers within Speaker Groups (via voice commands, the Google Home app, or your Nest Hub display) "

Is yet more f ucking lying bulls hit.

It doesn't work and just replies back with "Sorry I can't..blah blah blah"

With any media playing you cannot change the volume via voice command if the speakers are in a speaker pair or part of a group. Only way you can change individuals speaker volumes via voice command is if there is no media playing or you say stop. (Edit. Even this isn't working now 🖕🏼).

I suggest you change your somewhat patronising post to reflect this instead of lying more to your customers.

Wrightyzere
Community Member

been a google fan for a while now, just with the constant bugs and gripes, goole not listening ot screwing up what I am saying, the hub bugging right out regardless how much you reset it, Now with all this being caught in the crossfire of sonos rubbish. Where do we the consumer stand. Imagine buying something for a specific use and be told sorry were not allowed it so thus neither can u, just imagine eh 🤷🏼‍♂️..🤔 I have 3 nest and a hub yet i have to keep swapping the volume on each device in each room everytime i wanna play something throughout my home? This is total rubbish and just not good enough. Talk about no longer fit for purpose aye. @admin 

As much as i aint a fan of amazon  products.  Debating it as an option right Now, either that or wallet driven apple

Suzique
Community Member

@GoogleNestTeam 

Does this apply worldwide? Or just in some countries? 

Will some countries have normal functionality?

I know very little about patent law

dragontrumpetar
Community Member

As a swede I bought this speakers (one I actually got for free) and noticed they allready then didn't work as promised. There is so many feature we can't use in Sweden as for an American. It do definately dont understand us, and sometimes this voice match dont work at all. It sometimes answeres questions not asked and so on. So this I just one more nail in the coffin to not go on buyng into Google stuff. GA dont work 100% for a swede and now it works even less, but in sense not only Swedes gets a worse product, for once its all the world. To be frank, I want a refund on the one that I bought because it never worked as intended, and now its worse.

acrimoniousJ
Community Member

So, we're all going to have to wait until 2029 for this functionality to return to good products.

Amazing. Sonos and patent law are truly hinderences. 🙂

Gregs9plus
Community Member

 

Hello I bought this speaker on purpose to make speaker groups everywhere at home and adjust the volume simply for complete speaker groups ... Google you are a very big company it is impossible to leave us them like that with your material!

 

Pay the access rights to Sonos patents, fight for us to take back our equipment and in exchange I want sonos speakers if you do not want to provide us with the service for which we paid ... it was very, very important!

 

 

 

Bonjour j'ai acheté c'est enceinte exprès pour faire des groupes d'enceinte un peu partout chez moi et régler le volume simplement pour des groupes complets d'enceinte... Google vous êtes une très grosse entreprise il est impossible de nous laisser les comme ça avec votre matériel !

 

Payez les droits d'accès aux brevets Sonos , battez-vous pour nous nous reprenons notre matériel et en échange je veux bien des enceintes sonos si vous n'avez pas envie de nous fournir le service pour lequel on a payé... Pour ma part c'était très très important !

M1AU
Community Member

I have 3 Home Max, an Nest audio, 2 home minis, and a couple of Chromecasts which suddenly stopped working as expected. Google, if you lost the lawsuit and they found you guilty for using Sonos stuff, please for the sake of it consider paying the royalty fees so we trusted customers don't have to go the only way of switching to Amazon's ecosystem.

 

SamInPgh
Community Member

This is the best article I've found on the subject. The following quote from a patent lawyer was particularly interesting...

It (Google) could pay Sonos royalties at any time, licensing the patents and essentially taking the decision as a loss. However, Solomon says that's unlikely. "They need to find a face-saving way of not having the relevant products banned from import while getting some kind of win, as Google always does. Yes, just paying the royalties makes this all go away but it's their worst case scenario."

https://www.androidpolice.com/sonos-google-faq/amp/

#PaySonos

FixSpkrPairVol
Community Member

I added this new post to share some thoughts and gather a few useful links from other threads and posts. Take a look and let's all help put this unfortunate period behind us, and get back to enjoying our purchases.

 

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Speakers-and-Displays/Google-Sonos-v-End-Users/m-p/79509/high...

Measme
Community Member

I totally understand the changes and the  position this puts Google in... But there's also an opportunity here for Google to implement some software changes to potentially make things work better!

I trust they'll find a way... 

Mj7800
Community Member

Nothing less than a scandal! You're GOOGLE, fix this!

Smarthomejoe
Community Member

Absolutely ridiculous 🙄 the reason I bought 8 google speakers for my home made pointless. You need to just pay up google.

HypnoticAbyss
Community Member

Ok so can I sue you and get my money back? Because I purched my Google speakers for the purpose of grouping them together, I demand a full refund for all of my devices. You cannot market a feature and then just rip it away, you pay the **bleep** up to Sonos or better fight the lawsuit.

leogames
Community Member

Not that you're reading this Google, but either:

 

#PAYSONOS

or

#PAYME

 

..because I paid you for six different Home/Nest audio devices to work in groups via voice, and now they don't. You're screwing over your own customers to save face and money. Crippling the customer experience should always be the last, not the first resort but that's exactly what you've done to us.

caelanbarr
Community Member

Very disappointed in Google for deflecting the damage of this lawsuit onto its own customers. Specifically, these are the customers that have put down a ton of money and time on Google Nest / Home products. Please pay Sonos, or give us refunds on our speakers... I bought so many this winter and of course we had this happen just weeks after getting them all set up in my house. bummed.

Jcd
Community Member

That's another major breach (remember cloud print ?) in the solution quality and value as well as in the trust we place in Google as device manufacturer and ecosystem builder.

I have about 10 Chromecast audio and several tangent Chromecast speakers.

I already had issues combining native Chromecast and tangent into groups.

That's now killing all hopes of having a seamless multiroom system. 

 

For sure a compensation is required.

But i also expect google to find a way to fix this and provide an alternate solution to manage group volume.

Ready for class action !!!

rodonnell1984
Community Member

I don't have any speakers grouped. All I want to do is change the volume on my home speaker using voice commands but it seems that's now not possible. Any chance of an actual apology first of all?? We have 4 Google speakers that are now wasted. It's a joke we can't use them as you advertised. Need to sort this out ASAP or we'll start looking into replacing what we have with Alexa's. 

barry81
Community Member

Thank you, i had google home mini and goole home nest issues for a year.
now, i know why, i will replace my 5 google mini/nest speakers with alexa.

the assistant just doesnt work, no voice match, i have to repeat myself all the time, light controls arent working as they did a year ago...

thank you, that you products are so cheap, so its not a big lost of money. 

AndyDenise
Community Member

this is definitely not okay!!!!! I have a very large group. and I really can't change everything. now I just have **bleep** in the house can't do anything with it anymore great. you really have to pay for the rights, this is really going for very negative thoughts. new people really don't buy google speakers anymore. and an assistant does not have to have a speaker on every corner. so the income is going down now 🧐

lingo79
Community Member

No this is not oke. Not even rebate proposal from Google!!!? I have vropis instaled through whole house. 3 weeks broken speakers amd tbisnis reaction frok. Google??! Are you kidding me..

I see lawsuit in order. Il contact my lawer soom as tomorrow. This kind of **bleep** YOU to customers i didnt see yet

Soupy
Community Member

Shame a multi billion dollar company would choose to screw over its consumers instead of doing the right thing and paying royalties. Alexa has always sounded better anyway so thanks for making it an easier choice.

LasseJenssen
Community Member

I think this calls for a refund, or Google has to reverse this decision and reinstate the functions they now have removed. 

I’ve got several Nest Audios that I specifically bought because Google advertized them as able to be a part of a speaker group/multiroom setup.

Now Google have actually cheated me out of that by removing that function and rendered my entire system pretty much useless. I can’t believe this is OK from a legal standpoint, and I think it is awful customer service to just change this without the customers consent.

Since the “update” to the software all the speakers have started crackling and popping…so the sound quality is also affected severely.

I hope Google takes steps to fix this and also mend the bridges with their customers as soon as possible. If not, I and probably thousands of other customers will have no choice but to seek reparations.

Whatever1
Community Member

@LasseJenssen 

I have two nest audios. One was cracking and popping. This is a previous issue I don't know it's anything to do with the recent patent.

You could search for solutions online but I remember a couple of steps you can take.

1. Don't have the Nest Audio plugged into an extension lead have it plugged into its own wall socket/outlet.

2. Make sure the nest audio lead is not close to other wires.

3. And what solved my problem was simply swapping over the charging leads from one Nest Audio to the other. 

I think the popping and especially the crackling noise can be from electric interference hitting the leads which can come from other electrical devices and shared outlets. Hope this helps. 

Matt12345
Community Member

I am very sad to learn of this outcome, this feature is a daily essential for me! - I work in radio, so I am constantly stream whole house audio, so to have to reach for individual speaker levels will be a big enough inconvenience that I will likely start looking for a replacement. 

Technology should simplify and increase efficiency not complicate life. 

Gav_B
Community Member

Situations like these are why Google will never 'make it' as a hardware manufacturer.  You simply can't rely on the fact that a product you buy today will work properly tomorrow.

I made the mistake of buying into the Google eco-system back in the day; currently running 3x Home Max, Nest Protect and Nest Thermostat.  Whilst I've had Android phones since the first iteration, I moved to Google phones with the Nexus 6P, then to the Pixel 2 XL, 4 XL and now the 6 Pro.  The 6 Pro was only 5 weeks old when it had to go off to Google for warranty replacement.  Every single Nexus/Pixel had significant flaws, yet I always hoped this time would be the one Google nailed it.  Sadly not.  The reason for this is to highlight that Google do not have a good track record when it comes to stuff like this and more fool me for giving them "...just one more chance."

 

So the Groups debacle... Google's Groups feature had always been flaky at best, often requiring a reset of the Home app or restart of the phone to correctly pick up the grouped speakers.  Often 3rd party apps like Spotify would find the individual speakers but not the Group.  It was janky but just-about-worked.  However, Google's patent infringement is NOT my problem; to arbitrarily just break customer kit/functionality in order to not have to pay for a patent is wholly outrageous.  Google could have solved this by just being honourable and paying for the patent they infringed.  Instead they chose to piss off their customer base behind bull**bleep** and bollocks.  Nothing about the OP here is OK.

 

I'd been considering augmenting my home setup - doorbell, cameras and possibly wifi.  It should've been a simple decision to integrate further with Google but I absolutely will not.  My next phone is unlikely to be a Pixel either as it's clear Google will never get it right.

 

So Google - your decision not to pay a patent fee which was probably broadly insignificant to a company of your scale - has resulted in dissatisfaction for this customer with their current investment (£1,200 on Home Max devices) but has directly resulted in lost sales for other hardware.  Want to know what else?  I'm the 'techie' in my group of friends and family, the one that gets asked, "What should I buy..?"  Well guess which company I won't be recommending.

 

What a farking shiitshow.  Be BETTER, Google.

 

Edit: Forgot that I have a Nest Hub 2nd Gen yet to set up.  Guess what - that's going straight up for sale unopened.

dukee15
Community Member

I literally have thousands of dollars invested into this google speakers because of that main functionality. I purchased these speakers because of that function. So basically I purchased something that not as advertised. I would like a REFUND!!

NiceMN
Community Member

We had just purchased a home full of Nest products including speakers, displays, Google TV, a Stadia controller, two wired camera, and two Pixel 6 pros during the holidays. They all going back today, fortunately we’re within the return period.

it is a really unethical move to either knowingly infringe on multiple key patents or then when you lose in court, remove functionality from products customers have already paid for rather than do what you should have in the first place, and pay the patent holder fees to license their patents. Google practically mints money on ads, so it’s isn’t like you can’t afford it.

This reminds me a lot of the shady and deceptive approach Google took with Apple, pretending to be partners while in the meantime working on Android.

As my Dad once told me, if something doesn’t feel right, it’s not right. Goodbye Google, your ethics clearly don’t meet my standards. 

dukee15
Community Member

#boycottgoogle